NSS CDS Workshop & Social pics

[JP]

I think it's fantastic they are encouraging young people to get into cave diving and doing science combined with cave diving. I can't think of a better way to bring bright young people into our sport. Next year if they show up again let me know ahead of time. I'll pony up the money for another keg for the kids. Cindy Butler

yeah its a good deal for them kids, if you put up for another keg you would have to listen to those weird am cheers. i say cut em off and check id's any am students less than 50 cant have any beer!! you got to watch them people close, now ifen lsu did it then i would support it more

[BradfordNC]

there was beer??? aaaawww man, i was taking advantage of the night dive at Peacock.

great dive up the peanut tunnel with TJ, Bob and Denise.

got back to the Outpost and was amazed at all the people.

well, at least there was still chow left

[FW]

I think it's fantastic they are encouraging young people to get into cave diving and doing science combined with cave diving. I can't think of a better way to bring bright young people into our sport. Next year if they show up again let me know ahead of time. I'll pony up the money for another keg for the kids. Cindy Butler

I will *remember* that offer

[Kelly Jessop]

there was beer??? aaaawww man, i was taking advantage of the night dive at Peacock.

great dive up the peanut tunnel with TJ, Bob and Denise.

got back to the Outpost and was amazed at all the people.

well, at least there was still chow left

Glad you enjoyed the night dive at Peacock. I hope we can do it again sometime.

[loquat149]

It's a sweet deal - I'm totally jealous of it...

Me too. Too bad Tom wasn't teaching at Texas A&M at Galveston when I was there 20 years ago. Surprisingly, most of my former professors are still there, though.

Dave

[ethan_brodsky]

No, it's a credit class. This 3 week thing at the end is just extra. And yep, the instructors from OW on are cave instructors - they have the same instructors from starting OW to Cavern/Intro. It is an amazing opportunity for somewhat that has a heavy interest in diving.
This field trip is pretty cheap for the students - if we (regular people...) were to pay for what they get.... it would cost a lot more than what the students pay.

It'd be best to get Dr. Iliffe, the instructor here to discuss it before, but I'll try to get everything right. The class is offered by the Marine Biology department at Texas A&M University - it's listed in the course directory here (http://www.marinebiology.edu/Curricu...scriptions.htm) but I'm not sure exactly which one it is. I think it's either MARB 345, 350, 616, or 617, or possible it's a mixture. The 3 week field trip is the capstone of a semester-long class on diving technique, physics, physiology, scientific diving techniques and procedures, and techniques of marine biology, hydrology, and archealogy.

They spend all semester taking classes, working in the pool, and performing open water dives. I think they get worked pretty hard - they have to make observations and take data during the dives. Whenever I've talked to the students (always towards the end of the class), they've seemed pretty exhausted. One of them mentioned paying ~$1600 for the trip, which included lodging, transportation, food, and diving. I believe there were a bit under 30 students this year, plus four instructors (Tom Iliffe, Gregg Stanton, Bill Ol?, and Tami) and a half dozen or so grad student TAs. I just wish I could've taken a class like that when I was in school!

Ethan