Finally!!

[Cave Ranger]

Not that it's that big of a deal to most of you old timers but I've been working towards this moment for the last 5 years.
In spite of my instructors best efforts to drown me and stress my last nerve I got my NSS-CDS "Full Cave" certification over the weekend.
I am truly humbled by this experience and I look at this as a license to continue learning and becoming a better diver and maybe better person.
Things didn't go all that smoothly after the first day. I went back to my room at the HSCI and obsessed over every time my tanks clanged the ceiling, my total failure at the lost line drill, and everything else I thought I had already gotten proficient at during Intro and Apprentice. My instructor really gave me the business over these deficiencies and I lost sleep feeling about as low as a pregnant caterpillar's belly. I guess staring at a ceiling fan at 3:00 A.M. in the morning can be inspirational.
Day two went smoother but was actually more challenging. My slave driving facist instructor had me run a reel up the headspring of Manatee. The flow is down but it's still no picnic. This time the lost line drill at Sue Sink was successful.
On the way out the flow of the headspring dislodged one of my fins and ran the spring heel strap up to my knee. I guess there really isn't a graceful way to do a slow ascent with that sort of outflow. Just hang on to rocks and reel the slack in a little at a time. Well any way in spite of it all, I'm "Full Cave" and I appreciate my instructor's thoroughness and attention to detail. I cetainly wouldn't have had it any other way.
I am looking forward to my next trip up to NoFla.

[Bill Rotella]

Congratulations Cave Diver!

[jdsffa]

congrats

[mwenner]

Good for you! Welcome aboard.....

[Anna]

Not that it's that big of a deal to most of you old timers but I've been working towards this moment for the last 5 years.
In spite of my instructors best efforts to drown me and stress my last nerve I got my NSS-CDS "Full Cave" certification over the weekend.
I am truly humbled by this experience and I look at this as a license to continue learning and becoming a better diver and maybe better person.
Things didn't go all that smoothly after the first day. I went back to my room at the HSCI and obsessed over every time my tanks clanged the ceiling, my total failure at the lost line drill, and everything else I thought I had already gotten proficient at during Intro and Apprentice. My instructor really gave me the business over these deficiencies and I lost sleep feeling about as low as a pregnant caterpillar's belly. I guess staring at a ceiling fan at 3:00 A.M. in the morning can be inspirational.
Day two went smoother but was actually more challenging. My slave driving facist instructor had me run a reel up the headspring of Manatee. The flow is down but it's still no picnic. This time the lost line drill at Sue Sink was successful.
On the way out the flow of the headspring dislodged one of my fins and ran the spring heel strap up to my knee. I guess there really isn't a graceful way to do a slow ascent with that sort of outflow. Just hang on to rocks and reel the slack in a little at a time. Well any way in spite of it all, I'm "Full Cave" and I appreciate my instructor's thoroughness and attention to detail. I cetainly wouldn't have had it any other way.
I am looking forward to my next trip up to NoFla.

Hey, that sounds a lot like some of my training days. Although I'd take staring at the ceiling fan, over trying to swallow tears when I knew I screwed up (manage to hide most of them).
But that c-card tasts soooo sweet after you feel you've earned it.

Congratulations!

Anna

[chimie007]

Congrat. Care to say who your instructor was ? (CDF banned ruled #6 if I remember)

[cavediver256]

I think Bill said it best, congratulations Cave Diver.

[zlyrack]

Awesome man! Congratz!!!

[Gary]

Congratulations! Sounds like you earned that card!
Nice to hear there are still some hard-ass instructors out there.

Keep it up and don't let your skills slack with long waits between dive trips.
Full cave is just the beginning - not the end.

[Randy Thornton]

Congrats! Welcome to the brotherhood. We'll show the secret handshake later!