The Grand Tour

[jj1987]

The Grand Tour was always in the Devil System (to Junction Rock, right up the White Room Line, left through the Big Room to the Maple Leaf, and out the Main Line).

Hmm, when we did it, we used a single stage and went mainline->hill400->shortcut->Goldline->Big/bone room->white room->big/bone room line->Expressway Tunnel->Goldline (at this point we had a reserve built up and grabbed our stage from p700ft down the hill400 line since I don't like leaving stages in over night because they might get messed with or stolen, although we later found out someone messed with our stages DURING our dive, but that's another story)->exit. We started with low fills in stages and backgas due to it being below freezing the previous day when our tanks were filled, so I think you could do this dive on backgas alone. If you don't have a stage to grab, you can exit to goldline at junction rock, which will save you some distance/time by skipping expressway, which we only used so that we were out out on mainline to where our stages were only about 300ft out of the way. I've heard different people describe it different ways. It's just a PITA to do it because you have to do a setup AND cleanup dive to get spools no matter how you plan it.

As for the p1->og and back dive, we used 2 stages and a deco bottle (mainly for cleanup deco). We didn't recalculate 1/3rds, 1st stage took us about 900ft, 2nd took us to about 2200ft, and we completed the traverse on the remaining backgas after subtracting the stage gas from there. Once in the cavern, we recalculated 1/3rds and went to p2, which honestly is a more fun dive than the traverse IMO.

[RN]

Yes, on thirds. My first time doing the Mile Run for my "graduation" dive I used 1300psi from a set of 95s. My SAC rate is lower now.

With a stage, piece of cake. The most difficult part would be that I don't have a P-valve on my drysuit, and that dive would take three hours.

3 hours! For the GT? Are you going feet first and back finning the entire way?!?

[WJH]

3 hours! For the GT? Are you going feet first and back finning the entire way?!?

A more careful read would show that he meant doing it -twice- in 3 hours. Once each direction.

WJH

[contender]

Hmm, when we did it, we used a single stage and went mainline->hill400->shortcut->Goldline->Big/bone room->white room->big/bone room line->Expressway Tunnel->Goldline (at this point we had a reserve built up and grabbed our stage from p700ft down the hill400 line since I don't like leaving stages in over night because they might get messed with or stolen, although we later found out someone messed with our stages DURING our dive, but that's another story)->exit. We started with low fills in stages and backgas due to it being below freezing the previous day when our tanks were filled, so I think you could do this dive on backgas alone. If you don't have a stage to grab, you can exit to goldline at junction rock, which will save you some distance/time by skipping expressway, which we only used so that we were out out on mainline to where our stages were only about 300ft out of the way. I've heard different people describe it different ways. It's just a PITA to do it because you have to do a setup AND cleanup dive to get spools no matter how you plan it.

As for the p1->og and back dive, we used 2 stages and a deco bottle (mainly for cleanup deco). We didn't recalculate 1/3rds, 1st stage took us about 900ft, 2nd took us to about 2200ft, and we completed the traverse on the remaining backgas after subtracting the stage gas from there. Once in the cavern, we recalculated 1/3rds and went to p2, which honestly is a more fun dive than the traverse IMO.

James,

Have you been lost lately?

[jj1987]

James,

Have you been lost lately?

Nope, but haven't been that narc'ed in a cave I never go to in a while, either lol. Still irk's me that I had to go and make Rich's day like that, especially since I'm still wondering how he got me...

When the question on the last part of the NACD exam asks "What did you learn during this course?", I can say with confidence that I learned how a small mistake or piece of uncertainty in a dive plan can become a huge mistake during the dive.

[JahJahwarrior]

James-- Didn't it get decided that the modified Grand Tour you just laid out, would be called the South Africa circuit?

[Rick Palm]

I just noticed that Walter P's Caves and Springs Conditions Web site also uses the name "The Grand Tour." See http://www.tampadiving.com/sections/...D=67&region=FL

Rick

Grand Tour?

The Mile Run!

The Grand Tour was always in the Devil System (to Junction Rock, right up the White Room Line, left through the Big Room to the Maple Leaf, and out the Main Line).

I've heard the Orange Grove to Peacock 1 traverse called the Grand Traverse, but as my instructor called it the Mile Run, so do I!

Incidentally, he wouldn't issue you your Cave card until you did the Mile Run.

[aainslie]

James-- Didn't it get decided that the modified Grand Tour you just laid out, would be called the South Africa circuit?

Hmmm... how is my nation getting dragged into this???

And James, there's a story there... out with it!

[Kelly Jessop]

James-- Didn't it get decided that the modified Grand Tour you just laid out, would be called the South Africa circuit?

Most people call it the megatraverse. I've never seen 2 stages being needed for this dive.

[Marchand]

Most people call it the megatraverse. I've never seen 2 stages being needed for this dive.

JahJah was calling the modified grand tour of ginnie the "south africa circuit" because apparently on the map it looks like the southern part of africa.



for the megatraverse 2 stages were not needed for two members of the team, but everyone brought two anyways.

My first stage got me to olsen and the second got me a few hundred feet past challenge. same song different verse for jahjah. I think we were in the water for 5hrs...