Full Cave ... Finally

When I first got into diving over a decade ago I knew I wanted to dive caves. For years I never had the extra money for equipment and training. Eventually I got to start piecing together equipment and found some extra money for training. So on weekends without homework or pending exams I started training. I worked my way through adv nox/deco/trimix/adv trimix to cavern. I was ready for cave when I graduated college, got a really good job and moved to Arizona.

Fast forward four years and I'm back in the southeast, getting back into diving and I bump into my old instructor. I got the thought back into my head, made a quick trip to Vortex and Morrison and I was bitten by the bug again. After a little bit of gathering equipment and research I was ready to proceed. After few weekends of diving (ok several) I FINALLY finished full cave.

I would like to thank my instructors, Jim Charles and Edd Sorenson, for their time, dedication, ability to work with my schedule and willingness to allow me to train in sidemount. It was an awesome experience (oh and I will never go back to backmount :-D).

Congratulations!

Nor will you ever have extra $$$ money again. It's already all spoken for, and you don't even know it yet !!

Welcome to the other side.

Congrats

Congrats, that's awesome!!!!

Really good! Now your extra money can be use to come and dive in Mexico:roll:

Congrats!!!!

Congrats. But I would not shut the dire on bm completely

ya, don't ditch backmount completely... I have double 72's I use when I'm teaching open water. It's much much easier when you're teaching non technical type courses and if you're boat diving etc... food for thought

welcome to the darkside

Woo hoo! Way to go! :clapper:clapper

Thanks guys.

I haven't used the sidemount config in open water or on a boat yet so I'll keep that in mind. Thanks

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Originally Posted by graepaep

Thanks guys.

I haven't used the sidemount config in open water or on a boat yet so I'll keep that in mind. Thanks

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Side mount works everywhere, just ignore them :-D

It works, but I still prefer to be in backmount with my open water students, it's easier to run in and out of the water, and in the keys it's easier for single tanks...
Sidemount rocks though, congrats again

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Originally Posted by saxplayer1004

It works, but I still prefer to be in backmount with my open water students,

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Wouldn't it be breaking standards to be in ANY configuration other than a single backmounted cylinder when you are teaching open water?

I enjoy SM diving alot. but it is nice to have a set of doubles in the truck incase I dive with a BM group. That way we can all be in the same config.

NAUI allows us to be in doubles. Our university has a waiver for that, we don't have to have snorkels either and we are allowed to have the instructors/ai's in full face masks so we can communicate with the students better. Granted every time we actually try to use them we get ticked and put them away, but still.
The AI's can be in any configuration they want so long as it's open circuit. We have an instructor who can't carry backmount so he's in sidemount the whole time.
The DSO here has had an interesting bout with the agencies that allows him the leniency in teaching open water comparable to that of a full cave instructor, which he is. Even the stuff we make the students do at OWT is frowned upon by NAUI, but they know they can't/won't stop him from doing it. So we have fun meetings with the regional directors every year. I'm certainly not complaining about it, it allows me to be much more comfortable in the water in doubles rather than singles. I'll double check the NAUI books to see what they actually say, it's been a while since I've had to care... I'm far more concerned with irritating my boss than NAUI though... He's scary

My mother, who will be 80 in May, can't walk with a cylinder any more. So her buddy (usually me) carries her BC to the water and she puts it on in the water. Really complicated.

sounds like when I dive with my buddy. But he's 40 and has a bad back. Apparently it's immensely comical to watch me carry a set of doubles on my back, clutching his doubles in front of me, in a drysuit when it's cold and run into and out of the water... Good lord can I not wait for him to get into sidemount. uggh.
that's awesome your mom is still diving at 80 though! that's impressive

For regular OW dives (spearfishing and pretty fish dives) I still use a single back mount and a small pony bottle. I will, however, probably start doing my lobster dives in sidemount. :smile:

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Originally Posted by saxplayer1004

sounds like when I dive with my buddy. But he's 40 and has a bad back. Apparently it's immensely comical to watch me carry a set of doubles on my back, clutching his doubles in front of me, in a drysuit when it's cold and run into and out of the water... Good lord can I not wait for him to get into sidemount. uggh.
that's awesome your mom is still diving at 80 though! that's impressive

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If you're ever in need of a buddy and willing to carry tanks give me a call...






I kid, I kid
I will carry my own tanks sometimes

Congrats on the new certs. Im staying sidemount with multiple cylinders as well but for boat diving in the ocean an aluminum 80 suits me fine.

Congrats, I met you on your last day there. Good job on everything.

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Originally Posted by Kevin Carlisle

Congrats, I met you on your last day there. Good job on everything.

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Kevin yes hey. When are you looking to head back?

congrats on the full cave status.
i can relate on the long road you took to get your full cave card.

Congrats! Mexico is a must see for you IMO! Check it out. It's well worth the trip.

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Originally Posted by graepaep

Kevin yes hey. When are you looking to head back?

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I just saw this LOL. I been diving just about every weekend. Let me know when you are free, either shoot me a message here or Edd has my number and he will give it to you.

Congrats! The journey is just beginning.

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