Full Cave & Tec Training

[rjack]

This was covered in my Cave 2 and Tech 1 training

Stacey

My Cave2 covered rudimentary deco too. Although we were in mexico (shallow hard to have much obligation) and both tech1 already anyway so it got glossed over since we already knew what we were doing. Cave deco is pretty damn esay compared to mid-water in the ocean tho.

[John Long]

Yeah, I'm trained in technical diving. It's called cave diving.

In my day, the things you learn in "Advanced Nitrox" and "Decompression Procedures" were taught during cave training. Of course, I learned decompression diving in NASDS Open Water.

Absolutely, Basic classes were taught differently in years past.

[skip]

Don't get me wrong - I like the idea of a class in cave conservation, geology etc. I just don't think it'd be a useful prerequisite to diving sensitive cave.

ah, well there we agree.

-skip

[Arnold Mesiser]

I believe it would becuase there may be things students don't even know are sensitive (like many post's Forrest has made on Geothite and people tying off ).

What I don't understand is if people are interested in diving caves-why they have not already taken it upon themselves to gain knowledge of karst.ANY karst education is a good thing I I fully believe it should be mandatory.

[mattmexico]

yo

There are areas such as in Mexico where the caves are quite shallow and the procedures and techniques of technical diving in terms of deep diving do not apply at most of the diving is done here.

During training lectures and discussion is included in the area of decompression diving but actual decompression dives are not done, or seldom done.

The technical diver program is used to either develope technical diver skill (vertical diving) in the cave or bring existing technical diving skill into the cave (horizontal) environment.

greetings
Matt

[SMB]

Hi Matt,
Sorry mate I do not agree with you.

There are areas such as in Mexico where the caves are quite shallow and the procedures and techniques of technical diving in terms of deep diving do not apply at most of the diving is done here.

Yes for the most part the coastal caves of Quintana Roo are relatively shallow but long dive times still incurr deco penalties.
I personally do many dives here that require deco and so do many others.

As for the rest of Mexico I think there may be one or 2 deep caves that may require a little bit of deco to dive

During training lectures and discussion is included in the area of decompression diving but actual decompression dives are not done, or seldom done.

I include a decompression dive in all my full cave classes
I also know that other Instructors do as well
In my personal opinion as well as the lecture / discussion you actually have to get in the water and put the theory into practice
In fact I am going to Naharon tomorrow to complete the Deco dive for the cave class I am currently teaching

[DA Aquamaster]

I believe deco procedures should either be a prereq for full cave, or teach it with full cave, but use the apprentice course for how it was meant to be used (aka no zero to hero courses), make a diver show x number of dives before moving on, so they can gain experience. Just because you can demonstrate skills, without experience with diving they have not had a chance to handle issues. sorry alittle of topic.

I agree. Training is essential, but you need experience to really apply and learn that training before you run off and get more training.

As my post mentioned, mine did. Only he didn't charge for it. His thinking is that decompression procedures are a part of cave diving.

I completely agree, and learning deco procedures in a cave environment adds an important dimension in terms of having to plan for and work with the cave profile you have on a dive and in terms of gas selection.

Cave deco is pretty damn esay compared to mid-water in the ocean tho.

Yes and no. Doing deco offshore in a ripping current and or with the boat heaving in 6 ft swells has its own challenges, but you have a lot more control over the dive profile and more flexibility in terms of deco gasses. Doing deco in a cave is potentially very easy - but only if you do the planning properly.

[rjack]

Yes and no. Doing deco offshore in a ripping current and or with the boat heaving in 6 ft swells has its own challenges, but you have a lot more control over the dive profile and more flexibility in terms of deco gasses. Doing deco in a cave is potentially very easy - but only if you do the planning properly.

To me its easy because my cave profile is so predictable hence the latter half of the dive is a natural continuation of the deeper portion. And there aren't cold hangs at 20ft on a SMB.

[Arnold Mesiser]

Alpine cave diving /diving through multiple sumps /and caves in other parts of the world may present deco problems that make wreck diving deco look simple.

Cave diving through ice must present some cold hangs/more adversity I believe a nice video on such a subject was posted not long ago.

[rchrds]

I've always heard that cavern/cave IS technical diving. This came up at an NACD meeting awhile back when I suggested separating "recreational" cave diving from "technical" cave diving. I was roundly and soundly thrashed for entertaining the idea that any aspect of cavern/cave could be considered recreational.

I think the poll is not interested in such distinctions, rather simply wanting to know what tec training in addition to cave.

-skip

I have deleted my own post- I got into a rant about recreational cave divers vs non-recreational cave divers, which had not much to do with "technical" as it is being discussed in this thread. Read on.



Jason