Training for Tech 1

[Davey Willo]

I meant to put this into my first post but was rattling it off at work while keeping one eye out for an enraged boss coming my way..

What I meant to add and what I feel is probably more important to the likes of AndyK, AndyG et al than buoyancy and trim techniques is to see your situational awareness, really meaning 'team awareness'

AndyK would dump on you from a great height if he saw it happening, and he would do it from the start i.e. Should one of you simply descend before the rest of the team meaning that you're no longer in contact with them then Andy would strike.. Should you swim off with a reel in hand fixated on your tie off point then Andy would strike.. Should you do something silly like fixate on deploying a bag or any other task for that matter and Andy would strike..

Are you seeing a pattern here?

AndyK and AndyG have great teaching techniques, excellent underwater skills but more importantly they have an uncanny ability to safely create underwater chaos with what at first, appears to be insurmountable problems, lots of them which often hit the team simultaneously but by the end of the week the students start to realise that what was freaky at the beginning of the week is now actually managable

Eventually, after being repeatedly dropped into a world of hurt the team starts to gain the ability (through necessity) to perform tasks, prioritise problems and still be aware of the other team members, their equipment and the environment...

So... remember Young Rick.... Be Aware, Or thy shall be smighted by the blue gloved hand of... Kersssslaaaaaake........

[Rick Huggins]

Ok, how's about Cave 1 then ?

[And]

Eat lots of carrots so you can see in the dark

[Bob Cooper]

Originally Posted by Dave Williamson

AndyK would dump on you from a great height if he saw it happening, and he would do it from the start i.e. Should one of you simply descend before the rest of the team meaning that you're no longer in contact with them then Andy would strike.. Should you swim off with a reel in hand fixated on your tie off point then Andy would strike

This is sooooo true and something that so many people do not "get". I remember my first cave class....there were five of us (and two instructors) and we planned to drive to a site about an hour away. Six cars set off in convoy and the seventh member of the "team" (the only one who knew where the site was) set off ahead of us and was waiting there when we all arrived.

He received a major bollocking when the rest of us arrived, for setting of on his own and not travelling in convoy as a team.

Teamwork doesn't only apply in the water........

Bob