Cave Diving / Gas Blending Course

The last weekend of April found Daryl, Ray, Adrien and Cindy headed to Marianna, FL for a weekend of fun with friends with a bit of education and training thrown in for good measure.

The primary purpose of the trip was to get certified in Gas Blending but heh, when in Florida, go diving!!!!

Our instructor, Paul Heinerth and a dive buddy, Tony Flaris, joined in the fun.

We Louisiana folks with many years' experience diving Morrison and Vortex Springs, were guilty of a slight mis-understanding. We were told that Jackson Blue would be the clearest but you had to swim against a strong current to get in. Be that as it may, we NOW understand that "to get in" means a stiff current the ENTIRE time you are headed into the cave. Ha! Enough was enough and we cried uncle.

The next site or cave selected was "Hole in the Wall" where the visibility was good and the experience marvelous. We saw numerous sand dollar and sea biscuit fossils and albino crawfish and salamanders. (BTW, did you know that the blind albino crawfish turn lime green when boiled?)

Our primary goal of education and relaxation was achieved and we had a blast. We met and had a nice chat with a father and daughter from Portland, OR who were as yet, uncertified in scuba. Ah but the SCUBA bug has bitten them now, partially thanks to us.

Stay tuned for more adventures in the goings-on around Harry's Dive Shop.

GUEST COMMENTATOR

This week we have a guest commentator. Here is what he has to say:

“Over the past four decades, I’ve witnessed a lot of diver training, both as an Instructor and Instructor Trainer for several organizations, and as a headquarters employee for NAUI, PADI, SDI and TDI. Thus, when I see scuba certification classes, I tend to scrutinize what is going on a bit more than most.

“Recently I was at Vortex Springs on a weekend when more than 300 divers were completing their open water training dives. I had the opportunity to observe Cindy Caldwell and Daryl Deroche as they certified six new divers for Harry’s Dive Shop. Suffice it to say, Cindy and Daryl did a number of things differently than the other instructors I observed — things that set them apart from the crowd. Here are just a few examples:

“When teaching and diving at a crowded site, consideration of others is important. Unfortunately, most instructors allow their students to tie up the few available entry stairs while the students struggle into their fins. Cindy and Daryl would not accept their students doing that. They had everyone inflate their BCs, enter the water and float clear of the entry area before donning fins. The result? No one else was delayed because of Harry’s Dive Shop’s students.

“Visibility at Vortex Spring is generally excellent — but it can be severely diminished when students are allowed to stand or wallow on the bottom. Cindy and Daryl discouraged their students doing that, entering, exiting or performing skills.

“It was also easy to identify Harry’s Dive Shop’s students because of their distinctive yellow hoods. On a busy training weekend, when all divers tend to look alike under water, it is easy for students from different dive centers to find themselves accidentally following the wrong instructor. The yellow hoods make Harry’s students stand out and help prevent them from getting separated or confused.

“A long-standing test we use to determine whether to certify a new instructor — or recommend any dive store or instructor to students — is to ask, would I trust this person or dive center to teach my loved ones? Based on what I’ve seen of Harry’s Dive Shop, that answer is an unqualified Yes.”

No relation to Harry Caldwell, founder of Harry’s Dive Shop, Harry Averill has nevertheless been a key contributor to the diver training materials used by over 90 percent of the world’s divers, regardless of agency. He also teaches people how to dive in caves.

Newly Posted

Go to "Visit Our Photo Gallery" on our website and see the pictures from our trip to Fiji in October 2008. Join us on our next adventure to tropical paradise. We'd love to blow bubbles with you and learn of your past travels and future travel wishes. Drop us an e-mail, come by the shop for a visit or simply call 504.888.4882.