Training time in Open Water

[LordHavoc]

Cave divers, how much training happened outside the cave in your course? UTD teaches overhead protocols course. Every one is working outside the cave first then they do everything inside it. Is that how cave training is normally done? Is that helpful?

 

[Marie13]

Virtually nothing outside the cave (mine) in my TDI cavern/intro to cave course. We had some land drills working on line stuff, but that was it.

 

[tursiops]

Interesting. TDI does not mandate OW work for Cavern/Intro. NACD does. PADI does for Cavern.

 

[Guille G]

We did land drills and a “stress circuit” in the OW at the cavern entrance early in the cavern course. After that, it was all under the overhead in cavern/cave as appropriate.

 

[tursiops]

We did land drills and a “stress circuit” in the OW at the cavern entrance early in the cavern course. After that, it was all under the overhead in cavern/cave as appropriate.

Which agency? This is useful info.

 

[Guille G]

Which agency? This is useful info.

TDI. And to clarify my poor wording before - the stress circuit was something we did on the first day of cavern, the land drills were recurrent throughout the course every time a new skill was introduced.

 

[Manatee Diver]

My instructor (at the time the training director of the NSS-CDS) did the first day in the basin at Ginnie, first you demonstrated trim, propulsion, and ends the day with a five circuit drill that you have to pass.

He lays a line down, with placements, tie offs, and formations that require you to switch over the side of the line. The line is mostly in OW, but it deeps briefly into the ballroom entrance and back out. Then you do it eyes open alone, touch contact following, touch contact leading, eyes closed touch contact following, eyes closed touch contact leading, and finally alone with your mask off.

After day one assuming you had no issues everything was in the cave, in the cave zone.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Cave divers, how much training happened outside the cave in your course? UTD teaches overhead protocols course. Every one is working outside the cave first then they do everything inside it. Is that how cave training is normally done? Is that helpful?

Typical and very helpful. 1st you learn basic concepts, principles, and discuss skills on land. Then practice it in an ow environment like a basin. Then move into the cavern then the cave. Baby steps help to build confidence and reinforce new ideas. Starting straight away in a cave with no familiarity with lines, markers, anti silting, importance of why things are done a particular way, etc could easily lead to a very bad day.

 

[PfcAJ]

During my c1 class we spent a day at blue grotto making sure we were up to snuff before going into the cavern. It’s been a while, but I recall basic stuff, valve manipulations and trouble shooting, and a no mask swim on the line. After that, it was either land drills or in the caves.

 

[Guille G]

My instructor (at the time the training director of the NSS-CDS) did the first day in the basin at Ginnie, first you demonstrated trim, propulsion, and ends the day with a five circuit drill that you have to pass.

He lays a line down, with placements, tie offs, and formations that require you to switch over the side of the line. The line is mostly in OW, but it deeps briefly into the ballroom entrance and back out. Then you do it eyes open alone, touch contact following, touch contact leading, eyes closed touch contact following, eyes closed touch contact leading, and finally alone with your mask off.

After day one assuming you had no issues everything was in the cave, in the cave zone.

This sounds exactly like what my instructor referred to as “stress circuit”. Just sub Ginnie for cenote Edén.