Kevlar55
Registered
My GUE card has an expiration date on it, I cant find my card right now but I think to keep your GUE certification you have to have at least 20 cave dives a year. I don't know about NACD or NSS-CDS.
Kevin
When are you actually a Cave Diver
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My GUE card has an expiration date on it, I cant find my card right now but I think to keep your GUE certification you have to have at least 20 cave dives a year. I don't know about NACD or NSS-CDS.
Kevin
I'm a wreck diver. I just end up in a cave six-seven days a week because they are closer and cheaper (now that I've moved from Alaska to cave country so I could cave dive every day.
I think the real question is: are you a cave diver or a cave junky.
If you are willing to quit your job and move to some place where you can cave dive every day, regardless of the personal costs, then you are a junky.
If you only cave dive 25 times a year, you are a cave diver. If you cave dive any less than this a) you used to be a junky but are now in recovery after 10 years of junkydom, or b) you took a class and don't realize that the skills to excel in a harsh environment diminish when not in practice on a regular basis.
I don't care about clubs or members status. I'd rather be diving. That reminds me, I haven't been to the Hinkel yet this week.
See ya later
I think the real question is: are you a cave diver or a cave junky.
If you are willing to quit your job and move to some place where you can cave dive every day, regardless of the personal costs, then you are a junky.
If you only cave dive 25 times a year, you are a cave diver. If you cave dive any less than this a) you used to be a junky but are now in recovery after 10 years of junkydom, or b) you took a class and don't realize that the skills to excel in a harsh environment diminish when not in practice on a regular basis.
I don't care about clubs or members status. I'd rather be diving. That reminds me, I haven't been to the Hinkel yet this week.
See ya later
Hey Kevlar,
I really like the idea that a cave card will expire without use.
How do they verify number of dives?
I really like the idea that a cave card will expire without use.
How do they verify number of dives?
Kevlar55
Registered
I would say they would want to see your log book. I'll ask David Rhea my instructor and let you know.
Kevin
JamesK
Contributor
Kevin, I did not know that about GUE. Let us know when you find out. Thanks.
what happens if you get sick,hurt,move get poor like me and can not dive for a year or so. No fault of your own but you just cant dive. And if they take away your card because you did not dive that year will you have to pay to go back and take all the training all over again? Was just wondering.
If you aren't in a cave for a year and just want to jump in and go then maybe you should reconsider cave diving.
I am not the brightest star in the sky, but with the skill depreciation that takes place over a year of no cave diving, I would venture to say that individuals who don't cave dive for a year or more should be required to perform certain skills prior to reissue of a card. A year is a long time to be out. The belief that you can take a year off is partly to blame for the chips in the ceilings, trenches in the silt, and the destruction of the grandiose clay formations at Cow.
I was at Cow a couple of weeks ago when I ran into three wreck divers who were here practicing. This being their first cave dive since last summer, they thought upstream Cow would be a great reintroduction. When they finally made it out, the site was very disturbing. They all 3 had clay all over them. They were joking around about crashing into the clay.
Getting sick or hurt would be good reasons to retake part of the training.
Moving and not having any money are self inflicted. If you can't dive because you lack funds for training, maybe reconsider how much cave diving really means to you.
30 foot reef dives are great, and less expensive.
I am not the brightest star in the sky, but with the skill depreciation that takes place over a year of no cave diving, I would venture to say that individuals who don't cave dive for a year or more should be required to perform certain skills prior to reissue of a card. A year is a long time to be out. The belief that you can take a year off is partly to blame for the chips in the ceilings, trenches in the silt, and the destruction of the grandiose clay formations at Cow.
I was at Cow a couple of weeks ago when I ran into three wreck divers who were here practicing. This being their first cave dive since last summer, they thought upstream Cow would be a great reintroduction. When they finally made it out, the site was very disturbing. They all 3 had clay all over them. They were joking around about crashing into the clay.
Getting sick or hurt would be good reasons to retake part of the training.
Moving and not having any money are self inflicted. If you can't dive because you lack funds for training, maybe reconsider how much cave diving really means to you.
30 foot reef dives are great, and less expensive.
DiveSherpa's points are well taken... however - there are exceptions to every rule, and the damage to caves is a big one. The "wreck" divers mentioned would likely be crashing into things even if they'd been caving frequently. Poor buoyancy control can be from a lack of diving, but is more likely a lack of care in a certified cave diver. And with the kind of buoyancy control and care mentioned, if these guys were really "wreck" divers it's a wonder they're still alive and not buried deep in some silted out hold, tangled in ship's wiring.
As for frequency requirements for caving, I am personally against 'em, but rather for self control and self limitations on that "first in awhile" dive. The prudent cave diver will be the prudent cave diver regardless of any currency imposition, and the bull in the china shop diver will still be the bull in the china shop diver no matter what kind of "requirements" are levied by any agency.
Rick
As for frequency requirements for caving, I am personally against 'em, but rather for self control and self limitations on that "first in awhile" dive. The prudent cave diver will be the prudent cave diver regardless of any currency imposition, and the bull in the china shop diver will still be the bull in the china shop diver no matter what kind of "requirements" are levied by any agency.
Rick
As the title suggests you've got to be doing it, participation is the key to efficiency and technique retainment. You don't see the military running a drill, getting it right, and then assuming from then on it will go as the one drill did, do you?
Rick the GUE requirements would not have allowed these guys to have cards if they didn't have the skills and the continuing dive requirement is a realistic way of making sure that those skills don't break down too much.
You cannot tell me that if you have laid off for even a month that your skills would not need refining. If you need to prove this one to yourself get someone to shoot some hyper compressed time lapse footage of you in the water. That's the first thing I do when on a cave diving trip is some warm up dives. Simply due the fact that I don't do it five days a week like I once did.
Its about commitment. Time, Energy, Effort, and Money. The gear is what people focus on but there are so many other aspects.....physical fitness, deco theory, emergency procedures and scenario analysis etc.
You do not participate in cave diving all the time so this 'requirement' would endanger the way that you have come to know and participate in cave diving, would it not? So I can see your concern but the argument that you are as skilled and fluid as you used to be after a time lapse is simple untrue.
Rick the GUE requirements would not have allowed these guys to have cards if they didn't have the skills and the continuing dive requirement is a realistic way of making sure that those skills don't break down too much.
You cannot tell me that if you have laid off for even a month that your skills would not need refining. If you need to prove this one to yourself get someone to shoot some hyper compressed time lapse footage of you in the water. That's the first thing I do when on a cave diving trip is some warm up dives. Simply due the fact that I don't do it five days a week like I once did.
Its about commitment. Time, Energy, Effort, and Money. The gear is what people focus on but there are so many other aspects.....physical fitness, deco theory, emergency procedures and scenario analysis etc.
You do not participate in cave diving all the time so this 'requirement' would endanger the way that you have come to know and participate in cave diving, would it not? So I can see your concern but the argument that you are as skilled and fluid as you used to be after a time lapse is simple untrue.
Im not talking about jumping right back into cave diving after a long lay off but I also do not think that you should lose your c-card over not diving for a year in a cave. they could have an update course or something along that line. I dont know about you but Im not going to lose everything over cave diving or diving in general. Im not rich and a lot of people do not have a choice about moving or geting sick or hurt. and if that means not cave diving than so be it.
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