What are the conditions like right now at little river?
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What are the conditions like right now at little river?
I dove it early Monday, tannic water is still in the system, basin is clearing. Didn't seem a whole lot more clear than when we took my intro class there on the 7th of last month, but it has improved a little. Viz was certainly not bad enough to ruin the dive or anything, but it doesn't have that "Ginnie blue" we're all used to seeing in the photos. Hopefully someone who went back in the cave can answer your questions better....
As a newly certified cave diver I would have had to dive the cave.
Had I not failed the class, I would have.Quote:
Originally Posted by stairman
Bummer dude.Care to type out your endevor?
I don't think I want to post details of an instructors class on an internet forum, especially since I didn't pass. Lloyd did what any instructor would do and gave me a list of things to work on.....and told me to come back sometime in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by stairman
Hey thats cool.Unfortunatly the skills needing more improvement are usually the hardest to practice.Air shareing on the line no mask,no lights and the dreaded lost line drill.I never practiced the lost line.I just picked her brain for any tips I could get and it went well.I think most instructors will lrt you come back and try again with another class at no charge.Youll get it then Im pretty sure,going in knowing what to expect.All classes are stressful,but when your done its alot easier.
Get real comfortable in the dark and become one with your reel.
We did the lost line drill on the first dive of the first day of Basic. I failed. I couldn't even find anything to tie the line to. We were only using AL80s so our time was limited and my instructor ended the drill. My training partner passed.
On the next dive I jammed the reel doing a lost buddy search. I unjammed it and finished the search but had tied a knot instead of slip looping over the arrow. I actually heard my instructor say "How did you do that?" as he grabbed his knife and cut my line so I could untangle it. I ran the line three times over the next four dives, once through the catacombs. In fact I don't think I put the reel down during our surface intervals for the next couple of days. I practiced jamming it (easy) and unjamming it (less easy), making loops, making tie-offs, undoing tie-offs, etc.
On the last dive of Intro I was expecting another lost line drill, as well as just about any other drill we had done over the past few days since we were doing two or three drills per dive. My instructor covered my mask. I closed my eyes, he picked me up and put me down somewhere else. I started feeling for something to tie to and found an outcropping with a 2" diameter hole all the way through it. I went all the way across the floor, up the wall, half way across the ceiling and could feel that I was snagged on something. I dropped down on top of the line. Wow, what a feeling. Then I went the wrong way up the line but found an arrow and turned around.
Over the next year I spent many dives by myself at the King Spring Cavern in Crystal River just doing line drills. Running the line is easy, just practice tying-off to rocks that it doesn't look like you can tie-off to. And practice jamming and unjamming your reel underwater. I would suggest not using a jam-proof reel, you never know what you'll end up with underwater.
On my 5th dive during Apprentice we went in the Eye with a Stage and O2 bottle and dropped them at the Main Line (at the Ear). He said it was for additional task loading. The lost-line drill came up again. This time I easily found something to tie to, ran across the floor and found the line on the floor! I tied on, started up the line and found an arrow pointing the other way. I went the other way and came to the end of the line?!? I went back and forth a couple of times from the arrow to the end of the line before realizing that I had found a line in a side tunnel! I untied from the side line and finished the drill. Then on the way out the Eye, daylight in sight but at the tightest spot, he saw that I was having a little difficulty with the flow, two extra bottles and reeling in the line so he throws an out of air diver at me.
Don't even bother anticipating things, your instructor will know when your not ready for it. Learn to stay calm while your thinking, with your eyes closed, trying to unjam a reel as quickly as you can. I called that Apprentice dive on thirds and still exited with half of my gas. I just hope I can remain that calm when something really goes wrong.
jam-proof reel? what's that and where do I get one?
LOL :D
http://www.divernet.com/data/archive...06rNikNaks.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
Just have fun reeling it up out of the ear or manatee springs....:?
It's call a spool. I would never use a reel for a lost line/lost buddy search. IMHO a spool is a better and safer tool for that. In a no vis situation the simpler the better.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
The only time I use a reel is for my primary since it can be a quite a distance to the main line.
Little River conditions - http://www.tampadiving.com/sections/...D=53®ion=FL
Some might say that a spool can be dropped easier which would not be good in a LL OR LB drill.
Just curious ---- How many carry a "back-up" safety reel or spool?
I started in 2001.
I carry a Ralph Hood type reel AND a large finger spool as my safety reel(s).
I always carry a back-up safety reel. I'm pretty sure it's a part of NACD standards as of late.
It's always nice to have because sometimes I don't count too well, and two piece reels don't
work so well. (thanks to lock-tight I don't have that problem anymore)
BTW James... light signals light signals....
So what's little river like anybody know?
Chris
I carry a LGreen safety I use first if needed and a backup spool.
Reel usage is 90% muscle memory. Run a couple of lines in your yard and take the reels and use them for a hour or so a night in the dark and don't look at it. Wrap the line the same direction and make your loops the same way every time. Most people goof by going clockwise on one tie and anti CW the next. You have to look closely to unwrap it. Make the thing the same every time and it comes unwound easier.
Isn't this required? I was under the impression that it was, in the one in a million chance you have to do a lost line drill AND someone steals your primary reel (requiring you to tie into the gold line until you exit the cave). I don't remember if I heard this in my class, a dive site, or where I heard it, I just remember hearing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by mmcauliffe
Extreme Exposure has the scratched up (works fine) finger spools for $25. With how many times I've seen "lost spool" posted in the lost/found section, it seems wise to carry more than you need.
If someone steals your primary at JB just finish all deco at 20 feet and let the flow push you.
You will hit open water in about 10-15 seconds.
Page 8, Blueprint for Survival, but good luck finding one :-DQuote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
I agree about spools, that is what I use now.
Good one ! :reelrightQuote:
Originally Posted by FW
Raphael
I failed my first time through with Lloyd. It was by mutual agreement. I was too tired to do it right on the next day and I knew it! We agreed that I should finish later. So what? Do it again. Lloyd will make sure that you do it right the next go around. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by jj1987
I am NOT a 7-day wonder and not ashamed to admit it. Better to take it as it comes than pass too quickly. Just my 2cents.
Angie
sometime, the people that fail end up better divers then the people that pass. just keep your eyes on the prize and stay humble. lets go divin
--jm
ps: so how is LR looking?
We dove LR over Memorial weekend and found the water conditions to be pretty good. Vis everywhere was 50 ft or better (beyond our light zone anyway). Water still has a green tint to it...most noticable when seeing oncoming teams or looking down into the basin. Flow is up.
It may be in the training standards now but I know for sure it was not when I went thru full.Quote:
Originally Posted by jj1987
He's letting me finish up next weekend at Blue Grotto after he finishes his OW class since I was failed on account of poor reactions to hand/light signals....believe it or not one was the OK symbol (there was a finger on someones light and I thought it was turn the dive, I know better, but I turned the dive because all I saw was the finger, stupid of me, but it happened), just proves how task loading can effect performance. I also struggled setting the pace of the dive in LR when we had 4 divers to keep up with, and it was honestly my 3rd time in a cave (the other two were juuuust past the cavern zone, both with an instructor...I was paranoid about going past the light zone before training), so task loading was high, especially trying to keep up with the other 3 divers in the chimney and around those corners, not seeing buy buddies light for a few seconds concerns me. I'm sure time and diving with more experienced divers will help correct that, I'll just have to ask them to help me out with it before the dive, and maybe let them lead a time or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie Reim
Out of the 3 in our class, 2 of us didn't pass, and 1 was taking it for the 2nd time after he didn't pass his first attempt either. I passed his OW and Cavern on the first try (both classes he made some students retake it), my luck was bound to run out :smt081
Just to be clear, my post wasn't meant to question you, but I was stating that it was my understanding that it's now in the training standards. I have no doubt the standards have changed over the years. I actually posted a direct quote from the NACD manual about something on SB, and as luck would have it, that happened to be one of the areas that has been updated, so my post was incorrect.Quote:
Originally Posted by mmcauliffe
I know, no worries James. Standards are always evolving. Sometimes for the better, sometimes...not so much.Quote:
Originally Posted by jj1987
I realize that cavern divers shouldnt venture into a cave.But Im glad I did.I went with other caver friends,not far maybe 3-400ft.but I got rid of the cave heevie jeevies before my class.I did get winded in Ginnie during intro trying to keep up with Jill and rested,deep breathing to calm down and i was fine.Cave dives should be slow and relaxing.This is easier in low flow caves but can be done in the others.One thing you have to remember is to have trust in your gear.If the others get too far ahead signal them to slow down.If they take off again let em go.You dont need em.You have your redundant gear that will see you through.I think the instructor should have been last,but different scenarios[sp?] may dictate a different dive plan I suppose.Its hard to breathe slowly when your hearts pounding.Be it stress or current.Its really all about experience.Good luck,trust your gear,relax and have fun.
Picture from Little River - last week
Flow up - viz around 50-60 feet
After two months of being away for work, (and with weather cancelling dives I tried to arrange up north), I finally got back into the water at Little River on Tuesday, June 3rd.
It was much better than the last time I had been there when the viz was less than a foot....
There were two other divers there, I believe doing a class in the cavern area. Since school is already out in some areas now, there were also a lot of swimmers on the surface.
I entered and did an 80 minute solo dive trying to cover different parts of the cave going in and coming out. I swam 1000 feet in on the main line and the viz seemed to be around 40 to 50 feet. I also saw two dead, decomposing catfish but not much other life. Needless to say, I did not drink the water as I usually do.
There is also a lot of sediment around covering things but the lines were visible everywhere I went. I did see what looked like two new bad hand/fist prints in the clay in the system too.
So Little River is not back to normal yet but it appears to be well on its way.
Did 2 dives on Wednesday, 6/5/08. The viz was excellent and the current was mild. The biggest effort is climbing out with the low water level.
***The mark of a good instructor is in his abilities to fail a student not yet fully understanding the skills & education required to be proficient in the overhead environments-! Lloyd B. is in my own personal opinion one of the best all around instructors in our country. If he fails you, then you will have learned a valuable lesson-! Be thankfull-! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by jj1987
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