What is your reason for not diving a rebreather while cave diving?

[Superlyte27]

Pete, let me know the next time you want to swim to the Henkel. When was the last time (if ever) that you swam there? I did it earlier this month and never touched back gas.
I'm willing to do the dive you described OC. Lets get together and see who calls it first. I'll be in HS for most of Sept.

James

I would, but I find the more time I spend around you, the less I like you.

[Draker]

Well, I guess that explains you leaving me in a cave on our last dive together.

[PfcAJ]

The plot thickens...

[a64pilot]

I'm still trying to figure out why anybody would want to swim to the Henkel? That sounds too much like a "fun run"

[Draker]

I guess if you have to ask, you'll never know.

Nothing wrong with running for fun, and nothing wrong with a nice leisurely swim to 3100'. Took me about an hour a few weeks ago. The drift out is probably the best part. You see so much more of the cave and can really appreciate it when you are simply letting the flow push you out, vs scootering back out.

There was a time when many suggested that one should swim to the Hinkel before getting a scooter and taking the easy ride there. I guess I've just been doing this long enough to remember that time.

Almost every weekend I see someone scooter to the back of a cave and I wonder if they would know what to do or have enough gas to get out of the cave if their scooter failed. The flow is really down at Ginnie right now. It took me nearly as long to exit as it did to enter. For those who are counting on the flow to help them exit, they might be sorely surprised.

[diveconjeff]

I'm still trying to figure out why anybody would want to swim to the Henkel? That sounds too much like a "fun run"

How about this:

Having gone through a "significant personal financial re-assesment" a few years ago, there is no scooter in my dive locker. Maybe someday. Nor is there a CCR. Most likely never will be.

Call me crazy, but I do enjoy diving Ginnie. I know the front end of the cave (the map Ginnie hands out) pretty well and I am looking to push on a bit further. I have been fortunate enough to meet up with some other divers with the same mind set.

So a buddy and I planned out and executed an OC swimming dive to and beyond the Henkel. We felt really good about the successful execution of the plan. Does that make us that "baddest" cave divers around? Certainly not that I know of, and I really couldn't care less. Didn't do it for anyone but ourselves. Did we enjoy the dive? You bet. Will I do it again? Certainly.

As we completed surface deco, a rather well known character asked where we went. We mentioned we had just come back from a swim to the Henkel.

To which he responded, "I have never swum to the Henkel and I never will. Just 'cause I could walk to Gainesville, doesn't mean I'm ever gonna do that either."

Two different sides of the same coin I guess.

[Superlyte27]

Haha, I could tell you who that well known character was. A few years ago I asked a guy how many stages it would take him to swim to the henkel. The response I was given was the same you just posted.

Honestly, about the time I started considering a swim to the Henkel, I fell into a deal on a scooter. I'm not saying I won't ever do it, but I haven't yet. I have a friend who wants to see it and isn't scooter certed, so I might do it soon.

[a64pilot]

I usually go in at a higher speed and either drift out or come out at low speed, just crawling along. For whatever reason I feel more comfortable sight seeing on the way out. The way I see it, is if you can afford a Rebreather with all the training etc. that goes along with the initial cost, you can afford a scooter.
If you scooter without enough gas to swim out at the point of deepest penetration, having lost one gas source and the scooter, then your an accident waiting to happen. Seems at least for me that's carrying two 80 stages along with my sidemounted 100's and not using any gas but the stages, the sidemount tanks are in reserve. Don't forget how much extra deco gas you will have to have too.

[MDiver429]

Yeah, I guess that would suck, except that it's so unlikely on the rEvo without pilot error I don't even give it consideration. And if it does happen, I'll switch to bailout and swim out. I flooded the loop one time in class. I forgot to close the DSV while doing a drill. In the 100+ dives since, it's not really an issue. I guess if I tore a hole in the cooper hoses, or somehow managed to back over the rebreather with my car it might leak enough to flood the loop, but I really don't give it much thought.

What was that you were saying? hehe

[Superlyte27]

LOL, in my friendliest loving voice ever.

SUCK IT!!!

She's referring to this. http://www.ultimatecavediving.com/blog.html