CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

CCR Cave Diving

Almost Simplified
As There Is Nothing
Simple About
Cave Diving

A Complete Guide to Diving a

Closed Circuit Rebreather in
the Overhead Environment

tScuba.com By Dr. Mel Clark

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SilentScuba 2010 Rev. 1.0

CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Table of Contents
Chapter #1 Introduction
1

Introduction......................................... 2
CCR rules............................................ 5
Cave rules............................................ 5
CCR cave rules.................................... 5
Acknowledgements............................. 5

Chapter #2 The Cave Diving Environment 7
Cave Types.......................................... 8
Dissolution.......................................... 8
Coral.................................................... 9
Sea....................................................... 9
Lava..................................................... 9
Glacial................................................. 9
Cave Descriptive Terminology............ 9
Speleotherm......................................... 9
Vadose cave......................................... 10
Phreatic cave....................................... 10
Spring.................................................. 10
Siphon................................................. 10
No flow................................................ 10
Sinks.................................................... 11
Sump................................................... 12
Characteristics of Caves...................... 12
Bottom conditions............................... 12
Sand..................................................... 12
Mud..................................................... 13
Clay..................................................... 13
Water Make Up................................... 14
Tannic water........................................ 14
Hydrogen sulfide................................. 14
Haloclines............................................ 14
Water Contamination........................... 15

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CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Chapter #3 CCR Cave Diving Equipment
CCR...................................................
Off-board gas....................................
Harness & BCD................................
Weights.............................................
Bailout and stage cylinders...............
Bailout regulators..............................
Lights................................................
Reels/spools......................................
Markers..............................................
Directional.........................................
Non-directional..................................
Tools..................................................
Mask and fins....................................

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Chapter #4 Cave Diving Hazards Exposed

Springs..............................................
Siphons.............................................
Tidal flow..........................................
No flow.............................................
Restrictions.......................................
Minor.................................................
Moderate...........................................
Major.................................................
Poor visibility....................................
Line traps..........................................
Cave visibility...................................
Haloclines.........................................
Tannic water hydrogen sulfide..........
Entanglement....................................
Entrapment........................................
Depth.................................................
Distance............................................
Guideline breakage...........................
Equipment failure.............................
Other divers.......................................
Psychological cave hazards.............
Over confidence................................
Reasons for cave diving fatalities.....
Trained cave diver deaths..................
Non-trained cave diver deaths...........

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CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Chapter #5 Cave Diving Skills
45
Pre-Dive................................................................. 47
Build and confirmation.......................................... 47
Site evaluation and CCR equipment confirmation. 47
Turn points evaluation and dive plan..................... 48
In water check and equipment matching................ 48
Communication...................................................... 49
Command signals................................................... 50
Hand signals............................................................ 50
Number signals....................................................... 53
Light signals............................................................ 55
Written communication.......................................... 56
Touch communication............................................ 56
Cave navigation...................................................... 58
Mainline................................................................. 58
Off-shoot line......................................................... 59
Jump....................................................................... 59
Gap......................................................................... 60
T-intersection.......................................................... 60
Primary reel............................................................ 61
Safety reel.............................................................. 61
Jump/gap reel......................................................... 62
Line trap................................................................. 62
Tie-off..................................................................... 62
Placement............................................................... 63
Cookies or clothes pins.......................................... 64
Two line arrows pointing in the same direction..... 64
Two line arrows pointing in opposite directions.... 65
Line skills............................................................... 66
Team positioning.................................................... 67
Making jumps........................................................ 68
Working around lines............................................. 71
Traverse.................................................................. 71
Circuits................................................................... 72
Exiting and passing................................................ 73
Swimming.............................................................. 73
Modified frog kick................................................. 74
Modified flutter kick............................................... 74
Pull and glide......................................................... 75
Shuffle kick............................................................ 75
Cave diving awareness........................................... 76

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CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Chapter #6 Cave Diving Adverse Situation
78
Cave Specific Adverse Situation..................................... 79
Lost line........................................................................... 79
Broken line...................................................................... 81
Inadvertent jump............................................................. 82
Loss of navigational awareness....................................... 83
Blackout situations.......................................................... 84
Lost buddy....................................................................... 85
Lost light......................................................................... 87
Line entanglement........................................................... 88
Entrapment....................................................................... 89
CCR failure..................................................................... 89
Loss of buoyancy device................................................. 91
Sharing air....................................................................... 92
CCR Specific Adverse Situations A Brief Overview... 93
Feeling funny................................................................... 93
The first response............................................................. 94
BO ascent......................................................................... 95
The three Hs................................................................... 97
Hyperoxia........................................................................ 98
Hypoxia............................................................................ 98
Hypercapnia..................................................................... 100
Floods.............................................................................. 101
SCR mode....................................................................... 102
Off-board gas.................................................................. 103
Open loop........................................................................ 104
Boom............................................................................... 104
What if game................................................................... 105
Oxygen cell issues........................................................... 105
PO2 issues........................................................................ 106
Display issues.................................................................. 107
OC BO supply issues....................................................... 109
Buddy rescue/recovery.................................................... 109
Omitted decompression................................................... 112

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CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Chapter #7 Cave Dive Planning
114
Cave Specific Dive Planning........................... 115
Site deposition................................................. 115
Dive objectives................................................ 116
Four CCR turn around points.......................... 116
On-board oxygen............................................. 117
On-board diluent.............................................. 119
Scrubber........................................................... 119
Bailout gas....................................................... 120
Stage gas.......................................................... 126
Mixed teams.................................................... 128
Cave Non-specific Dive Planning................... 129
Oxygen toxicity............................................... 129
Inert gas loading calculations.......................... 131
Example CCR dive plan mainly one depth..... 134
Example CCR dive plan mainly two depths.... 135
Chapter #8 Cave Psychology and Survival
138
Stressors on a dive........................................... 139
Distance........................................................... 140
Confinement..................................................... 140
Physical stress.................................................. 140
Doubting navigation......................................... 140
Time pressure................................................... 140
Task loading..................................................... 141
High flow......................................................... 141
Peer pressure.................................................... 141
Ego pressure..................................................... 141
Dealing with stress........................................... 142
Recognizing stress in your buddy.................... 143
Choosing your buddy....................................... 144
Final thoughts.................................................. 144

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References.................................................................. 148

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About the author......................................................... 149

SilentScuba 2010 Rev. 1.0

CCR Cave Diving Almost Simplified

Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduction
CCR rules
Introduction
Cave rules
Course
overview
CCR cave
rules
Acknowledgements

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Photo by Curt Bowen

SilentScuba 2010 Rev. 1.0

Chapter 2 : The Cave Environment

Chapter 2: The Cave Environment

Cave Types

Dissolution

Coral

Sea

Lava

Glacial

Mines and other manmade
Cave Descriptive Terminology

Speleotherm

Vadose cave

Phreatic cave

Spring

Siphon

No flow

Sinks

Sump
Characteristics of Caves

Bottom conditions

Sand

Mud

Clay

Organic & biological material
Water Make Up

Tannic water

Hydrogen sulfide

Haloclines
Hydrogen sulfide
Haloclines
Water Contamination

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SilentScuba 2010 Rev. 1.0

Chapter 3 : CCR Cave Diving Equipment

Chapter 3: CCR Cave Diving Equipment

CCR
Off-board gas
Harness & BCD
Weights
Bailout and stage cylinders
Bailout regulators
Lights
Reels/spools
Markers

Directional

Non-directional
Tools
Mask and fins

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Chapter 4 : Cave Diving Hazards Exposed

Chapter 4: Cave Diving Hazards Exposed

Springs
Siphons
Tidal flow
No flow
Restrictions

Minor

Moderate

Major
Poor visibility
Line traps
Cave visibility
Haloclines
Tannic water hydrogen sulfide
Entanglement
Entrapment
Depth
Distance
Guideline breakage
Equipment failure
Other divers
Psychological cave hazards
Over confidence

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Chapter 5 : Cave Diving Skills

Chapter 5: Cave Diving Skills

Pre-Dive

Build and confirmation

Site evaluation and CCR equipment confirmation

Turn points evaluation and dive plan
In water check and equipment matching
Communication
Command signals
Jump/gap reel
Hand signals

Line trap
Number signals

Tie-off
Light signals

Placement
Written communication

Cookies or clothes pins
Two line arrows pointing in the same
direction
Two line arrows pointing in opposite
directions
Line skills
Team positioning
Making jumps
Working around lines
Touch communication
Traverse
Cave navigation
Circuits

Mainline
Exiting and passing

Off-shoot line
Swimming

Jump

Modified frog kick

Gap

Modified flutter kick

T-intersection

Pull and glide

Primary reel

Shuffle kick

Safety reel
Cave diving awareness

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Chapter 6 : Cave Diving Adverse Situation

Chapter 6: Cave Diving Adverse Situation

Cave Specific Adverse Situation

Lost line

Broken line

Inadvertent jump

Loss of navigational awareness

Blackout situations

Lost buddy

Lost light

Line entanglement

Entrapment

Loss of buoyancy device

Sharing air
CCR Specific Adverse Situations A Brief Overview

Feeling funny

The first response

BO ascent

The three Hs

Hyperoxia

Hypoxia

Hypercapnis

Floods

SCR mode

Off-board gas

Open loop

Boom
What if game

Oxygen cell issues

PO2 issues

Display issues
Buddy rescue/recovery

OC BO supply issues
Omitted decompression

www.Silent

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SilentScuba 2010 Rev. 1.0

Chapter 7 : Cave Dive Planning

Chapter 7: Cave Dive Planning

Cave Specific Dive Planning

Site deposition

Dive objectives

Four CCR turn around points

On-board oxygen

On-board diluent

Scrubber

Bailout gas
Stage gas
Mixed teams
Cave Non-specific Dive Planning

Oxygen toxicity

Inert gas loading calculations

Example CCR dive plan mainly one depth

Example CCR dive plan mainly two depths

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Chapter 8 : Cave Psychology and Survival

Chapter 8:Cave Psychology and Survival

Stressors on a dive

Distance

Confinement

Physical stress

Doubting navigation

Time pressure

Task loading

High flow

Peer pressure

Ego pressure
Dealing with stress
Recognizing stress in your buddy
Choosing your buddy
Final thoughts

www.Silent
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Chapter 2 : The Cave Environment

Other characteristics the diver needs to understand is the water make up. Tannic water has a
reddish color to it. When the tannic level is high this water is next to impossible to see through.
Tannis comes from decomposing roots and bark. They also make for incredible photo opportunities. Hydrogen sulfide is a yellowish / brown layer in the water and usually occurs at the
interface between fresh and marine water layers. For hydrogen sulfide to be made, the layer
must be anoxic meaning there is no oxygen left in the water, then bacteria which are anaerobic
degrade plant and animal sediment producing the gas hydrogen sulfide. This gas is highly flammable and quite toxic. As a diver passing through a hydrogen sulfide layer you are really at little
risk of the toxic effects as you are not breathing it in. Even so, I never hang around too long in
this layer. Some divers report a rotten egg like smell. Also, any brass you have will turn black
after being exposed to a hydrogen sulfide layer. In very high concentration, the hydrogen sulfide can burn your skin. If you surface in a hydrogen sulfide filled air space do not breathe the
gas, stay on your CCR. This is always solid advice when unsure of the air environment found
in air pockets in cave systems. Angelita Cenote in Mexico and Hospital Hole sink in the Weeki
Wachee river in Florida, are good examples of dive sites with a hydrogen sulfide layer. Sink
holes near the coast are most likely to have hydrogen sulfide due to the salt water intrusion.
Jo above the hydrogen sulfide layer, Erik below in
the hydrogen sulfide layer

Erik working on getting

above the hydrogen
sulfide layer

As a diver you need to be most concerned with haloclines. A halocline is the interface between
salt and fresh water. The fresh water has a lower density and will sit on top of the more dense
salt water layer. There is a distinct interface between the two layers making it look like a mirror in some cases. The thickness of the interface can range from inches to feet. This interface
when disturbed can completely distort visibility. When you encounter a halocline it is best to
swim above or below the interface so you dont distort the visibility. If this is not possible then
swimming in a more side by side manner will allow the following divers to have some visibility.
The nice thing about the halocline is it settles relatively quickly and visibility will be restored.

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Chapter 3 : CCR Cave Diving Equipment

Markers

There are two main types of markers, directional and non-directional. A directional marker
points to the direction of the exit. The directional markers are called line arrows. Line arrows are
installed on permanent lines in the cave, they can also be marked with the distance to the nearest
air hole or exit. Divers will also carry at least three line arrows on each dive. All of your line arrows
need to be permanently marked to identify they are yours. Line arrows are employed at jumps,
line intersections or end of the line where navigational errors could occur. They take the guessing
out of the equation on exiting when used correctly. They can also be used in an emergency such
as in a lost line situation. In this case the diver would attach a line arrow to the permanent line
pointing in the direction they are exiting when they re-locate the line. This is important since their
buddy may stumble along this arrow and now they know one of two things; their buddy is ahead
of them and is safely exiting, or their buddy is lost and heading in the wrong direction, in this case
the buddy diver will need to access their turn points and decide to go after them or retreat. Emergency use of line markers will be covered in Chapter 6, Cave Diving Adverse Situation Skills.
Another use for your line arrows is when you install a jump off a mainline and there is no arrow
already there then you must place an arrow on the main line pointing in the exit direction. This
arrow will help you know the correct way out and will also serve to hold your jump line in place.
Markers attached to
a bungee.

Josh takes note of the arrows pointing in

opposite directions in Peacock Springs, Florida
Non-directional markers do not point towards an exit,
they serve to mark points such as maximum penetration
distances and help the diver complete circuits. Non-directional markers can also be used to mark the exit side
of confusing intersections and permanent line arrows.
The use of markers will be covered in Chapter 5, Cave
Diving Skills. Cookies and clothespins are considered
non-directional markers. Each diver should carry at least
one non-directional marker but this will depend on the
diving location. Mexican caves have many intersections
where the diver will require non-directional markers
and in this case a minimum of six should be carried.

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Chapter 5 : Cave Diving Skills

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