Several People asked for a report on how my cave 1 experience went. This is a report I made on another forum a while back. It's easier to post it here, so here you go. I don't know if it is politically correct in all forms so I apologize if anything in there affends anyone, and I don't have time to rewrite it.

Also, I'm not a writer.

Joe



Cave 1 - The way I saw it

“ What we want to do here is create thinking divers”, quote Chris LeMalliot, and quoted many times.

Being a bit of a joker and a clown myself I normally fit in with many different crowds quite quickly. And going into a foreign country and preparing myself for all that was about to happen in the upcoming week, and not knowing anyone there, other than John who would shortly join me, can be a little stressful. Nothing a few corona can’t fix. But being open to meeting new people wasn’t required, Chris made me feel right at home as soon as I hit the ground. He is very personable, I felt as if I knew him all along, though his dark side would be revealed shortly.

There were many different images that I had dreamt up leading up to the cave course, visions of what I had seen in pictures and descriptions that people had given me. Though I had never seen it with my own eyes. I think the biggest impact of the whole experience was going to be my perspective of the caves themselves and learning for the first time if cave diving really is for me, we have all heard that cave diving is not for everyone. I knew that I was for the most part ready skill wise, and no matter who my instructor was there is only so much he can do to me, the rest is in my head.

Our first day of diving was a guided cavern day with Fred, who operates an internet based reservation system, for training and guided dives. Fred is actually Canadian, and has worked side by side with Chris and Danny for years, another outstanding instructor and diver. We did two warm up dives, John Cathy and myself, at Chikin Ha and Chac Mool. Outstanding dive sites. They had everything from stalactite formations to halocline to the best visibility I had ever seen. Everything you’d want to get a little taste of what cave and cavern life is all about. All that minus any stress or pressure. It was a great time. But for the next day, it’s time to get serious. Cavern is one thing, you can always see ambient light, but once you are 800 to 1000 feet inside a cave for the first time, for me it was if I was reborn.

0730, Chris picks us up at the condo. First stop, fill station to pick up all our doubles for the day. Next stop, Zero Gravity, to do morning class or prepare equipment depending on the daily outline, then off to the instructors choice of cenotes for the day. This was the rundown for all five days, with the exception of what was cover for educational material, which compounded on a daily basis. Something new was always covered but what was taught yesterday was reiterated at a higher level.

Day 1 Cave 1
Cenote - Ponderosa
Lectures - reel use and guideline protocols, fundamental skills, dive planning, equipment, head to toe,
Sadddd. Classroom
Dives - 2
Typical dive day 1 :
S - John - #1, captain
Joe - #2
A - air, 500psi or 1/6, John turn pressure 2300
Joe-------------------2400
D - depth, max 45 feet
D - distance, 15 min on main line
D - duration, approx 40 min, (we MIGHT see a senario on the way out )
D - deco : 30 - 1 min
20 - 1 min
10 - 1 min
Skills - valve drills and s-drills were conducted before every dive, every day. Today had no skills other than fundamentals and following guideline.
Failures - Both primary lights, John is out of air, do minimum deco while losing our masks and getting entangled in the primary reel line which we left in place because we had a gas failure.
Homework - practice reel work
Swim tests - Distance swim, no one took more that 9 or 10 min, and underwater swim, everyone surpassed the required distance.
Improvements - we were picked up on minor issues like not flashing you light sufficiently when out of air or forgetting to clip the long hose. These were always corrected on a daily basis.
Instructor was quite happy where we stood with all our skills

Day 2
Cenote - Ponderosa
Lectures - Guideline use when you lose all light or total silt out, including touch contact. Classroom
Dives - 4
Typical dive day 2 :
S - Joe - #1, captain
John - #2
A - air, 500psi or 1/6, John turn pressure 2500
Joe-------------------2500
D - depth, max 45 feet
D - distance, 15 min on main line
D - duration, approx 40 min,
D - deco : 30 - 1 min
20 - 1 min
10 - 1 min
Skills - valve, s-drills, guide line use in silt out or loss of light. Touch contact communication. Air sharing.
Failures - both primary lights, both with left post failure, 3 lost masks, out of air airs haring on the line.
Homework - continue practicing reel use and tie offs.
Open water dive - Following a circuit laid out with no masks air sharing using touch contact. We did a few different scenarios.

Day 3
Cenote - Taj Ma Ha
Lectures - More guide line stuff, emergency scenarios, lost buddy, spool use, line marker use. Classroom
Dives - 3
Typical dive day 3 :
S - John - #1, captain
Joe - #2
A - air, 500psi or 1/6, John turn pressure 2600
Joe-------------------2500
D - depth, max 45 feet
D - distance, 15 min on main line
D - duration, approx 45 min,
D - deco : 30 - 1 min
20 - 1 min
10 - 1 min
Skills - all covered to this point
Failures - everything imaginable, total black out, exit the cave touch contact, complete deco, lose all our masks, you know, all the fun stuff that happens on a normal dive.
Homework - study notes


Day 4
Cenote - X Tabay, Chikin Ha ( x-tabay, pronounced - esh tabye)
Lectures - lost line and classroom
Dives - 3
Typical dive day 4:
S - Joe - #1, captain
John - #2
A - air, 500psi or 1/6, John turn pressure 2400
Joe-------------------2500
D - depth, max 40feet
D - distance, 20 min on main line
D - duration, approx 45 min,
D - deco : 30 - 1 min
20 - 1 min
10 - 1 min
Skills - conduct lost buddy drill, more blackout drive.
Failures - as mentioned above
Homework - study notes

Day 5
Cenote - Carwash, Actun Ha
Lectures - classroom
Dives - 3, one open water for unconscious diver egress, and breath hold no mask full gear.
Typical dive day 5:
S - Joe- #1, captain
John - #2
A - air, 500psi or 1/6, John turn pressure 2600
Joe-------------------2500
D - depth, max 45feet
D - distance, 20 min on main line
D - duration, approx 45 min,
D - deco : 30 - 1 min
20 - 1 min
10 - 1 min
Skills - lost line search
Failures - typical; followed by,
Graduation dive

There is a lot of stuff to take in, in a short period of time. You really have to be on the ball to complete it in 5 days. Though if you practice you fundamental skills on a regular basis, the average fundies diver should not have much of a problem. The important thing to correct all the mistakes you make the previous day.

Everyone always said the dive is yours on the way in, going out it’s the instructors. Well sometimes yes. We were hit with failures going in as well, thus resulting in ending the dive, and of course the failures would only continue to compound during exit.

John had done part of the cave 1 program the year prior, though never had sufficient time to complete it, due to other circumstances. So he was back to complete it with me. Though he had only two days required, Chris offered for him to join for the whole 5 days, and would only charge him for 2. I’m sure he was heartbroken to have to dive for 5 days. New GUE standard is minimum 2 students, instructor cannot buddy with student.

Create thinking divers. This is so true. Right from the beginning Chris is continually pecking at your brain. 100% focus, always teaching you to think ahead. Referencing the cave on the way in, its going to look different on the way out. Buddy awareness, knowing his state of mind, anticipating what he is thinking and what he is going to do next. Personal awareness, how you dive is going, knowing how much air you have without checking, based on average depth, knowing how far you traveled based on time, flow, air etc. Knowing where you made a turn, how much air you burned to that point at what was the dive time. And of course controlling your breathing while task loaded as to conserve as much gas as possible.

Which leads to cave 1 standards. Max depth 100 ft, no stages, no restrictions, 1/6 air supply or 500 psi, whichever is greater, min 100cuft to start a dive, minimum visibility 30ft, no planned decompression. No jumps, circuits or traverses. You are now allowed 1 T and 1 gap, whoopty doo.


After the course Brian arrived in Mexico. We did a few days diving at different sites. The biggest downside is turning the dive after only 500 psi. Sometimes that would be only 20 min in. You’re swimming along and see a couple other main lines leading to other passages thinking if I could only do 1 little jump. There’s 3 of us, if we could only plan 1/3 rules vs. 1/6, we’d have a much longer dive than 30 - 45 min. There is so much to see in such little time. My next venture, cave 2, I don’t think they allow enough at the cave 1 level. That’s just my personal feeling. I want to go a little further, see what’s around the bend, though I will never break standards to do so.

On my last day I had a reverse block on the last dive. I ended up with an ear infection. My diving was done for the trip, though it was a great success. Brian and John continued to dive, I packed up my gear.

ATTACK OF THE ******S ; While packing my gear after my last dive, a pickup pulls in and two guys get out. I can’t help but eves drop, we are the only ones there. If you know what a Christmas tree looks like, well, imagine seeing one all decorated with a set of doubles on his back, 2 stages, all geared up for a solo dive. That’s not the best part. One guy proceeds to set up his gear, while the other guy sits quietly with his biker bandana and swartzneggar shades. The STUDENT completes his set up. Then he communicates his dive plan to the Terminator instructor. He goes through all the gay stuff he is about to do, when the most alarming question I hear him ask the instructor, “ so I’m in there, I get my buoyancy on the line, move off the line, then take my stages off. But, won’t I lose my buoyancy if I do this, what do I do, WHAT DO I DO!! The instructor sits in a lawn chair from above and monitors his students solo dive down below.
It was quit the ****** of intelligence.

This is why there are trained cave diver fatalities, improperly trained.

I’ve said enough, though I feel I can’t say enough. This has truly been the highlight of my diving. Yet I feel I’ve only scratched the surface. I will do the Cave 2 program this upcoming year. I can’t wait to learn more from those guys, they have so much experience, and so much to offer. They are even talking about becoming tech 1 and 2 instructors next year.

For anyone looking to continue their education with GUE, and you’re not claustraphobic, cave 1 is a great experience. It was for me.

Joe