Gainesville Area - Friend looking to get OW cert with an eye on Full Cave

[Kevin Leonhardt]

Kristi from Cave Country Dive Shop is an excellent choice.

[Pullnglide]

Can't go wrong with any of the instructors already listed. I don't know if he teaches OW much anymore but my Cave instructor is Georges Gawinowski at WDT dive in High Springs @ 20 miles from Gainesville. If I recall correctly he wrote the IANTD essentials course or had a big influence on it. He would be worth giving a call though! He is also a IANTD & NSS/CDS Cave IT for when your buddy reaches the cave levels.

[Sludge]

I would recommend getting OW certified in any configuration and gather experience first, before thinking about technical or overhead diving. A minimum of 100 dives post OW certification is what I would deem acceptable and/or sensible.

I agree 100%!

[diveongas]

Hello Forum,

Been a while since I've posted here. I finally made my way back to the Yucatan for some diving after a 2 1/2 years absence from the overhead environs. Glad I decided to do a refresher day. My skills were a tad rusty to say the least. Never again will I let so much time go by.

Anyway...I'm writing because a great friend was in MX with me and seems absolutely convinced that we wants to get his OW cert and eventually venture into the FL caves. Luckily, he lives in Gainesville and has whole new world right outside his front door.

My question is...are there any good instructors down there who could begin a diver's OW training with an eye on eventually getting a cave cert? What I'm thinking is a non-PADI class where buoyancy and horizontal trim are an extreme focus from the very beginning? Perhaps learning the harness/backplate with a single tank from outset as well, so the transition to doubles is more seamless?

Any advice from the N. Fl. folks would be immensely appreciated!

Thanks so much,

Andrew

If the student was truly motivated and possesses good watermanship skills (top notch swimmer), it is possible to start from the beginning with that goal in mind. I recommend talking to Edd at http://www.caveadventurers.com/local.../training.html. He has already conducted an open water class (2011) for those specifically interested in overhead diving. See http://www.psai.com/news/america-new...demount-course. PSAI allows even basic courses to be more customized towards specific goals.

[tbone1004]

Don't think Edd teaches in backmount though, could be wrong, but if he is wanting to go to doubles it would be better to be trained by someone who dives backmount regularly

[LCF]

Mer is personable, patient, and has a passion for diving in general, and cave diving in specific. I would send a friend to her for certification without reservation.

[Ash]

+1 for Lloyd Bailey, at least have your friend stop by his shop, it's worth a visit!

[lv2dive]

I like Edd as much as anyone, and hope to take a class from him myself someday, but... I really would not recommend someone who lives in Gainesville drive hours and cross a time zone for instruction when there are plenty of great instructors moments from his/her front door. It's not difficult to figure out which OW instructors are going to teach with regards to proper buoyancy, trim, and propulsion from the get-go.

[tbone1004]

it's not the drive that would turn me away from Edd's, it's the fact that he hasn't dove doubles in a decade, and while generic diving is diving, he hasn't dove backmount in far too long, and I'm not sure how long it has been since he's taught OW, but I bet it's been a good bit. I'd rather take the recreational classes from someone who is regularly teaching those classes and also teaches cave/technical classes. There's plenty of those local and if he decides sidemount is better than doubles for technical diving, then drive out to CA for the weekend.

[Choda]

Edd nor Michael at CA will teach OW class and they do NOT dive in any back mount configuration single or doubles, they do everything in sidemount.