The Inky Darkness

clanger · 22nd February 2007, 18:27

Congratulations and a very interesting read

***Louby Lou*** · 22nd February 2007, 18:37

Hi Guys & Gals

wedivebc has kindly posted a CCR Cave Training report with Protec in the Rebreatherworld Library and it can be found HERE

Please can you use this thread to post any comments, questions or feedback. If you would like to left reputation, please use the panel on the article page.

Many thanks to Dave for posting the article

Cheers

Lou
Rebreather World Admin

***ScubaDadMiami*** · 22nd February 2007, 19:00

Congrats on completing CCR Cave. Nice article. Sending some green your way.

Mixaddict · 23rd February 2007, 06:23

Excellent article. It sounds like the caves will be calling your name in the near future! Congratulations!

Regards,
Randy

Gilles · 23rd February 2007, 12:02

Thanks for the descriptive article. I hope to follow suit.

**UWSojourner** · 25th February 2007, 04:31

Thanks Dave for the report. And you paid Matt for that abuse?

decoweenie · 25th February 2007, 06:06

Excellent article!

Sounds like a well-challenged class and a great place to dive...

mpement · 26th February 2007, 17:00

Great article Dave! As one of your teammates I want to thank you, and our 3rd teammember Ron Micjan for your help and patience while I worked to get on top of these very demanding skills. It's true that we couldn't have had a more competent, experienced and demanding instructor so I want to thank Matt too for his thorough preparation and complete attention to detail in our training. I can't remember a time when any instructor remembered the entire teams performance in such unerring detail. For seven consecutive days, it seemed he saw, critiqued and remembered every minute of every dive and classroom session. It was uncanny.
I especially appreciated Matt's cave diving philosophy and the fact that he instilled in us a kind of reverence for this very introspective kind of diving. You don't go deep into that "inky darkness" without doing a little thinking about your psychological preparation and soon realize a very deep connection to the members of your team and ulimately the wonders of the cave system.
It was a fantastic experience.

**wedivebc** · 26th February 2007, 17:39

Quote: (Originally Posted by mpement)

Great article Dave! As one of your teammates I want to thank you, and our 3rd teammember Ron Micjan for your help and patience while I worked to get on top of these very demanding skills. It's true that we couldn't have had a more competent, experienced and demanding instructor so I want to thank Matt too for his thorough preparation and complete attention to detail in our training. I can't remember a time when any instructor remembered the entire teams performance in such unerring detail. For seven consecutive days, it seemed he saw, critiqued and remembered every minute of every dive and classroom session. It was uncanny.
I especially appreciated Matt's cave diving philosophy and the fact that he instilled in us a kind of reverence for this very introspective kind of diving. You don't go deep into that "inky darkness" without doing a little thinking about your psychological preparation and soon realize a very deep connection to the members of your team and ulimately the wonders of the cave system.
It was a fantastic experience.

I have to say I not only learned much about cave diving but I learned a bit about instructing techniques from Matt.
I hear you are coming north soon. Look forward to diving with you again.

RonMicjan · 28th February 2007, 05:22

Truly a humbling experience it was, I learned a lot about diving, how to not get entangled, and how to get un-entangled after Matt found some target of opportunity just waiting to get wrapped around the cave line. Matt especially liked to pick on my FFM, seems on every dive my poor mask was sacrificed to Chuuk, the god of rain and full face masks, and off it would come, relegating me to the kingdom of the blind.

On one exit, I was reeling up a gap line and mike had not noticed that his bailout reg had come loose from its bungie. We were swimming up a steep slope and mike was about halfway up and Matt ghosted between us and without even slowing down wrapped mikes stage reg 3 times around the line I was winding up, I had caught a PementFish and he was a bit tough to reel in.

I guess none of us will ever forget the hand sign for "turn off your second backup light" eh?

The experience that Dave described of his falling behind during the no-vis exit where he was supposed to be in the middle was, for me, the low point of the course. When Mike and I surfaced, thinking it was a perfect touch contact exit and looked around to find Dave was not where we expected him to be, my heart fell to the bottom of my gut and I was almost physically sick. those of you who may laugh at this, take heed, until you do this course, keep your critique to yourself! I realized that a lot can happen when you cant see what you are doing, to this day I have no idea how we managed to misplace Dave in the attempt to put him in the middle, but It sobered me like nothing else could. How could I have left my long time dive buddy back in a cave with a failed CCR? Yikes!

I cant think of two guys I would have rather had along on this course, thanks to Mike and Dave for coming along and being my buddies. I expect we will visit lots more Inky darkness in the years to come. Thanks to Matt, who was not only the best dive instructor I have ever taken a course from, but who became a good friend over the 3 weeks I spent 'south of the border'.

I recall that DR has some pretty nifty caves too...

22nd February 2007, 18:27	#1 (permalink)
clanger New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2006 Location: England, Kent Posts: 35	Re: The Inky Darkness Congratulations and a very interesting read
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22nd February 2007, 18:37	#2 (permalink)
*Louby Lou* XLVI WC! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Roman Corinium! Posts: 1,019	The Inky Darkness Hi Guys & Gals wedivebc has kindly posted a CCR Cave Training report with Protec in the Rebreatherworld Library and it can be found HERE Please can you use this thread to post any comments, questions or feedback. If you would like to left reputation, please use the panel on the article page. Many thanks to Dave for posting the article Cheers Lou Rebreather World Admin __________________ Miss Lou x Use of Rebreather World is subject to the Rebreatherworld Terms and Conditions - Please read! Outlaw Divers - Sssh we're diving! You heff vays uff dealink vis zem, oh Miss Rebreather World Admin! - Rob Davie Feb 06
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22nd February 2007, 19:00	#3 (permalink)
*ScubaDadMiami* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 2,132	Re: The Inky Darkness Congrats on completing CCR Cave. Nice article. Sending some green your way. __________________ Howard Packer IANTD CCR Instructor Miami Beach, Florida CCRDiveTraining.com
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23rd February 2007, 06:23	#4 (permalink)
Mixaddict Always Learning! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Other CCR Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Draper, Utah USA Posts: 476	Re: The Inky Darkness Excellent article. It sounds like the caves will be calling your name in the near future! Congratulations! Regards, Randy __________________ Randy Thornton (MixAddict) Inspiration, Evolution,Hammerhead & Sentinel CCR Instructor
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23rd February 2007, 12:02	#5 (permalink)
Gilles Worship the feminine Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Den Haag (Netherlands) Posts: 762	Re: The Inky Darkness Thanks for the descriptive article. I hope to follow suit. __________________ Gilles http://www.dirrebreather.com
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25th February 2007, 04:31	#6 (permalink)
UWSojourner Pacific Northwest Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Portland Oregon Posts: 556	Re: The Inky Darkness Thanks Dave for the report. And you paid Matt for that abuse?
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25th February 2007, 06:06	#7 (permalink)
decoweenie Crash Test Dummy Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cairo Posts: 5,487	Re: The Inky Darkness Excellent article! Sounds like a well-challenged class and a great place to dive... __________________ "...after a while you get bored offering advice to a bull that like to keep butting the fence with its head rather than walking through the open gate..." - Rebreather World PM
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26th February 2007, 17:00	#8 (permalink)
mpement Let's go diving! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Tigard, Oregon Posts: 13	Re: The Inky Darkness Great article Dave! As one of your teammates I want to thank you, and our 3rd teammember Ron Micjan for your help and patience while I worked to get on top of these very demanding skills. It's true that we couldn't have had a more competent, experienced and demanding instructor so I want to thank Matt too for his thorough preparation and complete attention to detail in our training. I can't remember a time when any instructor remembered the entire teams performance in such unerring detail. For seven consecutive days, it seemed he saw, critiqued and remembered every minute of every dive and classroom session. It was uncanny. I especially appreciated Matt's cave diving philosophy and the fact that he instilled in us a kind of reverence for this very introspective kind of diving. You don't go deep into that "inky darkness" without doing a little thinking about your psychological preparation and soon realize a very deep connection to the members of your team and ulimately the wonders of the cave system. It was a fantastic experience.
(Online)

26th February 2007, 17:39	#9 (permalink)
wedivebc Dave Tomblin Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Vancouver Island BC Canada Posts: 1,444	Re: The Inky Darkness Quote: (Originally Posted by mpement) Great article Dave! As one of your teammates I want to thank you, and our 3rd teammember Ron Micjan for your help and patience while I worked to get on top of these very demanding skills. It's true that we couldn't have had a more competent, experienced and demanding instructor so I want to thank Matt too for his thorough preparation and complete attention to detail in our training. I can't remember a time when any instructor remembered the entire teams performance in such unerring detail. For seven consecutive days, it seemed he saw, critiqued and remembered every minute of every dive and classroom session. It was uncanny. I especially appreciated Matt's cave diving philosophy and the fact that he instilled in us a kind of reverence for this very introspective kind of diving. You don't go deep into that "inky darkness" without doing a little thinking about your psychological preparation and soon realize a very deep connection to the members of your team and ulimately the wonders of the cave system. It was a fantastic experience. I have to say I not only learned much about cave diving but I learned a bit about instructing techniques from Matt. I hear you are coming north soon. Look forward to diving with you again. __________________ Cheers, Dave.... Man is the only animal burdened with the knowledge he will eventually die
(Online)

28th February 2007, 05:22	#10 (permalink)
RonMicjan Cap Ron scourge of the NW Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cape Disapointment, The Graveyard of the Pacific Posts: 1,100	Re: The Inky Darkness Truly a humbling experience it was, I learned a lot about diving, how to not get entangled, and how to get un-entangled after Matt found some target of opportunity just waiting to get wrapped around the cave line. Matt especially liked to pick on my FFM, seems on every dive my poor mask was sacrificed to Chuuk, the god of rain and full face masks, and off it would come, relegating me to the kingdom of the blind. On one exit, I was reeling up a gap line and mike had not noticed that his bailout reg had come loose from its bungie. We were swimming up a steep slope and mike was about halfway up and Matt ghosted between us and without even slowing down wrapped mikes stage reg 3 times around the line I was winding up, I had caught a PementFish and he was a bit tough to reel in. I guess none of us will ever forget the hand sign for "turn off your second backup light" eh? The experience that Dave described of his falling behind during the no-vis exit where he was supposed to be in the middle was, for me, the low point of the course. When Mike and I surfaced, thinking it was a perfect touch contact exit and looked around to find Dave was not where we expected him to be, my heart fell to the bottom of my gut and I was almost physically sick. those of you who may laugh at this, take heed, until you do this course, keep your critique to yourself! I realized that a lot can happen when you cant see what you are doing, to this day I have no idea how we managed to misplace Dave in the attempt to put him in the middle, but It sobered me like nothing else could. How could I have left my long time dive buddy back in a cave with a failed CCR? Yikes! I cant think of two guys I would have rather had along on this course, thanks to Mike and Dave for coming along and being my buddies. I expect we will visit lots more Inky darkness in the years to come. Thanks to Matt, who was not only the best dive instructor I have ever taken a course from, but who became a good friend over the 3 weeks I spent 'south of the border'. I recall that DR has some pretty nifty caves too... __________________ Marine rescue, towing and salvage. Interfering with natural selection since 1983. www.tmishop.com Diving bits etc. www.seatowpdx.com The Summer Job
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