Cave Diving without swimming experience

[CrazyThomas 0]

so, I was thinking that good explorers and outdoorsman should be able to be trained to cave dive, without prior swimming experience.
After all, swimming is so different than cave diving. Swimming trains one to breath above water, and hold your breath below water. SCUBA is totally different.
And, the caving aspect is so different than splashing around at the beach, that swimming holds not much relevance to SCUBA.

SURE, both are done in the water. But the height difference and perspective is SO different that they really are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

All the BAD habits of swimming that have to be "un-trained" are so much easier dealt with with NO PRIOR SWIMMING EXPERIENCE.

I feel sorry for the conformists that have to agree with everything the "knowledgeable" people tell them just to fit in.
blah blah blah blah blah



Thomas


"THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA COURSE!!"

[wmw999 2,452]

Bwahahahaha!

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[jerry81 10]

Oh Damn! First I find out I've more or less destroyed my chances of becoming a good BASE jumper by doing so many skydives, now you tell me I''m probably not fit for SCUBA as well.
Next I suppose I'll find out my inability to run has something to do with me learning to walk when I was little.

---

[julesey 0]

Speaking of SCUBA I just returned from St. Barts. Picture attached! I found a new addiction! Who else here is into scuba diving?

"I know it's tuna. But it says chicken. By the sea."

[hookitt 1]

Yeah Jerry, you and me both.

Now I wonder what to do with the BASE experience? Will that make me a terrible skydiver?

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[bmcd308 0]

>>Now I wonder what to do with the BASE experience? Will that make me a terrible skydiver? <<

"Well, we tried to do some 4-way with that guy over there, but he screws up the count by saying '3-2-1 See ya!' instead of 'ready, set, go,' then he pulls after four seconds."

----------------------------------
www.jumpelvis.com

[flighty 0]

We head to Aruba on the 28th. YAY. I'm so excited. Havn't gone SCUBA diving (or skydiving for that matter) in so long due to being pregnant over and over again.

~Cindy~
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Spelling and grammar errors are left as an exercise for the reader.

[CrazyThomas 0]

Another thing that is a major hinderance to SCUBA diving, is being trained to use your arms to help swim. Swimmers (most of the time) use their arms in a way that aids them with motion. SCUBA diving uses arms in a much different manner, and in the caves, it is often not roomy enough for flailing arm movements.
Think about it though. Swimming doesn't teach anything about many of the major issues that arise CAVE diving. navigating caves, rise and descent rates to avoid the bends, and how to monitor oxygen levels. And BUOYANCY. Buoyancy is such an issue on most cave dives, and it rarely ever is even thought about swimming.
And the equipment. I could go on and on about how different the equipment is.
Sure, I will concede that you wear a swimsuit for both, but often in caving, a much more advanced suit is used such as a wetsuit. The caving gear is so specialized, that you won't learn much, if anything, about it when swimming.
And the danger factor. Woohoo, let me tell you. Swimming is so safe that everyday whuffos can go do it just for an afternoon. CAVE diving is far, far more dangerous. If anything, swimming gives people the feeling of comfort and complacency, and this greatly endangers them when they try to dangerous sport of CAVE diving.

Let me dig around and try to find some statistics. That should make an interesting point.

Thomas


"THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA SCHOOL"

[txojumps 0]

Whatsa matta, can't swim

***************************************
Awright, guys, you don't have one, so don't act like one

[CrazyThomas 0]

I just did some info finding, and I found something quite interesting. I looked at the fatalities list for CAVE divers, and mostly all of them had prior swimming experience. In fact, most of them swam a lot before they got into CAVE diving.
So, I'm not suggesting that it is causative, but I do think that swimming experience makes more dangerous CAVE divers. I'm not sure if it is just the bad habits picked up by swimming, or if it is just coincidence.
It certainly indicates some kind of relation between swimming experience and CAVE diving fatalities.


Thomas

"THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA COURSE"

[CrazyThomas 0]

BUMP...


And another thing I found out. This post bumps up to the top. BUMP.


Thomas


" THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA COURSE"

[riddler 0]

I've been diving for a few years now, and I've never really been able to swim. In a month, I'm starting a program to become a dive controller (kind of like a skydiving "coach"), which requires some swimming skills. So I'm going to the gym every day for the last month or two, working with a coach, to try to learn to do laps and swim with my head down, etc.

The good and the bad on Chlorine/Bromine. It's bad when it goes up your nose. That's also good, because I'm pretty sure most of the water in the gym's pool has been up my nose at some point.

I love telling people that I scuba and can't swim, and that I skydive and I'm afraid of heights.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[CrazyThomas 0]

Quote

so, I was thinking that good explorers and outdoorsman should be able to be trained to cave dive, without prior swimming experience.
After all, swimming is so different than cave diving. Swimming trains one to breath above water, and hold your breath below water. SCUBA is totally different.
And, the caving aspect is so different than splashing around at the beach, that swimming holds not much relevance to SCUBA.

SURE, both are done in the water. But the height difference and perspective is SO different that they really are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

All the BAD habits of swimming that have to be "un-trained" are so much easier dealt with with NO PRIOR SWIMMING EXPERIENCE.

I feel sorry for the conformists that have to agree with everything the "knowledgeable" people tell them just to fit in.
blah blah blah blah blah



Thomas


"THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA COURSE!!"

See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
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See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.
Repeat:
See: Dead horse.
Kick: Dead horse.




Thomas


"THOMAS' DROWNPROOF SCUBA COURSE"

[Aviatrr 0]

So.....is this thread about you taking a Cave course and flailing wildly inside the caves? If so, don't worry....it's a normal thing. I've been cave diving for years now, and have about close to 500 cave dives....200 or so of those deeper than 200FFW. It's a great sport, but not a sport for everybody...nor is it the easiest to become(and stay) good at(kinda like skydiving). No arm movements during swimming.....mostly frog kicks(even in really tight stuff a very small modified frog is the way to go, IMO)..always run a line....and always...ALWAYS...observe the rule of thirds(or an even more conservative rule).

Mike

[Ian84 0]

Im starting a Divemaster course in may.....cant wait. Im a rescue diver at the moment and had no intention of going further but i was offered the course for free so whats there to lose. Plus I get a 30% discount on gear cause i work in a diveshop.

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[JoeyRamone 0]

Try to skydive without a parachute.