question about cave diving

[palmm]

to skimfisher, where do you go to practice your skills.

 

[SkimFisher]

I go to Paradise Springs a lot. Great site. Great place to practice with a reel. Not the best place to cut your teeth if you've never done OH diving though - low flow and can be very silty. Where have you dived so far?

 

[dl348]

i heard that johnny richards was one of the top cave instructors around. and yeah i will probably wait awhile just wondering.

Yes, Johnny Richards is a very good cave instructor.

 

[FireInMyBones]

Yes, Johnny Richards is a very good cave instructor.

+1

Agreed.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

it seems like besides bouyancy, only cave diving can make you a good cave diver. not many times when you have no vis, and small spaces to dive in.

Until you get to cave level, small spaces are not even in the mix. Most popular caves are pretty large with great visibility, when not blown out by foloded rivers. Some systems are not affected at all by rivers and are generally pretty clear. No vis, is done by closing your eyes during training. Depending on what type of cave diving you do, and where you do it, you can dive places where you may never see zero vis without causing it yourself.

Having said this, Cavern will teach you much of the new skills that will prepare you for your move into the overhead. Cavern is a great course to make a diver much better. You can practice all of your skills anywhere. You don't need an overhead to dive with the proper form that you will learn in cavern. Body position, frog kick, or modifications of the frog lick, managing your gas supply, reel work, getting your equipment where you want it can be practiced anywhere.

When you have become comfortable with cavern stuff, and if you decide to move on, then you do so. A good instructor will not pass you until you have successfully completed the course. The course requires "minimum standards". It is up to you to take those skills and hone them until they are not only second nature, but in excellent form consistently. Many divers stop practicing after a bit. They think "good enough". This is not the instructors fault, it is the diver's for not making these new skill second nature.

If you do cavern and practice this until it is second nature, you will be a much better diver, even if this oil scare clears and you never go further into the cave education. Cavern is probably the best course for any diver to get their diving into proper form.

Good luck if that is what you choose to do. Also let me throw Shirley Kasser into the instructor loop. She lives in Lake Mary. She is cavern and cave 1. sskasser@hotmail.com Her website is shediver.com

 

[kathydee]

Palmm, Thanks for posting this thread and for all the responses. I’ve also been very intrigued by caves, but I’m surrounded by so many skilled tech divers that often I feel brand new to diving & it's easy to question if I'm experienced enough to move into anything technical.

You all removed my doubt. So.. I’m busy making plans for a preview of the Mx Cenotes -- I bet I love them ;-)!

 

[palmm]

i dived paradise springs today and it rocked. i will be doing a cavern course with johnny richards sometime in july. loved the darkness while going down the descent line and wanted to go into the cave but it was to deep for my nitrox blend. thanks for all the replys to this thread.

 

[FireInMyBones]

i will be doing a cavern course with johnny richards sometime in july.

Feel free to read my write up of his cavern class. I just took it two weeks ago.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

...and wanted to go into the cave but it was to deep for my nitrox blend. thanks for all the replys to this thread.

...and how about way over your head training/skill wise?

 

[SkimFisher]

i dived paradise springs today and it rocked. i will be doing a cavern course with johnny richards sometime in july. loved the darkness while going down the descent line and wanted to go into the cave but it was to deep for my nitrox blend. thanks for all the replys to this thread.

I was there. What group were you there with? I'm sure we crossed paths. There was a total silt out waiting for me at the bottom on my second dive. Worst viz I've ever seen there.