Slow and easy vs hard and fast... (why the tortoise beats the hare}

[Meister481]

But once you're pretty comfortable with your breathing rate and know what it takes to get you out, you'll find you have a lot more time on exit. I haven't used the same amount of gas to exit as I have to enter in a few years, both in high flow and low flow. And I do sight see on the way out. I don't do a lot of sidetracking, but I do learn the cave even more on the way out than on the way in. If SHTF, I want to know that cave better exiting than entering because that's when it's really going to make a difference!

I'm more of this school. I'll turn a solo dive early and float out, depending on how much gas I have in reserve I will poke around a bit. A little game I play with myself is to plan the dive in segments, and jot down each segment forwards and backwards. I'll allow myself a bit of latitude whenever I've beaten the gas management plan and have ample reserves in addition to Al. This will allow you to better plan a dive and become more comfortable with your plan. I usually jot down my gas at different landmarks and jumps to estimate flow for future dives.

With this said, I'd never discourage a team member from expediting an exit because that's what they were taught. I'm a firm believer in diving to your comfort level and not allowing others to convince you to do something you're not fully prepared for. For that matter, the learning process didn't end with your Cave cert.

 

[BabyDuck]

yeah, i'm more in the 'play on the way out' camp. we even have a 'play' sign so we know to poke around in a room or stick our heads in a dome or whatever for a few minutes.

i used to be fast. jeandiver is swift, and i had to ramp up my speed to keep up with her - not that she made that a priority, and in fact would swim in some zig-zags looking around when we started diving together to not put pressure on me. but then i went dry. man, i'm *so* not fast now!

um, no, about the easier instructor. i mean, finding one who suits your learning style will make it easier to learn, but that's different than seeking out the slackest teacher. dumb move.