I just finished a cave course with three guys from Guadalajara. After the whole swine flu disaster and flights canceling it was cool to be back in my normal day to day routine. The group consisted of Hector, Oscar and Juan David being the students and Santiago assisting to move a step closer on becoming a cave instructor. The three guys had previous experience in technical diving and all the necessary equipment which gave them a good head start.
On the first day we met in Pro Tec and started of with a little introduction and a bit of theory. We spoke about the course, equipment, communication and the value of proper trim and buoyancy. After that we put the gear together and configured it cave diving style just before we took of to Cenote Xtabay. Once we arrived there we started with training the basic positions for the different fining techniques. The best way to do that in my opinion is to lay flat on a table with your fins on. Afterwards we went down to the waters edge only with our masks and fins to train the techniques in water but without the double tanks. It is way easier to focus on what your legs, ankles and feet have to do without having to think about neutral buoyancy in the same time. After about an hour we went to get the rest of our gear and submerged to try all of the propulsion techniques in full equipment. Of course nobody was perfect after that session but we made an important step towards being able to maintain position in one spot which is necessary to maintain visual contact with the guideline, the cave and the rest of the team at ALL times.
All in all it was a very long but very productive day that we finished at about 7pm.
On the next day,we changed a couple of things on the equipment and configuration that we had figured out the day before while practicing and then quickly loaded the truck to make our way towards Cenote Cristalino.
There we started with basic line drills in between the trees namely how to lay line and how to follow it in zero visibility. First we trained independently, and later as a team.
After the lunch brake we geared up and started with a review of the fining techniques of the day before. I used the time and placed a line circuit in the open water area of the Cenote that we would use to train different skills, drills and techniques to prepare ourselves as good as we can before moving into the overhead environment. We spend hours going around the circuit training emergency drills, zero visibility and focusing on team diving and clear communication. It also became apparent to everyone how task loading can result into stress and the stress blocking clear and proper problem solution thinking.
The next day we were set and ready to go cave diving. First location was Jardin Del Eden aka Ponderosa but before we entered the water we quickly reviewed line protocol and line laying when multiple teams are involved.
Once in the water we worked ourselves through bubble checks, gear matching, dive briefing and setting limits for the dive. After that we dropped down and started our dive with s-drills. I lead the first dive to demonstrate the use of the reel with the light and how to secure tie offs and route the line.
On the second dive already Oscar was the team leader and so the three headed of into the inky darkness. As expected mistakes where made and so we used the time left after the second dive to stay in the water and continue to train our “basic skills” such as buoyancy, trim and propulsion.
The next day we came back to ponderosa to do longer cave dives including emergency drills on the exit portion of the dive. We did a total of three dives that day including a zero visibility exit, an out of air scenario and switching donor while exiting as well as an out of air drill that was followed by zero visibility. All of the above we had successfully trained in the open water before and now it was time to use the learned in a simulated emergency in the cave.
That evening we continued on with some theory and the decision that Hector would stop at the Introductory Cave Level to built up experience and confidence before moving up to the cave diver level. He spent the next days finishing his Intro course with Nando and later going on some awesome guided dives.
I continued the next day with Oscar and Juan David in Taj Maha. We started in the parking lot to discuss lost line and lost diver procedures and protocols before we jumped in the water for two cave dives including many different drills such as light failure, out of air drill, zero visibility, lost diver, lost line amongst others. Because the two where exceptionally skilled we even started with navigation on the second dive involving one jump.
The next day we returned to Taj Maha but this time instead of diving downstream like the day before we dove upstream to incorporate restrictions and some more navigation in our training. Of course we continued with the usual out of air, zero visibility drills in every single dive. Coming back to Pro Tec we used the time in the evening to finish up on some more theory and talk about circuits and traverses before calling it a day.
Next morning we drove to Minotauro. It is not a usual site for me to visit during a course since the cave is smaller, fragile and definitely not suited for 99% of people that are still in or have recently finished their cave training. However the two guys where working hard the days before and with their previous technical diving experience had the necessary skills to dive there. We used the first dive to prepare the circuit and attempted to execute it on the second dive. That combined with some exercises made for a great day in the jungle and two awesome cave dives. By the smile on their faces it was easy to tell that the two had fallen in love with cave diving.
On the last day of the course we decided to drive all the way to Tulum to see the difference between the caves that are further north and the caves in the south of the Riviera Maya. We decided to do two dives towards the Cuza Nah Loop. On one dive I would be with them and the other one they would do by themselves to verify that everything that they had learned in the past days was working as well without an instructor watching their every move.
It was a great day and the perfect finish for a cool course. On the way back we stopped in Tulum to get some ice cream which is simply a tradition that can’t be broken!
The last day before they left, we all, including Hector with Nando did a last dive in Nohoch Nah Chich. Oscar, Juan David and I made our way downstream while Hector and Nando decided to the dive the upstream section. It was a fantastic day with insane weather and due to the swine flu situation almost no people which created a wonderful silence around the Cenote.
All in all a great 9 days with a genuine nice group of people, lovely weather and the breathtaking beauty of the caverns and caves here in the Riviera Maya.