Newbie cave diver converted to the dark side

Our goood friend and dive buddy Scubagirl was down in Florida with the Cave Crew in November to do her cavern and basic cave course. She asked me to post the write-up of her experiences for your delectation:

NSS Cavern & Basic Cave, Nov 12-15 2006

Cavern Day 1:

Classroom work, equipment checkover and line following on land (no diving that day since Ginnie is closing early due to the 30th anniversary party). Equipment check takes about 10 minutes since we're all diving doubles with long hoses and only have a couple of minor suggestions made to us. While doing line drills, we notice that it takes longer to follow a line with eyes closed, especially when using touch contact with a buddy. It's also tough to keep your fingers looped in an "OK" shape around the line, rather than tightening it up, which seems more natural to us wreck divers.

Cavern Day 2:

2 dives in Ginnie Basin & Cavern to practice finning techniques (frog & modified frog), follow a line course with 1) eyes open, 2) eyes closed mask off, 3) donating with eyes closed, and 4) receiving with eyes closed. We notice that following a line underwater with eyes closed and/or mask off takes a LOT longer than with eyes open. Getting a hose stuck under a rock when you and your buddy are doing an OOA eyes closed line following task is interesting. And then there's the instructor, who tries to pull the line out of your fingers. Point reiterated: This is your lifeline -- do not allow your fingers to drop the line! It becomes clear why the line is so important. I manage to split my neck seal while doffing my drysuit during lunch break. Good thing I brought my wetsuit as backup! 1 dive in Devil's Ear to practice primary and secondary tie-offs, line placements and lights out drills. We each take a turn running a primary and secondary tie-off in the cavern, and reeling it back in. I manage to make a rat's nest out of a borrowed reel (oops!). We all mess up during our lights out drill, not thinking for ourselves and just following each other's lead (wrong!) Cave diving is both teamwork AND independent thinking. 1 fun dive (first cave dive) in Devil's Eye with instructor leading. No drills on this dive, yay!

Basic Cave Day 1:

1 dive at Peacock 1 (Peanut Tunnel). I lead the team into the cave, and lay the line. tying it to the mainline. It's fun to lead. You feel free because you can set the pace. Unfortunately I become the example of what not to do. I end up way ahead of the team and have to swim back. The instructor animatedly chews me out for getting too far ahead of the team. We all learn a lesson. I thumb the dive somewhere between the 600 and 700 ft marker. OOA lights out drills on the way out, both donor & receiver. It's eerie doing one of these in the cave with lights out. Your fingers are looped around the line, and you know you're moving in a straight line, yet it feels like you're swimming around in circles. I breathe a sigh of relief when I feel a line arrow marker, and the drill is over. It really strikes home that this is your lifeline. I can't imagine being in the
dark in a cave without a line. 1 dive at Little River. OOA/lights out & lost buddy drills on the way out. Instructor shoves me into a side passage a couple of times, to play 'lost buddy'. The first time, I can't even squeeze in, so I curl up in a ball and try to look inconspicuous. The second time, it's a nice tight passage with barely enough room for a modified frog. I kick about 20 feet in until I find a spot to turn around and move forward a bit so I can see the 'action'. My computer reminds me I have some deco while I'm in here waiting to be found. Buddy finds me and slightly silts up the tunnel. Luckily there is a gold line in there and I've got my fingers looped around it like any good cave newbie. We exit on another lights out OOA drill and do some deco in the cavern. I'm shivering in my wetsuit. Buddy #2 learns a lesson on this dive about diving the same gas as the rest of the team. He's got 24 minutes of deco, to our 8 minutes. During the debrief, the instructor informs me I pulled a 'Marie' when I played lost buddy the second time. I think he should rename it the 'Natalie'...

Basic Cave day 2:

2 dives at Devil's Ear. I'm back in my drysuit with a new neck seal. It floods before we get to the cavern -- the neck seal was precut for me. I should have aborted the dive before I even got in (hindsight's a bitch). While entering the Ear, I forget everything I've been told and don't dump absolutely all the air out of my wing, get caught by the flow in the entrance and flipped nearly upside down, wedged between two rocks. My mask is flooded, askew on my face; my long hose is caught on a rock and gets pulled out of my mouth. A true Kodak moment. I retrieve my primary, clear my mask and start trying to get myself un-wedged. Too late. The instructor has seen me and is pissed. He grabs my manifold and pulls me into the cavern. I catch my breath and we abort the dive, much to my dismay. I'm sure he's going to kick me off the course now, but after the debriefing/ass kicking/humiliation (some of it self-inflicted) we go in for another shot. This time I make it inside easily enough, though not without scraping another layer off my cave fingers. We turn around at the park benches. I'm expecting OOA lights out drills, but nothing. On the way back to the exit stairs, I endure some more humiliation in the crack at Little Devil's (see, I can descend head-first), then we get out and go for lunch. I'm told I have a chance to redeem myself on the next dive. So much for our 'fun' dive after lunch... 1 dive at Devil's Eye. I'm back in my wetsuit, determined to show the instructor that I can do this, and do it well. I know he's going to ask me to run the reel, and sure enough, he does. I make sure the line is set good and tight, and we're off. I try not to hit the ceiling and think of the upcoming lost line drills that await us on our way out. As I approach the park benches, I'm distracted by some other divers hovering near the ceiling. I turn away just as the strobe fires. It's the Caveman playing photographer. When the rest of the group is through, we turn around and do some OOA lights out drills back through to The Lips. Buddy and I wait our turns to do the lost line drill, off to the left just inside The Lips. I start to shiver, but when it comes my turn I get warmer by moving around. Lights go out. I feel for the designated rock outcrop, tie off my spool, double check to make sure it's tied tightly, turn around and move in the direction I think the gold line lies, spooling out line as I go. I stop at one point to verify the direction of the flow. I face into it and know the line is to my right somewhere. I find the rock wall but I think I've gone too far since the line is not there, so I start to reel the line back onto my spool. The instructor turns me around again, and this time around I manage to find the line! I'm pretty sure that on my first try I moved back into the cave, then started moving parallel to the line. Now I'm back in my sheltered spot inside The Lips, and this time I can see the next diver doing his lost line drill since a couple of divers are coming back through. It's eerie watching someone else do this drill. I realize at one point that I've lost a fin; it has cracked along the side of the foot pocket and thankfully lies just below me. I retrieve it, put it back on and make a mental note to buy a new set of fins tomorrow. After the other group has gone through, it becomes pitch black again. I relax and just breathe, in the darkness with the strong flow blowing past my mask. I wonder what it's like to be really lost in the darkness and I shiver, though it's likely because I'm just cold. Buddy finishes his drill and we're all exiting with primary lights, but my HID doesn't strike so I deploy my backup. I'm resigned to exit first, and buddy is delegated to reel in the line. We do a few minutes of deco and we're out. I wonder whether I've done well enough on this dive to pass, and I'm kicking myself for every mistake I made. Later, when I find out I have passed, I'm elated. But I know I could have done better and I berate myself for it. I felt like a complete newbie for much of the course, and well, I WAS a newbie in that environment. However, I was able to demonstrate that I possess the skills I need for Basic Cave Diver, and now it's up to me to improve upon those skills. I know where I need to make improvements, and I plan to continue improving until I can confidently pass Apprentice and Full Cave.