Would you practice "cave diving" in a quarry?

[DA Aquamaster]

Given that the numbers of cave divers are going to continue to increase While the number of diveable and open systems is fairly static, there is some validity to the argument that cave diver trainee could use a place to demonstrate they have the minimum skills needed not to damage a cave before they go in a real one.

Then again, we have to consider things like lost line drills, lights out air shares etc and whether to continue them in natural caves as part of the training process, and if so in which ones. But artificial caves could take some of the pressure off current sacrificial training caves for some early phases of cave training.

You can learn and practice a lot of cave skills in a quarry. After all if you can swim 3" off a silt bottom in a quarry without raising any silt you can do it in a cave as well. Many quarries have rock walls that work well for line placement excercises, lights out line following drills, etc and can do so in a manner that requires significant bouyancy adjustment. And you can also set up lines and then practice installing / removing jump lines, etc.

Doing it in a system made up of culverts would add an element of confinement, but it would probably be pretty two dimensional and take away from the challenge of precision buoyancy management as it would probably get built in a flat section of quarry.

If you could set the system up with changes in depth, add some restrictions, etc, it would be more realistic, but it would also make it much more hazardous for the untrained who will get in it.

The idea of setting the artificial cave up with a locked gate would mean the system would have to be very linear to prevent a search prior to exit from missing a diver still in the system - as locking a diver in would be a business ending lawsuit. That lack of complexity in the "system" would greatly reduce it's usefulness for training as it would eliminate any possibility of any meaningful jumps or circuits. And if it is anything other than a straight line, too small for two divers to pass, sooner or later some diver is going to get lazy and lock someone in. A gate is not the way to go.

[netmage]

I'm quite familiar w/ Gilboa.... There is generally no reason to go to the deep side, unless your doing a tech class or simulated tech dives to keep up practice.... And I shake my head when I see AOW classes do the deep dive there... I'd much rather see a swim to the plane, water tower, tubes, then down the road as a more gradual approach vs. the freight elevator to 100'..... (yes - I know about the intermediate platform in place now...)

To be useful as a cave environment, it would need to be ~1K', with multiple jumps\branches\offshoots.... (Perhaps these would be OW egress points.....?)

There is already some overhead, with the bus and the plane, albeit quite short.

-Tim

[rjack]

UTD is already teaching the first portion of their cave and wreck courses in OW. They call it "overhead protocols".
http://www.unifiedteamdiving.com/pag...head-protocols

Its 3 days and none of its done in simulated or artificial overheads (which are unnecessary IMHO at this point). Cave1 and Wreck1 are an additional 3 days.

[OFG-1]

Would I practice cave diving in a quarry?? Well let me just tell you:

I would not practice in a quarry
I would not do it, I am not sorry
I would not practice in a sunken boat
I would not do it, I don't need the rote

I would not practice in a sunken pipe
No more than searching for a snipe
I don't dive quarry's cause I'm just too old
I do not do it, they are too damn cold

Yeah I'm a woosy, you can call me girlie
I'd rather dive JB, with Sludge and Shirley!

[sskasser]

[amphipod06]

Would I practice cave diving in a quarry?? Well let me just tell you:

I would not practice in a quarry
I would not do it, I am not sorry
I would not practice in a sunken boat
I would not do it, I don't need the rote

I would not practice in a sunken pipe
No more than searching for a snipe
I don't dive quarry's cause I'm just too old
I do not do it, they are too damn cold

Yeah I'm a woosy, you can call me girlie
I'd rather dive JB, with Sludge and Shirley!

that was pretty funny....

Dive safe,

Celia

PS and I agree about quarries and silly sunken pipes....

[FW]

Would I practice cave diving in a quarry?? Well let me just tell you:

I would not practice in a quarry
I would not do it, I am not sorry
I would not practice in a sunken boat
I would not do it, I don't need the rote

I would not practice in a sunken pipe
No more than searching for a snipe
I don't dive quarry's cause I'm just too old
I do not do it, they are too damn cold

Yeah I'm a woosy, you can call me girlie
I'd rather dive JB, with Sludge and Shirley!

Too bad it isn't a limerick, you could enter it in the contest

[phillip1]

But it would be way more fun to dive if you could not get to any caves. I would go, as I would go to a wave pool if I could not get in the ocean to surf.
If the "cave" had multiple tunnels and stuff I bet it would be a lot of fun.
Kind of like diving a mine, but less big.
A mine is artificial but looks a lot more like a cave though.
I would definitely go dive the "cave" I am sure it would be fun, an "adult" water park of sorts...

[jdsffa]

I think subway tunnels after global warming would be better, bigger passages.

But on the subject If I was not blessed enough to live in north Florida i would practice in a quarry.

[DA Aquamaster]

I think subway tunnels after global warming would be better, bigger passages.

But on the subject If I was not blessed enough to live in north Florida i would practice in a quarry.

I have often thought the DC Metro would be much more interesting if they would just shut the pumps off and let it all flood.