Half Hero...
Not the sandwich... The accomplishment....
Was in Cave Country this week, and I successfully completed Intro with Doubles.
First things First....
<Raises right hand, places left hand on "Basic Cave Diving, A blueprint for Survival">
The diving was really great. Got in 12 dives, most of which were at P1 (both lines), and on the last day, one each at the Ear and Eye. First four were cavern level at P1 with a guide to get "dialed in" to the environment. And Matt (SuPrBuGmAn), I followed your advice and switched back to Wet for this course (a 7mm Farmer John and 7mm Step in Jacket). Made all the difference in the world. I will continue to dive dry for deep NJ wrecks and to stay in practice, but I think wet is the way to go for cave training. I don't plan on doing dives long enough or go places cold enough to need it.I HEREBY AFFIRM THAT I WILL OBEY ALL RULES AND PRACTICES OF SAFE CAVE DIVING, DIVE ONLY WITHIN THE LIMITS OF MY TRAINING / EXPERIENCE, ALWAYS MAINTAIN A CONTINUOUS LINE TO OPEN WATER AND STRIVE TO CONSERVE CAVE ENVIRONMENTS AND FEATURES SO THAT THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME IN THIS ADVENTURE MAY ENJOY THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS I.
SO HELP ME EXLEY
Day 1 training dives were all P1. Did two Potholes up to about p.200 and did my lost buddies on that line. I tell ya, that cute little stone that's along the Pothole line at about p.150-200 in and I are becoming good friends.It's a good reference in both directions. I did a 2nd lost buddy because my instructor wanted me to search out further away from the gold line tie off. After all, what's the point in tying off if the only place you're going to search is along the gold line? 3rd dive that day was the Peanut Tunnel to about p.200 to do the Lost line drill (lights out). Found the line 1st time. I learned always to keep in mind where was the last place you saw the line and search in that direction and at that depth.
Day 2 was longer penetrations on both lines. Hard to believe, but we had P1 all to ourselves that day!!! How cool is that? Went all the way to Pothole sink for the first time. There is no gap, and there is a vertical line (not a T) perpendicular to the gold line but perhaps a foot or so behind it with an arrow pointing up and a slate saying "Emergency Use Only." I hope I never need to use it. That's one twisted little shaft, but you can see natural light if you shield your can light. It was cool to see the "skeleton" table as the gold line turns right. We also used this dive to do "Situational Awareness" as well. There's a point prior to Pothole sink where the gold line takes a hard right, and my instructor just continued going straight so I had to signal him to follow the gold line. Apparently, he nails a lot of students with that.We also did an air share on this exit.
On the Peanut side, we went all the way to the p.600 arrow in the Breakdown room. I could have gone further (had not yet reached 6ths), but my instructor wanted me to save a little gas for the "Lights out" drill. I did see though, the small very silty lined SM tunnel that starts in the Breakdown room and leads to Pothole sink. It's a short jump, but I think I'll pass.. Also saw the entrance to the "Big Mistake" and how to avoid that as well. For Peanut being so shallow in that area, there are still a boat load of deep fissures and passages to get lost in if one is new to it and not following their lines properly. And all of them pretty silty!
For the 3rd dive that day I led my instructor back into the Peanut Tunnel to about p.450 and came back and just explored. No skills done, just fun diving, but a milestone of some significance.... my 200th logged dive! (Yeah, I know.... "Big whoop! I got 40 zillion!")
BTW: For the Peacock Line committee - May I recommend replacing the arrows along the Peanut Line at some point? The magic marker is wearing out and it's hard to read the numbers, unlike Pothole, where they are very clear. I especially liked the p.250/250 double ender arrows that mark the halfway point between P1 and Pothole sink.
Day 3 wasn't really necessary, but we did it anyway. I practiced Ear/Eye entries with my instructor. Ear entry was hard. It almost turned me around and spit me out, but I managed to hold on and get in, turning immediately hard right and getting along that shelf to get out of the main flow. Then turning left to face the Grimmy. After the secondary tie off, up we went along the gallery as high and to the left as we could, to get out of flow. There's a transition point where you have to come down a bit off the ceiling and to the right at about p.150 - 200, but we ducked under. Then he said to come over to the right side just before the hard right onto the Lips. Right at that hard right turn, there's a small outcropping that looks like a table built into the wall. The Lips entry is right in front then, and it was hand pulling all the way through. Had to inch over to the left to get past the restriction, but I made it through before turning on 6ths. The ride out was wicked cool! In the end, I used only 1000psi (69cuft) for the whole dive.
2nd dive was entering via the Eye, but for some reason it seemed a lot longer and more restrictive than I recalled from last December. When we got to the gold line, it also didn't look familiar either, and there was no Grimmy in sight! I was thinking WTF happened? And then it hit me. My instructor decided to "broaden my horizons" and took me through the Catacombs and out to the halfway point between the Grimmy and the Lips. I must have missed the left turn in the eye he took that took us right by the Ear Cavern.
But excellent experiences all, and an even stronger respect for obeying all the rules. Especially maintaining a continuous guideline to OW. I may take some flak for saying this, and if so, bring it on..... But I have to agree with Skip:
It just seems to me that most of these rules are so bloody intuitive that it doesn't take a lot of training/experience to realize they make perfect sense... And even if none of them would make a difference in a given scenario, always following them gives one their best shot in other possible scenarios. And, as my instructor said, getting in the habit of following the rules all the time, every dive truly facilitates the "Reptilian brain" response in a stressful situation. If you do it automatically every day, you'll most likely be able to do it well when stressed.Originally Posted by skip
Ok, off the soapbox now
BTW, did the Auto Train a second time, with even better results. It's the way to go! I regret that I cannot attend your NFSA vertical seminar, as my departure date is tomorrow and I have to be in Sanford very early for the trip back. A huge thanks again to Wayne and Jeff at Amigos for their help with tanks and Jeff's guiding services, earlier in the week.
Great trip, and I will try to get back once more this year.
Welcome to the Cave Diver's Forum.
Reply With Quote
Semper Fi, Cameron David Smith, my son, my hero. 11/9/1989 - 11/13/2010 
Good Job
Originally Posted by Tegg 
The Auto Train arrived way too early this morning (7:00am) in Lorton. So early that they couldn't let us off the train... The local crew hadn't yet arrived for work to open the station or unload the cars off the containers... But I got my car before 9am and had a nice drive up the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 
Bookmarks