Training in California?

[csholer]

hi guys, does anyone know of anyone, any agency, that is offering cavern/cave in california between monterey to sacramento. maybe as far south as san luis obispo? i live in sierra foothills so nor cal would be best. thanks a bunch. chris

 

[rjack321]

There are basically no divable caves suitable for training in that area. If you are just looking for an instructor, you should look for one who lives where the caves are and dives them frequently. So Akumal/Cozumel, MX or North FL.

does anyone know of anyone, any agency

Interview and choose an instructor wisely.

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

Bahamas?

 

[rjack321]

Bahamas?

Or France, or Australia, and some others (Thailand?). "MX and N. FL" were merely suggestions of places with numerous caves and instructors, not meant to be exclusive.

 

[Peter_C]

You can start local then go to Florida or Mexico. Beto Nava is one of the local instructors in the Monterey Area. I would say you should call him and ask what he recommends.
GUE Instructor résumé | Global Underwater Explorers
Class Report: GUE Fundamentals (Part I) - The Dive Matrix Forums
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/dir/218867-gue-tech-1-report-monterey-ca.html

 

[Dive-aholic]

If you're going to choose an instructor that lives locally, I would include several questions regarding cave diving experience and frequency. I think most would agree that cave diving is not something you want to do once or twice a year, and teaching it if you only dive that much is not advisable. As far as starting locally, only one day of the cavern course can be done away from caverns/caves. The rest must be done in that environment. You might as well find someone in one of the training locales and make the trip out.

 

[TSandM]

If you live in California, and trips to cave country are likely to be limited, you can do what I did. I looked at what the skills were that you need to cave dive, and how many of them I could actually learn in open water, and then I took classes in open water to learn those skills. Precise buoyancy control, non-silting propulsion, strong situational awareness, line running and following, and the use of double tanks are all things you can learn in open water. UTD Essentials or GUE Fundamentals are good places to start (even if you don't intend to do your cave training with those agencies) and both classes are available in the Bay/Monterey area.

 

[csholer]

thanks for all the replies everyone. was hoping to stay close to cali for $$$ reasons.

 

[matt_w]

thanks for all the replies everyone. was hoping to stay close to cali for $$$ reasons.

I spent a week in Florida doing Cavern/Basic Cave/Adv Nitrox and Deco. It was a great trip and excellent training. There is a lot that can go wrong when your cave diving and there really is no substitute for an Instructor who lives in the caves. There are a lot of excellent instructors in Florida and Mexico.

I understand your money concerns, but technical/cave diving is going to be an expensive activity. Given the dangers involved you have to consider what corners you want cut.

The good news is North Florida and Mexico are both fairly inexpensive places to stay, once you figure out how you will get there. I know there are places in Florida cave country you can get a bed for $25 a night and also several instructors that will bundle accommodations in with the cost of a class. In the big picture, traveling for training will probably end up being one of your smallest expenses.