Cavern class

[knfmn]

Hello all,

I'm going to be taking my cavern class with one of my buddies in March. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should work on before I get down there?

Thanks for advise in advance,

Kristopher

[sskasser]

Bouyancy, bouyancy, oh, and.... bouyancy. Practice holding yourself horizontally within a 2' range in around 10' of water...without moving your feet or hands. Now practice doing it while doing other stuff (using camera, air sharing, playing pac-man on your underwater gameboy, etc)

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your class!

[knfmn]

Thank you! I'm working very hard on my buoyancy. Thankfully I have a pool available to me a couple times per week that I can practice in while it is a little too cold for diving locally. It's not the same, but it's not bad, either.

Kristopher

[a64pilot]

Once you get the buoyancy thing down, then try it while running line. I was always very comfortable with my buoyancy control in open water, but it went bad coming out of the cavern with a flow, decreasing depth and while reeling in line. Oh and everything must be done flat, abandon that head up, feet down thing, and forget the scissor kick. But truthfully until the buoyancy was second nature and didn't require thought or planning, I was a mess and easily task saturated. You can't have good buoyancy without near perfect trim.

[JamesK]

Pool work is great. Like the folks said above me, buoyancy and trim are key. Look up videos on You Tube of cave divers and the way they are positioned in the water. Repeat that. I hate to suggest running a line before class sometimes because you could end up doing it all wrong and then have to unlearn that habit. Although task load yourself in the pool while trying to maintain perfect trim and buoyancy. Take off your mask and try to hold that depth without a mask. Things like that. Good luck and enjoy!!

[bpcfire1]

Work on the use of your equip and locations on your set up. Work on trim while reaching, removing, replacing and locating all your equipment. You may find ways to move things and where to place such items as lights, knives, reels and such to where using them will not effect your trim. Also, do a few drills with locating and using your equip in the dark. Doing this will make it second nature and you will be more confident in the water.

[Line Squirrel]

Work on your Bouyancy & Trim...they are not the samething.

[hunabku]

Pretty much the same advice as everyone else.

Bouyancy and Trim.

You want to be able to be completely still in a horizontal position. Once you nail that practice performing tasks with your hands while maintaining that position.

Having outstanding control of your bouyancy and trim will make everything else a piece of cake. Try to do the entire dive horizontal. never go out of trim.


Have fun!!!

[Line Squirrel]

I think one of the biggest mistakes students make is rushing through some of the skills. Try to remember, it's not a race and you're not being timed when you put a reel, etc., in. Too many people think they need to do it fast. Just take your time with the reel(s) and concentrate on bouyancy and trim while performing these skills.

And...don't forget, this is supposed to be FUN!!!

[sskasser]

I think one of the biggest mistakes students make is rushing through some of the skills. Try to remember, it's not a race and you're not being timed when you put a reel, etc., in. Too many people think they need to do it fast. Just take your time with the reel(s) and concentrate on bouyancy and trim while performing these skills.

And...don't forget, this is supposed to be FUN!!!


OOOO so true! SLOOOOWWWW is fast. And ENJOY!

Mike, you so smart! :D Miss ya!

[Slüdge]

You want to be able to be completely still in a horizontal position... Try to do the entire dive horizontal.

So you're saying my open water instructor was wrong?:smt102

[Line Squirrel]

OOOO so true! SLOOOOWWWW is fast. And ENJOY!

Mike, you so smart! :D Miss ya!

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while :mrgreen: Miss you guys too Shirley, I need to get back up there soon.

[JamesK]

So you're saying my open water instructor was wrong?:smt102

YO' INSTRUCTOR WAS WRONG!!!! Sorry, watching the Waterboy! LOL. I always hate how in OW classes they sit someone on the bottom on their knees and make them do skills. My OW class was taught by cave divers, with my intent on becoming a cave diver. I was not allowed to touch the bottom.

[CaveMD]

YO' INSTRUCTOR WAS WRONG!!!! Sorry, watching the Waterboy! LOL. I always hate how in OW classes they sit someone on the bottom on their knees and make them do skills. My OW class was taught by cave divers, with my intent on becoming a cave diver. I was not allowed to touch the bottom.

Mine was taught by a cave diver and was conducted in a similar manner...despite the fact that I had less than zero interest in doing something as retarted as cave diving.

[JamesK]

Mine was taught by a cave diver and was conducted in a similar manner...despite the fact that I had less than zero interest in doing something as retarted as cave diving.

LOL. yeah, you see how well that worked! LOL...

[CaveMD]

LOL. yeah, you see how well that worked! LOL...

I still am a little perplexed as to how I got talked into this. I'm glad I did though.

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[john844]

I still am a little perplexed as to how I got talked into this. I'm glad I did though.

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2 years ago, I had zero interest in cave diving. Having experience caving in dry caves exposed me to times of confusion as to the way out. I though anyone who did cave diving was absolutely nuts.

Now, I am taking steps to become a cave diver. There must be something in the spring water that keeps drawing us back.

[JamesK]

I still am a little perplexed as to how I got talked into this. I'm glad I did though.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk


2 years ago, I had zero interest in cave diving. Having experience caving in dry caves exposed me to times of confusion as to the way out. I though anyone who did cave diving was absolutely nuts.

Now, I am taking steps to become a cave diver. There must be something in the spring water that keeps drawing us back.

You could be on to something. Maybe the chemicals in the run off have turned the springs in to some sort of liquid meth.

[Slüdge]

Juan Ponce de León had it all figured out...