Advice for GUE Cave1 Course

Alex.Hellwag · November 30th, 2005, 03:48 PM

Hi enthusiasts of dark caves!

O.k., similar to the threads started by Gary and Alistar, I need more advices and informations about GUE´s Cave1 Course. Maybe you can give me a hand!?

Lectures which I´ve found are Cave 1 limitations, gas planning, equipment failures, stress, protocol, awareness, emergency scenarios, lost line procedure, geology, hydrology, hazards, lost diver protocol, valve failures, re-positioning the team, communications, accident analysis
That´s o.k.

Potential failures: Lights, valve failures, OOA, lost line, lost body.
(See also: Cave1 France by Rick.)

Up to a good performance of skills, which were your favourites, which your meanest? And how to get it....
How should I work out skills and other practices in free water before?

Thanx for responses - so long!

Alex

Rick · November 30th, 2005, 03:59 PM

Believe it or not...one of the hardest parts of Cave 1 for me was the pre-dive checks....

Dropping down to 1m in 1.2m tannic water to do shutdowns and air shares in turn..really proves you bouyancy, back fin and team work to the max.

Infact at this point, I along with the rest of the students wondered if we were quite ready for Cave training!

Getting into the caves was the easy bit...coming out was a different kettle of fish :D

I would suggest getting in the water with your team and go diving......Let the instructor teach you the rest....oh and above all else...have fun...enjoy the caves and do it for yourself...not due to peer pressure otherwise you'll get caught out.

Seeing Tech 1 guys struggle for the first couple of dives was a big boost mentally for me.

I thought lost line may have provided me with the biggest challenge but TBH this was one of the best bits.

With no light and no reference you need to use the references you took on the way in and up to the point where you lost the line, team and light.

graham_hk · November 30th, 2005, 04:41 PM

Agree with Rick 100%. Get into 1-2m of water and practice, practice your valve drills and S-drills like you learn't on DIR-F. You can not move on until you are squared away with these.

You should be able to remain motionless and hold station with your team mates.

See my report too :p

Graham

Alex.Hellwag · November 30th, 2005, 05:10 PM

Thanx for your answers guys!

You´re right - practicing in shallow water is the thing we still do.
But my team mates are going towards to Tech1, no cave insane...

@graham: Sorry - here is the link to your report

Back to my questions:
What was the difficult part in education, apart from DIR-F skills and team work? And what kind of readings you´ve used for preparation?
(Doing it Right, Beyound the Daylight Zone)

Have fun - Alex

Rick · November 30th, 2005, 06:51 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by alex.diver)

Back to my questions:
What was the difficult part in education, apart from DIR-F skills and team work? And what kind of readings you´ve used for preparation?
(Doing it Right, Beyound the Daylight Zone)

Have fun - Alex

I read Shecks Blueprint for Survival, Cave Diving Communications and Beyound the Daylight Zone.

What you are taught on the course is enough to give a good understanding and should present you with all the relevant info for the exam.

If however you are really interested in Karst, Hydrology and the Phreatic Zone then there are plenty of books, forums and sites to browse on the web and in book shops.

HTH

Joe Hesketh · November 30th, 2005, 06:56 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick)

I read [...] Cave Diving Communications [...]

Presume you mean the little NACD book? I saw the other day that there's a new edition of this (Click to see). The version CLM gave us was the old one and they mentioned that many of the signals are out of date. Has anyone seen the new one?

Joe

Rick · November 30th, 2005, 07:04 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Joe Hesketh)

Presume you mean the little NACD book? I saw the other day that there's a new edition of this (Click to see). The version CLM gave us was the old one and they mentioned that many of the signals are out of date. Has anyone seen the new one?

Joe

The Green one!

Joe Hesketh · November 30th, 2005, 07:17 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick)

The Green one!

That's the fella.

sasdasdaf · December 4th, 2005, 11:15 AM

I'd say as a general note to move on to any of GUE's classes beyond DIR-F, the key is really to have your fundamental skills well practiced. I learned this the hard way during my Tech 1, when we had to do early morning "remedial" sessions to get up to speed. It's a much better idea to arrive all squared away and ready to rock so class time can be spent more productively. If you have trained with your class buddies beforehand, that would be helpful, but really, if everyone is well prepared, you can be just as successful diving with strangers.

In a nutshell - S-drills, valve drills, backward kick, etc. Situational awareness is of course a must. Be able to hover motionless. Also be able to do all your skills as second nature so that it doesn't consume brain cells to do a routine drill... because the instructor will be sure to hit your team with failures when you are not paying attention.

Specifically for Cave 1, make sure your finning technique and finesse is good as your instructor will not want you dropping your knees during gas shares. Situational awareness is key - you must be able to spot your buddy's lights out, your buddy missing, where the line is, which way is out, etc etc. I guess it would help to not have a fear of the dark too. :D

Rick · December 4th, 2005, 01:53 PM

Another part I found quite intense was the amount of detail I was expected to remember from the dive i.e

What was your pressure at the first mineral deposit?
What colour was the third marker?
How many snoopy loops were there?
What was written on the 2nd line marker?

and just when you mastered all that, the goals were moved LOL

The point I'm making is that all these references become very useful should you need to exit or find the line etc...

At times the info overload nearly causes system meltdown, but this sort of teaching/learning really does imbed a systematic use of the resources available to you and the team.

November 30th, 2005, 03:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
Alex.Hellwag(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Berlin / Hamburg - Germany Posts: 22	Advice for GUE Cave1 Course Hi enthusiasts of dark caves! O.k., similar to the threads started by Gary and Alistar, I need more advices and informations about GUE´s Cave1 Course. Maybe you can give me a hand!? Lectures which I´ve found are Cave 1 limitations, gas planning, equipment failures, stress, protocol, awareness, emergency scenarios, lost line procedure, geology, hydrology, hazards, lost diver protocol, valve failures, re-positioning the team, communications, accident analysis That´s o.k. Potential failures: Lights, valve failures, OOA, lost line, lost body. (See also: Cave1 France by Rick.) Up to a good performance of skills, which were your favourites, which your meanest? And how to get it.... How should I work out skills and other practices in free water before? Thanx for responses - so long! Alex

November 30th, 2005, 03:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Believe it or not...one of the hardest parts of Cave 1 for me was the pre-dive checks.... Dropping down to 1m in 1.2m tannic water to do shutdowns and air shares in turn..really proves you bouyancy, back fin and team work to the max. Infact at this point, I along with the rest of the students wondered if we were quite ready for Cave training! Getting into the caves was the easy bit...coming out was a different kettle of fish :D I would suggest getting in the water with your team and go diving......Let the instructor teach you the rest....oh and above all else...have fun...enjoy the caves and do it for yourself...not due to peer pressure otherwise you'll get caught out. Seeing Tech 1 guys struggle for the first couple of dives was a big boost mentally for me. I thought lost line may have provided me with the biggest challenge but TBH this was one of the best bits. With no light and no reference you need to use the references you took on the way in and up to the point where you lost the line, team and light. __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

November 30th, 2005, 06:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Quote: (Originally Posted by alex.diver) Back to my questions: What was the difficult part in education, apart from DIR-F skills and team work? And what kind of readings you´ve used for preparation? (Doing it Right, Beyound the Daylight Zone) Have fun - Alex I read Shecks Blueprint for Survival, Cave Diving Communications and Beyound the Daylight Zone. What you are taught on the course is enough to give a good understanding and should present you with all the relevant info for the exam. If however you are really interested in Karst, Hydrology and the Phreatic Zone then there are plenty of books, forums and sites to browse on the web and in book shops. HTH __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

November 30th, 2005, 07:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Quote: (Originally Posted by Joe Hesketh) Presume you mean the little NACD book? I saw the other day that there's a new edition of this (Click to see). The version CLM gave us was the old one and they mentioned that many of the signals are out of date. Has anyone seen the new one? Joe The Green one! __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

December 4th, 2005, 01:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Another part I found quite intense was the amount of detail I was expected to remember from the dive i.e What was your pressure at the first mineral deposit? What colour was the third marker? How many snoopy loops were there? What was written on the 2nd line marker? and just when you mastered all that, the goals were moved LOL The point I'm making is that all these references become very useful should you need to exit or find the line etc... At times the info overload nearly causes system meltdown, but this sort of teaching/learning really does imbed a systematic use of the resources available to you and the team. __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

November 30th, 2005, 04:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
graham_hk(Offline) Pinoy ako pinoy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: here, there and everywhere Posts: 779	Agree with Rick 100%. Get into 1-2m of water and practice, practice your valve drills and S-drills like you learn't on DIR-F. You can not move on until you are squared away with these. You should be able to remain motionless and hold station with your team mates. See my report too :p Graham

November 30th, 2005, 05:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
Alex.Hellwag(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Berlin / Hamburg - Germany Posts: 22	Thanx for your answers guys! You´re right - practicing in shallow water is the thing we still do. But my team mates are going towards to Tech1, no cave insane... @graham: Sorry - here is the link to your report Back to my questions: What was the difficult part in education, apart from DIR-F skills and team work? And what kind of readings you´ve used for preparation? (Doing it Right, Beyound the Daylight Zone) Have fun - Alex

November 30th, 2005, 06:56 PM	#6 (permalink)
Joe Hesketh(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 657	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick) I read [...] Cave Diving Communications [...] Presume you mean the little NACD book? I saw the other day that there's a new edition of this (Click to see). The version CLM gave us was the old one and they mentioned that many of the signals are out of date. Has anyone seen the new one? Joe

November 30th, 2005, 07:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
Joe Hesketh(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 657	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick) The Green one! That's the fella.

December 4th, 2005, 11:15 AM	#9 (permalink)
sasdasdaf(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 375	I'd say as a general note to move on to any of GUE's classes beyond DIR-F, the key is really to have your fundamental skills well practiced. I learned this the hard way during my Tech 1, when we had to do early morning "remedial" sessions to get up to speed. It's a much better idea to arrive all squared away and ready to rock so class time can be spent more productively. If you have trained with your class buddies beforehand, that would be helpful, but really, if everyone is well prepared, you can be just as successful diving with strangers. In a nutshell - S-drills, valve drills, backward kick, etc. Situational awareness is of course a must. Be able to hover motionless. Also be able to do all your skills as second nature so that it doesn't consume brain cells to do a routine drill... because the instructor will be sure to hit your team with failures when you are not paying attention. Specifically for Cave 1, make sure your finning technique and finesse is good as your instructor will not want you dropping your knees during gas shares. Situational awareness is key - you must be able to spot your buddy's lights out, your buddy missing, where the line is, which way is out, etc etc. I guess it would help to not have a fear of the dark too. :D