Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

Move over, I want up on the soapbox.

I recall that in my basic cave class I was told to think hard and long 
about doing "trust me" dives. It never dawned on me (in class) exactly 
what I should have inferred from that statement. I think it's 
rather obvious that if your buddy tries to talk you into a traverse based 
on second hand information you'd think about it twice. It never occurred 
to me that (imho) most trust me dives are conducted with the diver never 
even realizing they are on a trust me dive (i.e. blindly following their 
buddy).

I won't bore all of you with my trivial experience but I will tell you 
that whenever I'm in a cave that if my buddy, who was first man in, were 
beamed up to the enterprise I could find my way out. Always follow the 
line NOT your buddy. If you come to a tee in the line MARK it. If you 
make a jump use a gap reel (I usually visual the first one). 

If you are diving in a system that has multiple exits It's YOUR JOB to 
ask how the lines are set up IN ADVANCE. If they are set back, carry an 
extra main reel (duh).

THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE - it's common sense. Why do these accidents 
occur? Because we don't THINK about what we are doing. We become 
complacent about our safety. There are no guarantees implied or expressed 
about any line in any cave. 

Sheck said it best. "I Assume on every cave dive that the cave is actively 
out to kill me."


r.b.

I know I'm going to die sooner or later, I just don't want it to be from 
my stupidity!

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]