| Re: Experienced Advice needed
IMHO you are on the right track keeping CCR and cave diving separate for a while. Both have their own task loading that will take your attention. Monitoring the CCR and checking that everything is as it should be will eventually become second nature but it takes dive time for that to happen. The same goes for caves. Line awareness and knowing where you are in a system takes dive time. As you get more dives it becomes easier. Putting the two together right off could lead to making an easy mistake with one or the other.
Another advantage taking the cave class OC is that you will get to honestly evaluate your dive skills. If you took the class CCR right off you might have difficulty distinguishing between CCR skills or just diving skills that need to be worked on. Most people find they need to tweak their trim, buoyancy and fin control when they get into cave diving. You seem to have a lot of diving experience and I would bet very solid dive skills. Cave diving still tends to be a little different.
Good luck with both, I am sure you will have a hoot.
Bobby |