Zero to Hero

[tbone1004]

@tbone1004 when it that suppose to happen?

not sure but probably within the next 1-2 years

 

[Mike1967]

not sure but probably within the next 1-2 years

Oh that far off, I was planning on doing the courses in the middle of this year. So the answer to my original question is, Cavern and Intro together is ok?

 

[tbone1004]

Oh that far off, I was planning on doing the courses in the middle of this year. So the answer to my original question is, Cavern and Intro together is ok?

if you intend to be a cave diver, yes

 

[oya]

Cavern and Intro together is ok?

I rarely teach just a cavern course. As Tom noted, the course is increasingly being relegated to more of a "recreational" level safety course than proper, extensive overhead training.

Even when people have asked about Cavern I tend to suggest that they aim at Intro (and then teach the Cavern and Intro courses as a bundle to satisfy the Standards where appropriate). Occasionally there is a student that isn't up to an Intro pass and, if they wish and have earned the qualification, I'll issue a Cavern card. But the limitations imposed by a Cavern cert are, obviously, even far more strict than Intro and don't really "unlock" any dive sites for you.

Generally, my thinking is that one is either in overhead or not. And should, therefore, be properly trained and equipped for overhead... or stay in open water.

 

[lowwall]

Corrections continued. I'll put your line first, then my suggestion. I'm not doing style edits or comma placement, just obvious stuff like missing words or misspellings.

75cf to deal with unfamiliar cave
75cf to deal with an unfamiliar cave

it’s easy drag sixths out
it’s easy to drag sixths out

What do you think that feeling is going to do to heart/breathing rates.
(Needs a "?" instead of the ".")

enrol in the more advanced class. For the later…
enroll in the more advanced class. For the latter…

other comfortable taking their money
either comfortable taking their money

through Holland Tunnel-sized cave
through a Holland Tunnel-sized cave (or "an Holland" if you pronounce it "Olland")

just earned and Intro cert yesterday
just earned an Intro cert yesterday

The later should have a good
The latter should have a good (see Difference between LATER and LATTER for an explanation)

Nowadays you can barely spit in a dive shop without hitting a cave instructor. This is wildly different from the early days, when cave diving was this arcane practice alike to black magic and pastry baking.
(Nothing wrong here. I included it because it's a brilliant couple of sentences and I want to encourage people to read the post despite the occasional errors.)

 

[JustWetRocks]

In the process of interviewing instructors as I move forward with cave training... some have offered to take me from my current cavern to full... in 5-6 days. I am going with one that is training me to apprentice/cave1 in 5 days.
Would I like to be a full cave diver with no restrictions? Of course! That is the end goal...
but I want to to be the goal more to than “the end”

 

[tbone1004]

In the process of interviewing instructors as I move forward with cave training... some have offered to take me from my current cavern to full... in 5-6 days. I am going with one that is training me to apprentice/cave1 in 5 days.
Would I like to be a full cave diver with no restrictions? Of course! That is the end goal...
but I want to to be the goal more to than “the end”

6 days to full is the standard from cavern as an FYI, granted that's assuming your cavern course was solid. You mention Cave1, is it a NAUI instructor? which one?

 

[Marie13]

Never mind

 

[Hartattack]

Well written, Roger. As someone who takes their time when it comes to advanced training, I appreciate the thought process and hope others can learn from it. As instructors, I think our students must have the right skills and mastery of said techniques before moving on into an overhead (physical or soft) environment. While the hard part might be having that "conversation" with a student—it could also save their life down the road if they are not ready. Nevertheless, I hope you don't mind if I share your perspective with my students if they ask about Cave or Technical training.

 

[rddvet]

In the process of interviewing instructors as I move forward with cave training... some have offered to take me from my current cavern to full... in 5-6 days. I am going with one that is training me to apprentice/cave1 in 5 days.
Would I like to be a full cave diver with no restrictions? Of course! That is the end goal...
but I want to to be the goal more to than “the end”

That's a very good mindset. Too many people want to blow through the certs, and I think the Intro, Apprentice, and Full system breeds students who rush through certs. I fully agree the best option is take a class, go out and dive until it's second nature, take the next class and then do the same. My wife and I took cavern (though cavern as stated is becoming less of a thing) then did a year of cavern dives (which wasn't always fun, but we learned every single dive), then did Cave 1 and took 14 months before moving to Cave 2. We are also "local" to cave country so we were diving at least two weekends a month during that period.
I wish more people would slow down. I know there are some good instructors that have put out some decent zero to hero students, but I still will never recommend an instructor that regularly teaches zero to hero.
Keep your smart mindset going and you'll be the type of cave diver I like to dive with.