SeaJayInSC
New member
LOL... Just my kind of guy. 
Yeah, you need the GUE training. Anything less will bore you to tears.
Yeah, you need the GUE training. Anything less will bore you to tears.
More classes...
- Thread starter tgreene
- Start date
SeaJayInSC
New member
...And what's that?
tgreene
Reefer
CAVE DIVING
I've walked and climbed through tons of them, belly crawled through plenty of endless tubes, actually dislocated my shoulders to gain access to one rat-hole, swam a river in another, and now I want to begin diving them!!!
I am incredibly fascinated with the subterranean world, and have wanted to cave dive ever since first attending a MVOR (Mississippi Valley Ozark Region of NSS) several years where I met a couple of guys who were gearing up to dive a spring in southern Missouri.
Heh, I just checked and the next upcoming MVOR is the 1st weekend of October and is just up the road from the dive shop that I linked you to earlier. http://www.riverdesperes.com/mvor/MVORFall2009.pdf
-Tim
I've walked and climbed through tons of them, belly crawled through plenty of endless tubes, actually dislocated my shoulders to gain access to one rat-hole, swam a river in another, and now I want to begin diving them!!!
I am incredibly fascinated with the subterranean world, and have wanted to cave dive ever since first attending a MVOR (Mississippi Valley Ozark Region of NSS) several years where I met a couple of guys who were gearing up to dive a spring in southern Missouri.
Heh, I just checked and the next upcoming MVOR is the 1st weekend of October and is just up the road from the dive shop that I linked you to earlier. http://www.riverdesperes.com/mvor/MVORFall2009.pdf
-Tim
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SeaJayInSC
New member
Very cool to see that it excites you so.
Just remember to dive only what you're trained to dive.
I'm not sure that I understand the logic behind "If you get it done faster, the reward will be bigger." I would think that the reward would be bigger if it took you more time and effort to get to do the exploration.
Just remember to dive only what you're trained to dive.
I'm not sure that I understand the logic behind "If you get it done faster, the reward will be bigger." I would think that the reward would be bigger if it took you more time and effort to get to do the exploration.
tgreene
Reefer
A lot of that statement is actually based upon my health and the ability to be able continue doing these types of activities in the future... I have to do what I can while the clock is ticking, and I know that you can relate!
I'll push hard and fast, but I won't over-step my training, which is why I'm persuing all of these classes so quickly. 2 months ago this wasn't possible, but things change and today it is.
-Tim
I'll push hard and fast, but I won't over-step my training, which is why I'm persuing all of these classes so quickly. 2 months ago this wasn't possible, but things change and today it is.
-Tim
tgreene
Reefer
I just returned from the lake, having completed ADVANCED OPEN WATER, NITROX and NIGHT DIVER... All since Friday evening. 
Yesterday we were out from 9:30am until 2:00am this morning, leaving me with only 3.5 hours of sleep before having to make the Deep Adventure Dive (I hit 102') first thing this morning, so I'm dead tired!
-Tim
Yesterday we were out from 9:30am until 2:00am this morning, leaving me with only 3.5 hours of sleep before having to make the Deep Adventure Dive (I hit 102') first thing this morning, so I'm dead tired!
-Tim
SeaJayInSC
New member
Bet you're having fun, though.
Just be sure to allow enough time and rest for all of this to sink in...
Just be sure to allow enough time and rest for all of this to sink in...
tgreene
Reefer
Yea, it is... As you know, I've been reading and studying my butt off for a few weeks now to the point that everything that was taught seemed to be 2nd nature.
The 1st dive Saturday morning was Adventure~Navigation, and I aced it! The drill that required 25 kick cycles out and back on a reciprocal heading I was only off by 30" from the initial starting point (in 4' vis)... Unfortunately since I had trouble clearing a blockage on the left side of my head in was in some pain so immediately after that particular drill I motioned to my instructor that I needed to surface and when he signaled for me to stay put I wrote it on my slate, grabbed my buddy (the instructors son), and began ascending... Since there were 2 other "Advanced" students, the instructor checked in with them and then surfaced a couple of minutes later to check on me. After about 10 minutes or so on the surface doing a "snot-rocket", I felt a little better and descended for the remaining drill which was the square on compass readings only.
I began the "square" drill, and when I got to my first turn I realized that I couldn't see my buddy (I was told to lead while he followed) so I turned around and around until lhe came into my view. During this, I got very confused on my bearing and so I sat down on a rock and sketched it out w/ the heading numbers and then when I was confident that I was able to proceed I did. Upon return I landed immediately at the boat anchor which was the starting point, meaning that I aced the drill and had my position down to a space the size of a dinner plate.
We were told that because the vis was so poor and we had some current at our location, that we would pass if we were within 10 feet... I was within 5 inches!!!
For the last several dives that I was out prior to this weekend, I had been intently focused on practicing underwater navigation because it just seemed like it was going to be my nemesis from the beginning. Being that we all know what my eventual goal is, navigation is going to be paramount!
The pain that I was enduring had triggered a migraine which got really bad very quickly, so I checked with the instructors to see if I would be allowed to have someone in a support boat take me back to the marina so that I could get my meds from my car, and then take an hour break for them to abort the migraine. They all said yes... Lunch break had just started, so all they needed to do was delay the start of the 2nd dive on Saturday for me to be able to participate, which they very graciously did. We then had 2 night dives after a looong classroom section, and I was fine for it all. I was very clear to my instructor as to what medication that I had taken, and that it WOULD slow me down physically but not impare my judgement, though whether I continued the classes this weekend or not was to be HIS sole judgement. He informed me that I was the only student that was so driven on getting 3 classes in within 3 days, and that he was there for me and if we had to wait a bit longer between dives then so be it. He genuinely appreciated that I put the judgement call in his hands, at which point he placed it back into mine and said when I feel that I'm ready to dive again, the group will dive.
For the "Adventure~Wreck" dive, I noticed that my buddy wasn't sketching anything, but writing what appeared to be a dissertation... Since I was sketching and not writing, we took it upon ourselves to put our 2 slates together for a much more detailed assessment of the wreck that we had to survey. Our top-side review was superior to the other 2 guys because we worked as a team rather than individually.
For the "Adventure~Search & Recovery" dive, being a former wilderness guide gave me a huge edge on taking over as "team leader" for all 4 of us... A couple of somewhat silly questions were asked by others which received silly answers from the other rec divers that were assisting (and hid the object), so I began asking very detailed answers to narrow the search zone. I also thought that a we would be best served to use a sweeping line with a pivot-turn keeping at arms length, 24-30" off the bottom to reduce silting, and make sure that we were always maintaining fingertip contact so that we didn't end up overshooting the object we were searching for...
So SeaJay, in keeping with your reply, it has all sunk in and has also been analyzed, but again that probably stems more from my background as a wilderness guide which has provided me with a lot of experience to draw from because we always had to work as a unified team, especially in rescue and evacuation/extraction efforts.
As for the deep dive... Nobody was narked, the vis opened up to a crystal clear 30-40 feet, and I was in 7th heaven due to the fact that we were on a sheer wall with ledges and undercuts everywhere... Since the instructor was very clear about nobody going any lower than him and maintaining a bottom depth no deeper than 100', I flipped myself upside down to be able to see under a huge ledge that we were hovering just above. Though were were at the same height "technically", my head was 6' below everyone else's, so I was able to inspect the underside of the ledge and in doing so I found a huge Walleye under there... Using my light I motioned to the others, and before you knew it everyone was also hanging upside down to maintain depth but also be able to see under the ledge. After leaving the wall and slowly begging our way back up, I was working on my bouyancy & balance since it was so clear and I was able to use the other divers and the topography as reference points. I just started swimming on my back, looking straight up and was amazed at how stable I was able to remain even when hovering motionless.
Oh yea, I also FOUND a new dive light (Ikelite PC-A Halogen) on a new retractable lanyard no less! Being karmic and all, I did check with every other dive boat in the same cove, but since nobody claimed it, it's mine! Our instructors and shop owner all said it's best to only check with your own boat & divers, because you may end up losing your "score" otherwise!
-Tim
The 1st dive Saturday morning was Adventure~Navigation, and I aced it! The drill that required 25 kick cycles out and back on a reciprocal heading I was only off by 30" from the initial starting point (in 4' vis)... Unfortunately since I had trouble clearing a blockage on the left side of my head in was in some pain so immediately after that particular drill I motioned to my instructor that I needed to surface and when he signaled for me to stay put I wrote it on my slate, grabbed my buddy (the instructors son), and began ascending... Since there were 2 other "Advanced" students, the instructor checked in with them and then surfaced a couple of minutes later to check on me. After about 10 minutes or so on the surface doing a "snot-rocket", I felt a little better and descended for the remaining drill which was the square on compass readings only.
I began the "square" drill, and when I got to my first turn I realized that I couldn't see my buddy (I was told to lead while he followed) so I turned around and around until lhe came into my view. During this, I got very confused on my bearing and so I sat down on a rock and sketched it out w/ the heading numbers and then when I was confident that I was able to proceed I did. Upon return I landed immediately at the boat anchor which was the starting point, meaning that I aced the drill and had my position down to a space the size of a dinner plate.
We were told that because the vis was so poor and we had some current at our location, that we would pass if we were within 10 feet... I was within 5 inches!!!
For the last several dives that I was out prior to this weekend, I had been intently focused on practicing underwater navigation because it just seemed like it was going to be my nemesis from the beginning. Being that we all know what my eventual goal is, navigation is going to be paramount!
The pain that I was enduring had triggered a migraine which got really bad very quickly, so I checked with the instructors to see if I would be allowed to have someone in a support boat take me back to the marina so that I could get my meds from my car, and then take an hour break for them to abort the migraine. They all said yes... Lunch break had just started, so all they needed to do was delay the start of the 2nd dive on Saturday for me to be able to participate, which they very graciously did. We then had 2 night dives after a looong classroom section, and I was fine for it all. I was very clear to my instructor as to what medication that I had taken, and that it WOULD slow me down physically but not impare my judgement, though whether I continued the classes this weekend or not was to be HIS sole judgement. He informed me that I was the only student that was so driven on getting 3 classes in within 3 days, and that he was there for me and if we had to wait a bit longer between dives then so be it. He genuinely appreciated that I put the judgement call in his hands, at which point he placed it back into mine and said when I feel that I'm ready to dive again, the group will dive.
For the "Adventure~Wreck" dive, I noticed that my buddy wasn't sketching anything, but writing what appeared to be a dissertation... Since I was sketching and not writing, we took it upon ourselves to put our 2 slates together for a much more detailed assessment of the wreck that we had to survey. Our top-side review was superior to the other 2 guys because we worked as a team rather than individually.
For the "Adventure~Search & Recovery" dive, being a former wilderness guide gave me a huge edge on taking over as "team leader" for all 4 of us... A couple of somewhat silly questions were asked by others which received silly answers from the other rec divers that were assisting (and hid the object), so I began asking very detailed answers to narrow the search zone. I also thought that a we would be best served to use a sweeping line with a pivot-turn keeping at arms length, 24-30" off the bottom to reduce silting, and make sure that we were always maintaining fingertip contact so that we didn't end up overshooting the object we were searching for...
- The 1st pass was rough, because I have a much stronger kick that the others, so I screwed up by getting ahead and silting them just a bit.
- The 2nd pass (1st pivot turn) was much better, but our line still swayed just a bit.
- Our 3rd pass (2nd pivot turn) was text book, as we were now all in perfect sync, and literally maintained "touch" at all times even holding hands tighht while we made our last pivot turn so as to maintain perfect spacing.
So SeaJay, in keeping with your reply, it has all sunk in and has also been analyzed, but again that probably stems more from my background as a wilderness guide which has provided me with a lot of experience to draw from because we always had to work as a unified team, especially in rescue and evacuation/extraction efforts.
As for the deep dive... Nobody was narked, the vis opened up to a crystal clear 30-40 feet, and I was in 7th heaven due to the fact that we were on a sheer wall with ledges and undercuts everywhere... Since the instructor was very clear about nobody going any lower than him and maintaining a bottom depth no deeper than 100', I flipped myself upside down to be able to see under a huge ledge that we were hovering just above. Though were were at the same height "technically", my head was 6' below everyone else's, so I was able to inspect the underside of the ledge and in doing so I found a huge Walleye under there... Using my light I motioned to the others, and before you knew it everyone was also hanging upside down to maintain depth but also be able to see under the ledge. After leaving the wall and slowly begging our way back up, I was working on my bouyancy & balance since it was so clear and I was able to use the other divers and the topography as reference points. I just started swimming on my back, looking straight up and was amazed at how stable I was able to remain even when hovering motionless.
Oh yea, I also FOUND a new dive light (Ikelite PC-A Halogen) on a new retractable lanyard no less! Being karmic and all, I did check with every other dive boat in the same cove, but since nobody claimed it, it's mine! Our instructors and shop owner all said it's best to only check with your own boat & divers, because you may end up losing your "score" otherwise!
-Tim
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SeaJayInSC
New member
Hahahhaa... Man, it sounds like you're having a great time.
Funny about the light - it brought back memories of the same thing happening to me (found a lost light) in my first few dives. You're a better person than me, though... I didn't mention it to anyone. 'Guess that was foretelling of my beliefs that would develop about shipwrecks and salvage.
I agree with you about the wilderness guide thing... It sounds like it's serving you really well. We both thought that would happen.
It's interesting that you're already developing a "team" mentality. That's good stuff, man.
Congrats on the "scored" Ikelight. Feels good to do something you love and get a surprise benefit, doesn't it?
Funny about the light - it brought back memories of the same thing happening to me (found a lost light) in my first few dives.
You're a better person than me, though... I didn't mention it to anyone. 'Guess that was foretelling of my beliefs that would develop about shipwrecks and salvage. I agree with you about the wilderness guide thing... It sounds like it's serving you really well. We both thought that would happen.
It's interesting that you're already developing a "team" mentality. That's good stuff, man.
Congrats on the "scored" Ikelight. Feels good to do something you love and get a surprise benefit, doesn't it?
tgreene
Reefer
The downside however is that once I saw what it was like at 100', now I REALLY want to sling 2 spare AL80's and go back down there while completely obliterating the RDP... One of them would obviously be a deco tank with a nice long stop starting at 70', then 40', then 15' with EAN-36 as a Nitrogen purge.
Sure, I'm once again thinking way beyond my certs, but by continuing the tables and doing the math, it's simple deductive reasoning that only requires a buddy that thinks in the same terms.
This new thinking is especially since I bought a new Cressi speargun on Friday before heading up to the lake that I haven't even taken out of the bag yet, but
-Tim
Sure, I'm once again thinking way beyond my certs, but by continuing the tables and doing the math, it's simple deductive reasoning that only requires a buddy that thinks in the same terms.
This new thinking is especially since I bought a new Cressi speargun on Friday before heading up to the lake that I haven't even taken out of the bag yet, but
-Tim
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SeaJayInSC
New member
Heh... Love your thinking.
Don't do it, though, until you've been trained for it. That profile is close, but not quite right... Get the training first, then go do it and you'll see what I mean.
GUE Fundies, then Tech 1. They'll teach you to mix and then "obliterate" the RDP.
People ask me all the time, "What's down there that you want to go deeper than 100'?" What they mean is that typically, the great sea life is closer to the surface.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, for us), there are a lot of shipwrecks below 100'... And they're the ones that are never visited.
...Which means "virgin wrecks," "salvage opportunities," "money," and "undiscovered things." To me, that's where the REAL adventure is.
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