Time Spent and Dives Completed During Cave Training

[FW]

I understand, but what I'm referring to is cave floors that look like tank trails.

That too, isn't anything new. Luckily, the floods wash some of that away occasionally.

[RN]

I don't know if it's the instructors or the students. What I do know is not enough emphasis is being placed on buoyancy control. I see lots of divers on their knees, vertical, flailing their hands, and some doing all three! They either don't know any better or they don't care.

[JCDdiver]

I did my Cavern class with Jack Schmidt in December 2007 and got hooked on overhead diving (5 dives), Basic in April 2008 with Daniel Patterson (14 dives), Apprentice in December 2008 with Daniel Patterson (15 dives), and Full in August 2009 with Daniel Patterson (13 dives and counting). The dive counts includes training dives.

[NWGratefulDiver]

I haven't seen anyone in there on their knees yet ... but I was surprised at the amount of "skid marks" one sees in some of these caves. Peacock I can kinda understand, because of the amount of training that goes on there ... but some of this stuff is pretty far back, so I doubt it's students who are doing it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[LCF]

It's here in Mexico, too -- lots of fins marks in the bottom in places where I look at them and wonder how it happened, because there isn't anything particularly challenging about that specific place. I'm no saint, and my fins do hit things (as few as I can manage, but still some things) but I haven't hit the bottom yet except the day I kicked my fin off.

[Bobby]

I haven't seen anyone in there on their knees yet ... but I was surprised at the amount of "skid marks" one sees in some of these caves. Peacock I can kinda understand, because of the amount of training that goes on there ... but some of this stuff is pretty far back, so I doubt it's students who are doing it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

You are spot on hell there are big crash marks within 200 ft. of the end of the line in Jackson and the Hinkle at Devils. This is not an area that to many people get to swimming and certainly not where classes go except scooters. Buoyancy and trim are not a new new diver issue they are a DIVER issue.

Bobby

[sdenney]

I took Cavern in Oct, 2003. I did 8-10 dives at this level.
Intro to Cave Dec, 2003. I did 20-30 dives at this level.
I would have taken Full Cave in August, 2004, but 4 hurricanes hit and flooded everything until late December, and for timing with the other two students in the class, I wound up taking my Full Cave in Feb, 2005. I have roughly 350 full cave dives at this point.

In between classes I was saving up money so I could afford not only the next class, but also the gear (lights, regs, tanks, suit, etc). I would also audit classes with my instructor (e.g. if I was Intro, I would audit a Cavern course).

One of the most important experiences I can attribute to my dive training was diving with Rich Courtney for a good year after my full cave cert. He mentored me and gave me a wealth of knowledge and experience.

I gotta go post on the CDAA thread... my skin is starting to itch... I need to get in the water... only one more month!!!

[cwick]

July 2007 to April 2009 Intro to Full and I did 87 dives in that period.

Slow is better!!

[Sludge]

My first dive of my Cavern course (8-24-96) to my last dive of Full Cave, the Orange Grove - Peacock Traverse (10-24-98 ) encompassed 26 months and 80 overhead dives.

I also had 83 salt water dives during this period, so I guess I was also honing diving skills while wearing a single.

[WEPIV]

I gotta go post on the CDAA thread... my skin is starting to itch... I need to get in the water... only one more month!!!

Get down here Sean, the caves are waiting...