Newly Minted Cave Diver!! :-)

I have successfully been turned to the darkside! I passed my cave 1 today. It was a grueling weekend. I'm bruised, sore, battered, torn, beat up, and I have no fingerprints left but at least now I can say I'm a cave diver! :-) My instructor Ken cut me no slack. We had some awesome dives at Peacock and Little River. Ginnie was good for training but I'm not sure I want to have to work so hard on a fun dive. Fighting that flow was exhausting and the pull and glide all but dissolved the skin on my fingertips. :-) I was amazed by how beautiful life was beyond the Grim Reaper sign. :-) Thank you Ken for a wonderful and challenging weekend. I also want to thank the people I've met and dived with on here for all of their help and advice. I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the caves.

Congrats!!!!!!! Welcome to the madness. Ginnie is a great dive. The no finger prints is just the right of passage, and the pull and glide gets easier with time. Plus you just can't beat the ride out!

Tracy, if you haven't been to Jackson Blue yet, now is the time. (Okay, not this week, but soon after.) The flow is usually like Ginnie's is, but now it's like Peacock's.

congrats Tracy.... Welcome to the addiction!!

Congratulations!

Ginnie definitely gets way easier with practice. You'll learn to keep you fingers from sliding on the rock. My girlfriend always paint her fingers with liguid bandage before we dive Ginnie and that seems to work for her.

Dive safe!!

Congratulations on passing the class. I still fondly recall how excited I got upon earning my cave card.

Thanks everyone. Addiction is an understatement. I'll be ready to dive again by the end of the week. There is no way I'm going to be getting bored any time soon. I'll probably give Ginnie another chance, just not for a while LoL! If anyone wants to do a dive that's within my limits let me know. :-)

Congrats Tracy, next step....think how much you will save on fills switching to a rebreather. :)

Congrats, Tracy! Yes, diving Ginnie will get easier!

Dave

Re. Devils Ear -- there are eddies and currents at the top of the gallery that will actually pull you in if you know to look/work with them. Go gently and easy, don't fight the cave, be sensual and gentle with it and she will reward you.

Congrats Tracy!!!!

It is a great feeling completing the class. I just finished by Cavern and Intro. I now can't wait to get back into the caves! Its very addicting. :-)

That is great Tracy, all that hard work paid off :-)

From one Tracy to another Tracy, congrats!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kensuf

Re. Devils Ear -- there are eddies and currents at the top of the gallery that will actually pull you in if you know to look/work with them. Go gently and easy, don't fight the cave, be sensual and gentle with it and she will reward you.

---

Funny and fickle the comentaries can be here! When I first got Intro cert'd I mentioned how my fingerprints were worn and how happy I was to be in that condition as a result of the hard work. The responses I got ran all the way from " I didn't belong in there if I couldn't pull and glide properly" to "genuine congrats from some". I've moved on to full cave and even got myself a season pass to Ginnie. The thing that I learned along the way is just exactly as Ken says you can get quite a way with little work if you know what to look for in the Gallery. But at least for me it seems like tons of work to get from the Lips through the Keyhole. Once I get throught that short section I really relax and it doesn't seem that much like work. I guess I'm saying don't give up on Ginnie even though it's regarded as a "tourist" system there is still lots to see and do in there.

congrats! welcome!

Welcome to the legions of the Dark side. As for the flow in Devils, in time you will learn to pull and not cut up your fingers. In the main galleryIi advise divers to follow the white lines. Yes I know the main line is gold but if you look up high to the left side you will see a white wear line from divers pulling thru the lower flow areas. Like the steps at a bus terminal the wear indicates major traffic flow. Crowds of People like water always flow thru the paths of least resistense. Even in the areas where there is less traffic (further in the system or smaller tunnels) you will notice (if you look) wear signs at an arms lenght apart. Reusing the same pull points allows you two things: A) you most like going thru the path of least resistense and B) your helping limit the wear to those points. Have fun go slow dive safe.
MA

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by T. Bix

The responses I got ran all the way from " I didn't belong in there if I couldn't pull and glide properly" ...

---

Please ignore idiots like that. Some of us have been cave diving for over fifteen years, but having baby-soft skin, still get cut-up fingers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo

in time you will learn to pull and not cut up your fingers.

---

I quit getting cut-up fingers when I bought a scooter.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slüdge

Please ignore idiots like that. Some of us have been cave diving for over fifteen years, but having baby-soft skin, still get cut-up fingers.

I quit getting cut-up fingers when I bought a scooter.

---

So do you moisturize? :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sly-vester

Congrats Tracy, next step....think how much you will save on fills switching to a rebreather. :)

---

I don't see a rebreather in my future. :-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FW

That is great Tracy, all that hard work paid off :-)

---

Thanks Forrest. I remembered to keep my head down. :-) What a difference that made. Thank you for all of your help. :-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slüdge

Please ignore idiots like that. Some of us have been cave diving for over fifteen years, but having baby-soft skin, still get cut-up fingers.



I quit getting cut-up fingers when I bought a scooter.

---

I own a scooter too but it's not always appropriate. A case of picking a right tool for the right job.

Congrats on passing. Im in the same boat as you, got full cave with 100 dives. Alot of people will give you crap about it but its all about self confidence and confidence and understanding of your training. Have fun.

Congrats...
Great Job
Keep it simple...
REMEMBER...it's not a competition (though there are some not really in touch with that concept)
Just come out alive..!!
Dive safe

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jxh2297

Congrats on passing. Im in the same boat as you, got full cave with 100 dives. Alot of people will give you crap about it but its all about self confidence and confidence and understanding of your training. Have fun.

---

Thanks I'm not full cave yet, just Cave 1. I have a good bit of training to do at this level before I even think about going any farther. There is a lot of cave to be seen with the training I have.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TracyN

Thanks Forrest. I remembered to keep my head down. :-) What a difference that made. Thank you for all of your help. :-)

---

You are welcome!

That's a great attitude to have Tracy! Take your time, no need to rush. The more experience you have, the more you'll get out of your training!

Congratulations!