'Ohio Blue Hole'

[MUT]

Why is Jason busting my chops? I had to teach him how to use a reel.

Why would you say you wouldn't dive with me, the silt out wasn't my fault.

I am not one of these Ohio Cave Divers like teq is talking about. Believe me, I am not one to go to a 15ft waterhole and think that it is a cave or that I need to act like a so called cave diver. I mean really, who goes to this 15ft hole with all of the open water students, in a dry suit, with doubles, acting all teched out. Help me figure out where the cave is there? the ambulance? or maybe under the bus, or the catamaran?

a little overkill maybe?

Love MUT

[temrich]

Booo Hoooo

[temrich]

Need a tissue

[bigken462]

You know you were not one of the people I was talking about Jason, I was talking about the has beens that hang out and make themselves out like they are tech divers. Staging at a quarry I could free dive in, riding scooters in a quarry that takes 20 minutes to swim around in. Those are the has beens I am talking about, not you!!! Cant wait to push the Henkel this month. See you in a few weeks.

Evening folks, please try to read open minded. For the most part I lurk here as I don't yet have the credentials to call myself a “cave diver” and for that reason choose not to post often, however I do read CDF regularly, and hope to be able to post about cave dives soon. What I do have is a dream and strong desire to get there – when the time is right.

I’m a diver of nearly ten years, trained to AN/DP (05) and for the most part have all the equipment - and then some to be a full caver. However what I don’t have yet is a single day of cave experience. My disagreement with a few of these post is that many ppl assume you should sit on your keester and not try to improve your skills while you prepare for upcoming classes. I’m just the opposite. I think you should be busting your keester to prepare you for class. Milking every minute of bottom time and experience that time and money allows.

Here’s my story:

Through countless careless spending decisions, I have acquired many thousands of dollars of technical gear. Ten sets of regs, 20 cylinders, two dry suits, four BC’s, and a DPV later I soon discovered I was no more of a technical diver than the first day I arrived at the dive shop with only a handful of wishful thinking. I made many spending mistakes in the past, and had to pay for those by quitting my dream job and going to Iraq for 20 months to pay off my dept. Many of those decisions no amount of money will be able to fix, however about the only good thing that came out of this was that my gear is now paid for. Sadly though, I’m no closer to achieving my dream of being full cave than I was before I left.

This past March I purchased a custom DUI CLX 450 and thinking initially I would be well under my way to start my cavern/intro courses by summer was sadly surprised that many of my diving skills evaporated with time. I quickly found that diving is not like riding a bike, and the skills needed don’t come back just as fast.

Does having the C-cards, and enough equipment for a small dive team make me a technical diver? Not even close. Even though I am trained through deco procedures, I know better to strut around calling myself a technical diver, and although I own a 18 & 26 DPV used for caving do I not call myself a cave diver. So why during the summertime when its 110 degrees do I bust my balls humping DVP’s, Deco bottles and Stages up and down the steps at the quarry after simmering in my dry suit? I do so for one reason, and one reason only and that is to gain experience where I can do so safely – in the confines of a quarry. I always stay within safe run times, utilize proper gas planning, and practice every drill imaginable during every single dive. I constantly strive to achieve the skill sets needed so that I can do well when I start my official training. Do I get some weird looks from other divers? All the time.

As a large diver with my share of biscuit poisoning, I can assure you I’m not trying to win points over with the ladies at the dive sites by attaching every single tank I own to my rig. Lord knows it scares me enough when I see my own image in the mirror. It’s even more embarrassing when I have to explain that no I’m not a caver, nor even an extended range trimix diver, but yet only a diver wishing to accomplish a goal. It is my desire that when I do start my training that the learning curve will be reduced some since issues like dry suit problems, usage of stage bottles affecting trim, and later down the road DPV issues etc. etc will all be more easily manageable. For now I’m nothing more than any other open water diver with a few extra gadgets.

My only reason to post here is to not pose an argument, but to give some insight as to exactly why you may see a diver basting in the sun when a 3 mill would do, or diving with enough gas for a long push when perhaps a single tank would do. On nearly every forum do you hear people saying they need to get the dives in to gain experience. Could it be that perhaps for once this is what’s happening.

Just something to think about is all. I look forward to sharing my cave stories with you guys soon.

Kenny

[temrich]

Oh My

[bigken462]

No, no offense ever taken in any way. However I just thought I would put it out there in a way so someone may give the other thought to possibilities. I kinda jumped to fast I suppose and should have re-read the post to how they were written, but I honestly do get some looks like I’m show boating when I spend a good portion of my time setting up my gear for a simple quarry dive.

If I could get points for watching and reading about cave diving, I would have all I could ever need lol. For 20 months it was what kept fuel in the pot, and I can’t tell ya how damn frustrating it is to have had such a setback when I bought this dry suit. I was shell shocked when I seen just how much re-learning I was going to have to do.

Physically I feel I’m now up to par to take the courses, now just comes the issue of saving for them. Fuel cost put a stinger on me this summer with 4.11 gallon fill ups. Now I wait patiently and try to find some way to budget my finances, continue to dive and find some possible ways to save for class. All while the hospital continues to find ways to pull money/hours from our check.

I apologize to the OP if I took this thread into a different path, but again just thought I would share my reasons as to why this fat red-headed fool is muttin around in a 300gram Polertec dry suit, humping doubles, stages, deco cylinders on a hot August day for what would ordinarily be any other recreational extended dive. One thing’s for sure though I’ve yet to find more of a satisfying life than spending it doing exactly what I do.

In closing before I jump back into lurk mode, I do appreciate those on the CDF for being well policed and friendly to the newcomers. I look forward to sharing with you guys my adventures upon the starting of my classes.

Safe diving

Kenny

[DeWayne]

So what's the difference between the "has been" divers and those who brag about reaching the end of another diver's line? You know the type, the ones who always stay on the line and measure their manhood by how far they went along a line that was already in place and dove by countless thousands before them?

Some folks have the luxury of living next to the caves, others don't. Of those who don't live in FL, many find alternatives. Living in FL and following a gold line to the end twice a day does not make you a cave diver; finding new leads, going where others have not yet been, that's where the real fun lies.

BTW, nothing at all wrong with practicing one's skills in a 15ft deep quarry if that's all that's available.

[Sludge]

I'll have to disagree with my friend from Kentucky on this one. By his definition, I'm not, nor have I ever been, nor shall I ever be a real cave diver. I've made over 500 dives in caves, but I'm just a cave tourist. I have no desire to go into caves with no line in them.

On another topic in this thread, there's a guy posting on The Deco Stop about his first dive in doubles. He has made 380 posts. What's up with that?

[caver]

On another topic in this thread, there's a guy posting on The Deco Stop about his first dive in doubles. He has made 380 posts. What's up with that?

Yeah, I saw that also. I think he is from Florida. I'm not surprised seeing that is where he is from.

[TonyDCaver]

Hey! What's wrong with us Native born Floridians!