Diving  is a  potentially  hazardous  activity.  The materials  contained within  this  magazine  are for informational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for proper and appropriate training.

Cave Training with Global Underwater Explorers GUE Cave 2 with Jarrod Jablonski (Part 2) (In Part 1 - Paul Berry described his experiences with the GUE Cave 1 programme. ) Our GUE Cave 1 skills had been duly applied "real world" as promised, earning valuable experience that saw us arrive at High Springs in perfect form, ready to commence our Cave 2 training schedule with Jarrod Jablonski. The High Springs Caves were almost diveable again, with a possible change in condition forecast, as the Devil's System was scheduled to reopen within 48 hours. Hurricane "Gene" (number three) made short work of this possibility, inspiring yet another unforeseen, devastating and perfectly timed "defining moment" that necessitated Mike, Jarrod and I revising our schedule and embarking upon another exciting journey back upstate to Jackson Blue. Due to the residual rainfall slowly working its way down from the state of Georgia the local High Springs regional caves remained closed for several weeks after we left for home in New Zealand.  The first scheduled day of Cave 2 was completely blown out and saw Mike and I battened down safe within the confines of our secluded forest home, facing the raging storm "head on" as it powered overhead.

Paul

Our originally planned schedule was timed to depart Florida within 24 hours of the Cave 2 completion…so we were already cutting it fine and having now lost the entire first day of Cave 2, this posed a massive logistical difficulty. Without hesitation we "stepped up to the plate" rebooking multiple return flights and extending our SUV and accomm- odation rentals for another full week to allow adequate time for the completion of our Cave 2 syllabus. We arranged to meet Jarrod the next morning at the Halcyon factory and tentatively agreed to dive Manatee, while we assessed the carnage caused by the storm. A hazy red dawn streaked across the sky, marking the real beginning of Cave 2.  Jarrod rang and rearranged to meet us

at Extreme Exposure instead of the Halcyon factory, as the power was still out in High Springs region. The three of us hooked up and assessed our options deciding to blow off Manatee in favour of heading straight up to Jackson Blue (JB). During GUE Cave 1, David Rhea had worked extensively with "form mechanics" and emergency management protocol, preparing us for the rigours of Cave diving "101"…real world.

From my unpredictable experiences so far in Florida I had grown to expect the unexpected and if GUE philosophy is all about creating "thinking divers"…then I sure got my moneys worth. Right from the onset, Jarrod's approach to Cave 2 worked extensively on expanding metal fluidity.  This took the initial form of refined awareness development.  Our basic skills were complete and now solidly honed to the point where we were able to shift our focus from what we were doing to accommodate higher levels of awareness while "running on autopilot".

Mike

We consciously re-focussed our mental awareness on the way in, working specifically on formal environmental identification.  I learnt to spot invisible jumps by the subtle telltale environmental wear left by previous explorers, while identifying hazards associated with each endemic section of cave. We discussed theories and trained to recalculate gas management while "running hot" for siphoning jumps, scootering, scootering/siphons and the many intricacies associated with true GUE style Cave Exploration. Jarrod overshadowed our diving, as Mike and I dove entirely under our own reconnaissance.  All the time our choices and techniques were being assessed and debriefed, with Jarrod imparting his extensive experience-based knowledge.  The aim, as JJ described it, was to define "elegance" in all aspects of our diving, which he delivered flawlessly.

Jarrod guided us in streamlining our mental strategies and duly educated us in the execution of many advanced aspects of Cave diving, such as stage dive planning, in water dive plan adjustment, spontaneous jumps and reconfiguring gas management on the fly. Our already solid in water DIR finning techniques were continually re-refined, permitting crystal clear passage through the tightest and siltiest of low flow environments. (An abridged version of Paul's Cave 2 diary follows.  The full text can be seen on the website at: http://www.innerrealm.co.nz/)

Day 1 Dive 1 - Shakedown, 'Jackson Blue' Dive 1 Plan - Rule of Thirds. We planned a mainline penetration to 1000ft, then mark a T-junction with a cookie and proceed past using the left lead.  We completely missed the T-junction at the 1000ft mark, even though we knew that it was coming up.  One moments inattentiveness, head down into the flow, and we sailed right by it. About 30-feet past the intersection, I noticed unfamiliar clay deposits and signalled/questioned Mike if we had missed the T intersection?  We agreed to turn around and regain orientation. Once the 1000ft T- was regained, I had a primary light failure.   This entailed a backup light exit and the termination of the dive. During the exit, Mike had an OOA emergency.  Upon seeing the rapid flash of his light beam, I donated the long hose while turning to face him.  The handoff and deployment went smoothly. I called a hold and signalled to him to 'tidy up' as we were very close to a restriction with a dramatically increased flow that might have affected our dynamic stability if we weren't squared away.  The exit was good and after 5-7 min, Jarrod signalled "timeout". On debrief JJ mentioned he had wanted to see if my buoyancy was as good when re-stowing the long hose, for often divers get sloppy and drop a fin in the silt when re-stowing - it was rock solid.

Dive 2 - Jackson Blue We planned a nice jump; I laid the arrow and set up the jump, nice twisty area with loads of silt. The silt ended at an upward sloping roof with a small space between it and the gravel/sandy bed.  I was about to go through but noticed the #18 triple braided 30-year old exploration line split into two parallel entanglement hazards just inside the restriction.  Being near the turn-around point, I called it on gas as we would have just gotten through, only to come right back out again.

Blue Grotto

Day 2 Dive 1 - Jackson Blue Our first dive was planned with a 60 minute bottom time at a depth of 30-metres with a decompression schedule of: 1 minute @ 12-metres 4 minutes @ 9- metres 10 minutes @ 6-metres on Oxygen We again carried 5-litre deco bottles which were deposited at 6-metres We worked on refining our line laying to the goldline, emphasising the good manners of Cave etiquette/protocol by laying the jumps to hug the floors and walls so as to not pose an entanglement risk to other divers (particularly when scootering). An OOA scenario was soon encountered in the low silty passage that entailed a single file exit requiring finesse in body position/trim/finning techniques. Dive 2 - Jackson Blue This dive saw the 1000ft major T-intersection cookied and the right passage taken.  I had a primary light failure very shortly after exit, smooth backup light deployment.  Mikes primary was next to go at around 800 feet in. Next my backup light failed causing me to switch to my reserve Scout light. I requested Mike and I switch places thinking that he has another Scout backup.  Very shortly my last backup light fails and we were smoking along with the flow when Mike has an OOA, the deployment was fine we were exiting along the goldline.  Then Jarrod signalled the final scout light failure with the 500 foot mark just approaching, a major rise that needs negotiating. (It is VERY dark deep in a cave with no lights!) We held it together and made it through all the obstacles including a 27M, 50 degree rise in a restricted area that flows very fast.  Gingerly we made our way out sharing gas and verifying the line/tie offs while doing our best to orient by tactile formations.

Day 3 Dive 1 - Jackson Blue Planned BT 90-minutes @ 30-metres with 32% Nitrox We dropped the stage bottles at 130-feet which was around the 900ft mark just before T intersection #1.  Our deco schedule was: 1@24 1@21 1@18 1@15 2@12 2@9 25@6 Oxygen

Turkey Vultures

We took the left lead to the "Twister Room" and set up a possible circuit by laying another cookie on the exit side of the second T, perpendicular to the other incoming lead. We then carried on upstream with the intention of exploring the Kings Circuit "bypass". The tunnels gradually narrowed into a small diameter tunnel snaking through big intersecting rooms of angular directions.  They were resplendent in textures, with the cave continually changing environment, from desert dunes to the most amazing weathered formations. We planned to smoke the "Kings bypass" but unwittingly missed the jump, which we saw, and instead mainlined it close to the next T, calling the dive just before turn pressure in a big room angling downward that exited via a narrow tunnel in the floor at about 2000ft

Shortly after my primary light failed.  Then Mike's failed.  My backup was next, then Mike was OOA, 1900-feet back into some serious cave!  (This is why it is crucial to have the optimal training and fully understand gas parameters when diving stage/backgas combos.) Mike was OOA when my last Scout light died.  Mike hands his only remaining scout back to me and we run for the door, single file in the restricted passage.

The stage dump at 900ft is reached in good time and we square away, face the flow and deploy. Now we are both on stage and exiting with Mike's stage getting emptier by the minute.  Rather than rely on gauge accuracy, I hand off the longhose as smooth as silk to avoid running out during the vertical rise.  We tidy up and are off again. Sure enough the last Scout dies in the bedding plane and we negotiate another exit up the steep fissure crack in good flow and in the pitch black dark. Finally we came into some ambient light filtering in from the entrance where we carried out the deco switches with the backgas breaks performed sharing on my longhose.

Tornado touchdown

I lead laying the primary and laid a sweet drop into and down the chimney where I had to search for the downstream goldline.   The Hole in the Wall has an exceptionally beautiful ceiling, particularly in the big passages with goethite chandeliers in all the large ballrooms. The jump we took was very small and soon closed down to around 1M height and has a bottom of jellified silt. This was a day to refine our anti silting technique.  Our fins and tanks were flirting with the ceiling and we had 6 inches between us and the silt most of the time.  The situation was compounded by 18-braid twisted exploration line that was at least 20 years old although reasonably laid. I called the dive on silt vs. progress as I came to a point where I still couldn't quite wiggle into a room even with my chest 4cm deep into the silt, it was tight and single file as it had been for most of the penetration. I started to reverse frog, which necessitated Mike and Jarrod also backing up. I backed up enough to reach back and signal turn. I sensed more than saw Jarrod slick past Mike as he turned and then slide under me, "slicker 'n snot on glass" - to be last man out. As we progressed the vis soon began to clear and were on our way out again. I pulled the jump and we thumbed the dive with Mike in the lead. Going through a large ballroom Jarrod moved up quietly next to me and signalled me to shut off my light.  He took me by the elbow and we disappeared into a high dome. Quickly realising that I had disappeared, Mike came looking.  Reverting to David's training, he scanned 360 degrees horizontally and vertically, illuminating me lost in the ceiling and we again proceeded to exit. Then Mike had a primary light failure and also switched to backup, soon after he was also OOA and we once again proceeded to "get out of Dodge"! At one point the tunnel dipped and the line crossed the conduit.  The top was tight and Mike - leading - chose to risk going under.  I saw it all coming, and was with a deft hand soon entangled in the mainline by my manifold, I gave it a flick which would otherwise have freed me up, but Jarrod held it in.  I flashed Mike, signalling line entanglement and he unhooked me on the fly.  We didn't miss a beat.

Dive 2 - Double Cave We planned to head downtown in the first jump, this was even smaller and siltier than Hole in the wall! Distance travelled into the jump was roughly 2000 feet in and out and I called the dive on 3rds when we finally hit a space big enough to turn around in. We exited efficiently, making good speed as we had already had a very long dive, when I noticed Mikes light was unresponsive to signalling.  I flipped a quick 180 and approaching him saw that I had an unconscious diver. I fully assessed the situation in a heartbeat and had already stowed tucked my primary before I even reached him, as I felt things would run smoother with the light out of the way. I made contact retained his reg and opening the airway as the diver was breathing, he was neutral so I vented my wing and, using Mike's wing to control our buoyancy, proceeded to exit. During this procedure, I simultaneously controlled my unresponsive diver and maintained us skimming at speed 4 inches above the silt.  With the Scout in my left hand, I successfully illuminated the goldline line which ran low on the left wall while gripping my buddy's left shoulder by a crease in his cavecut DUI suit. Some slick lung volume buoyancy was used on the exit, rising into skinny domes to avoid passing under the mainline where it traverses passage walls. I found my rhythm and swam him out a full 700 feet to the exit point.

By Paul Berry