Where would you do cavern training?

[SuPrBuGmAn]

If you want thorough, goto FL where the caverns can be more challenging. MX will be a piece of cake afterwards... and you don't have to worry about getting ripped off at every gas station or police stop.

 

[PfcAJ]

Florida. Its probably harder, and you'll probably take more away from it because of that.

Seems than anyone can do mexico, but the opposite doesn't hold true. Start off where its a little more challenging. Oh, and take a GUE-F course first, as Lynne recommends.

 

[mathauck0814]

Train where you want to dive. Florida and Mexico present different challenges as caves. If you train in one with the intent to dive in the other it's likely that you won't be exposed to all of the risks that you'll need to consider when you find yourself back without a guide.

Because you're talking about the cavern level, you're probably just as good in either place, but if you wanted to progress further and leave the light zone, I'd not slap at it and have an actual plan to get you to where you want to be.

 

[LiteHedded]

i'm not sure mexico presents any challenges you can't train for in florida.

I almost fell asleep on my dives there...

 

[Peter Guy]

Re Florida vs. the Yucatan -- the real issue appears to be:

Train in Florida because the caves (that is, flow and depth) make for a more difficult Cavern Dive thus your skills will be better (assuming you can master the flow and thus learn the skills); or

Train in Mexico/Yucatan because the caves are less demanding (shallower and much lower/no flow) thus you can spend most/all of your concentration on learning the "Cave" skills -- line running, lost line, lost buddy, etc.

Full disclosure -- I did all of my training in Mexico and then did a lot of my first dives in N. Florida. I learned from both experiences.

This discussion reminds me of when I took flying lessons -- start at a small airport with limited traffic so you can concentrate on learning to fly the plane and THEN add the skills of flying into/out of a major airport OR start at a major airport (for me, Boeing Field which was, at that time, one of the busiest airports in the country based on landings/takeoffs -- light planes and "company" 747s with everything in between) which made the early learning slower but the end result more polished. YMMV

 

[PfcAJ]

Re Florida vs. the Yucatan -- the real issue appears to be:

Train in Florida because the caves (that is, flow and depth) make for a more difficult Cavern Dive thus your skills will be better (assuming you can master the flow and thus learn the skills); or

Train in Mexico/Yucatan because the caves are less demanding (shallower and much lower/no flow) thus you can spend most/all of your concentration on learning the "Cave" skills -- line running, lost line, lost buddy, etc.

Full disclosure -- I did all of my training in Mexico and then did a lot of my first dives in N. Florida. I learned from both experiences.

This discussion reminds me of when I took flying lessons -- start at a small airport with limited traffic so you can concentrate on learning to fly the plane and THEN add the skills of flying into/out of a major airport OR start at a major airport (for me, Boeing Field which was, at that time, one of the busiest airports in the country based on landings/takeoffs -- light planes and "company" 747s with everything in between) which made the early learning slower but the end result more polished. YMMV

So slower and better or faster and worse? Hmm...

 

[ktkt]

Hmm, good things to think about.

I have been hoping to do a GUE-F class here, but so far, planned classes haven't fit into my schedule. Also, since I don't have my own car, getting there takes a bit more coordination. Hopefully, something will work out this summer, when I have more flexibility.

---------- Post added April 27th, 2012 at 02:25 PM ----------

Also, what sorts of depths are we talking here? A couple people have mentioned the difference in depth for Florida vs Mexico. Are there websites you would recommend for getting more details on particular cave systems?

 

[JamesK]

CaveAtlas.com » Home

 

[PfcAJ]

Most Florida caverns that you'll train in are in the 40-60ft range.

Common caverns for training include Peacock/ Orange Grove, Jackson Blue, Blue Grotto, and Ginnie Springs.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

My suggestion is Florida - get good training in high flow. Then you can go to Mexico (if you dare) and it will be a breeze.