Ginnie Gold Line Path Question

[fno]

Wow! Only one reply indicated a positive response (RDevit) to the idea of a mentored dive. I don't think the bone room and big tunnel qualify as the "cool stuff" anyway. It's a novice dive if there ever was one. And who implied a "meet in the parking lot and do a dive". I guess I never had bad experiences like some describe because I never expected much more than basic competence, and adherence to the basic rules of cave diving. Sure, they usually suck their air down at incredible rates, their gear configuration is a tragedy,and have that "deer in the headlights" look before (and sometimes after) the dive. Plus, no one ever got up the gumption to try and kill me, nor would I have given them the chance anyway.

[Dsix36]

I would be more than happy to do a mentored dive for someone. I dive a rebreather and live in the area now, so if my schedule is open reach out to me. Several people mentored me when I first started cave diving and I am more than willing to do the same for others.

[rddvet]

Wow! Only one reply indicated a positive response (RDevit) to the idea of a mentored dive. I don't think the bone room and big tunnel qualify as the "cool stuff" anyway. It's a novice dive if there ever was one. And who implied a "meet in the parking lot and do a dive". I guess I never had bad experiences like some describe because I never expected much more than basic competence, and adherence to the basic rules of cave diving. Sure, they usually suck their air down at incredible rates, their gear configuration is a tragedy,and have that "deer in the headlights" look before (and sometimes after) the dive. Plus, no one ever got up the gumption to try and kill me, nor would I have given them the chance anyway.

I was just generalizing. I didnt even remember where the original question from the op was asking about. I was just generalizing on why its hard to offer to take people to dive due to life and about the instabuddy stuff that was brought up.

Its good you didnt have bad experiences. Ive been on dives with new to me full cave divers whos skills were so subpar they likely shouldnt have passed cavern or intro. Ive dove with new buddies who clearly would be of no help in an emergency so I was basically solo diving in regards to emergencies.

My wife met up with a regular dive buddy of hers at ginnie for a dive just off the mainline. A very basic dive most of us have done but in a smaller side tunnel. A person my wife?s buddy knew saw them and sort of self-invited themslves. My wifes buddy gave the stamp of approval to this new person because theyve dove together before. My wife went forward with the dive and was the lead diver. She spent the majority of the way out of the tunnel in severely limited vis because the new instabuddy flutter kicked the whole dive and thought nothing of it when my wife brought it up in the debriefing.

Instabuddying can suck


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[OFG-1]

First, if you meet someone that has 25 cave dives, and expect them to be as dialed in as someone that has 250, that's ludicrous. Everybody starts somewhere. Second, if you meet someone that dives 4 times a year on vacation, and expect them to be as dialed in as someone that dives 50 times a year, that's just dumb.

Mentor people, don't mentor people, its up to you. If you choose to, you need to manage your expectations of THEIR skills, not yours. They are not you. Remember, no one is immune from having a bad day.

[Kelly Jessop]

Mentor people, don't mentor people, its up to you. If you choose to, you need to manage your expectations of THEIR skills, not yours. They are not you. Remember, no one is immune from having a bad day.

There isn't a new cave diver that doesn't need mentoring. Entry level cave training is basic survival skills,but to accelerate your skills and develop proficiency , as well as learn new sites a mentor is important. Even after 1000 cave dives I wasn't adverse to being mentored. If you think you have learned all that is needed to be learned, then you have slipped into complacency, and that can be terminal.

[Terry D]

There isn't a new cave diver that doesn't need mentoring. Entry level cave training is basic survival skills,but to accelerate your skills and develop proficiency , as well as learn new sites a mentor is important. Even after 1000 cave dives I wasn't adverse to being mentored. If you think you have learned all that is needed to be learned, then you have slipped into complacency, and that can be terminal.

Very well said. We are all beginners sometime

[fno]

There are many that contributed to my skills (or lack of) in cave diving. Randy Mguire wasted a lot of study time in college to teach me how to scooter like a pro. Larry Green spent many hours taking me on dives just a little bit too advanced for me. Steve Berman paid me back for a lot of great dinners at the river house by f*@king with my gear while I was cooking dinner, also getting tied up with my own cave reel while on deco by some nameless Ahole friend (laughing their asses off while I cut up my jump lines). But there were some good ones too, like Larry's wife Sandra who carried a stage on the mile swim at Peacock and didn't tell me I was a chicken-#### on that very first try. Or Berman talking me into using his old leaky Dive-Rite wing instead my beloved OMS bungee wings so I could actually make it past the Maple Leaf (probably named something else now) . Thank God Ebay came around and let me sell all that gear that was holding me back but I didn't know it till someone smarter than me wanting a free beer (Bill Main knows who wer'e talking about) and choked down a crappy short dive with me or gave me some parking lot advice. Maybe these were the "good old days" but I'd like to think that some of the traditions and minor tragedies still happen once in a while.... FWIW, they do make for better cave divers