Not sure if this video has been posted before, if so, please disregard...
The first cave dive of my life! it was such an amazing experience, I'll go back with bigger lights next time ;)
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Not sure if this video has been posted before, if so, please disregard...
The first cave dive of my life! it was such an amazing experience, I'll go back with bigger lights next time ;)
Sickening......
just wow, not looking forward to the accident thread when it happens
For some reason your link had an extra http: link in it...probably just needed to select/cut the http in the link dialogue.
http://vimeo.com/33992406
I did that guided dive at Cueva Taina about 11 years ago. I was so enthralled I became a cave diver. It's not all that bad. Supposedly all cavern zone and it is guided in small groups with max depth 35 feet. Most of the time you have a large air chamber above you, even though you don't know it. But in my recollection from over a decade ago, it seemed more like cave than the typical Dos Ojos guided cenote dive.
Fixed original link, thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by mdax
Yes, and I am not convinced Dos Ojos is all that safe.Quote:
Originally Posted by kwinter
I get your point, Forrest, and its been discussed a lot. Having been there both before and after my cave training, I looked back and also thought OMG. But the safety record is really outstanding after many, many years, so its hard to think about it as an accident waiting to happen. And if it gets people interested in becoming cave trained in order to see more, that's good for the sport. Like the Discover Scuba resort experience that I also thought was pretty crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
I can see both kwinter's and FW's point. I was not aware this was a guided dive. One thing I will say though, even as a guided dive, some techniques need to be taught before you go in. A small skills test and a gear once over. The stuff hanging down, and the flutter kicking made me cringe. I did notice a lot of air pockets in this video, but also saw areas it looked like a ceiling above them. Even if they were air pockets, how far back were they? They always appeared to be out of the cavern zone.
There is a "cavern" dive in Taina similar to the new cavern line at Pet Cematary, it is 100% in the dark but also has air and a big dry cave section above almost the whole dive, if "guides" would sticl to this dive it would be relatively safe the problem in Taina is that irresponsible dive "guides" take people on the mainline and swim off into a large area of the cave, this area is about 300ft form the entrance has a very silty floor, a pronounced hallocline and is a 100% full cave dive. This is of course with no line and a full OW configuration.Quote:
Originally Posted by kwinter
I watched this video a few times and I know the cave well, it looks like they did the cavern dive and did not go to the mainline like many other dive shops do, it also appears that the guide was in doubles so I assume he was at least cave trained.
To me this seems ok and they did a cavern dive and the guide was in full cave gear as required, unlike many other DR dive shops.
What makes you say that?Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
Taina is a beautiful system, but it has tricky parts. The halocline can be very disorienting, depending on water levels, you might be in it for a while. The cave has deeper areas, and with the air mix and haloclines, and side tunnels that can be small and silty, I can definitely see it being more dangerous than other guided cave dives.
I think if they made people carry their own tanks down the stairs, that alone would cut down on the number of OW divers diving there. :D
Beautiful haloclines
http://i.imgur.com/4Q6xm.jpg
Cavern zone
http://i.imgur.com/v4xbK.jpg
Smaller side passage, with beautiful formations and beautiful silt.
http://i.imgur.com/p7Cne.jpg
Cavern diving is a lot safer for the cavern trained. Courses teach how to stay out of trouble. More important, a good course teaches enough emergency procedures to avoid panic if things go wrong. I did Dos Ojos just after I got cavern certified. Sandy Madison had pounded it into my head to keep my gear close to my body and watch the guideline. I had to disentangle dangling gear for one or the other of the open water divers in front of me 3 times.
I'm just newly trained myself but now that I know what I know, that looks like an accident waiting to happen. I was just waiting for their danglies to get caught on something.
I know I carried my own tanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by JahJahwarrior
I particularly like the title of the video. They liked it so much, they mention coming back next time with bigger lights, but no mention of training.