Quest Volume 24, No. 4 November 2023

Quest The Journal of Global Underwater Explorers

Vol. 24, No. 4 – November 2023

PHOTO GRAPH ER PORTF OLIO: JASON BROW N

QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE AROUND THE WORLD

Jarrod Jablonski looks back at the The NextGen scholar recounts first 25 years and ahead at the next her experiences in 180 dives

BRAZILIAN CAVES

The country has tremendous potential for cave exploration

CAVE PLANNING

Lights are an essential element of the GUE configuration

EDUCATION · CONSERVATION · EXPLORATION · COMMUNITY

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EDITOR’S LETTER Conference time

W

hen this issue of Quest is published on November 10, 2023, we will be ready for the next GUE conference in Florida and gearing up for the 25th anniversary celebrations of Global Underwater Explorers. This presents an ideal moment to contemplate the significance of these conferences and their pivotal role in fostering organizational cohesion.

In our rapidly evolving technological world, the value of in-person gatherings has become all the more evident. Digital interactions, while functional, can never truly replicate the warmth of a firm handshake or the depth of an eyeto-eye encounter. The conferences provide a unique opportunity for attendees to bond, learn, and grow in an atmosphere that transcends screens and pixels.

GUE stands on three sturdy pillars: education, conservation, and exploration. Yet, it is the intangible fourth pillar, the community, that holds the organization together, weaving a tight-knit fabric that unites the other three. As you delve into Brad Beskin’s QC Corner on page 6 or Jarrod Jablonski’s 25th anniversary article on page 44, you’ll notice a common theme—the unwavering focus on the community, on the people. It’s the passion of the people that propels GUE forward, and the conferences were conceived as a catalyst to enhance this sense of belonging and togetherness.

The inaugural conference in 2005 was also held in Gainesville, Florida, and over the years, a total of 14 conferences have been convened.

While most have been in Gainesville, other locations such as Budapest, Hungary (2007), Riviera Maya, Mexico (2010), Kiel, Germany (2011), Catalina Island, CA (2012), and Porti-

mao, Portugal (2013) have hosted the event.

These diverse locales reflect GUE’s global reach and the passion for underwater exploration that transcends borders.

Furthermore, the conferences are not just about professional development but also about personal growth and exploration. Many GUE instructors use this opportunity to partake in mandatory renewals that keep their skills sharp, all while seizing the chance to embark on cave dives before or after the conference.

The conferences encompass a rich tapestry of experiences, from citizen science and marine conservation to embracing the latest in marine biology and technology.

As we stand at the threshold of the 2023 GUE conference, it is not merely an event; it is a celebration of the enduring spirit of exploration and community.

I hope to see you at this conference or the next one.

Jesper Kjøller Editor-in-Chief jk@gue.com

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Quest IN THIS ISSUE The Journal of Global Underwater Explorers

Vol. 24, No. 4 · November 2023

Editor-in-chief // Jesper Kjøller

Editorial panel

// Michael Menduno // Amanda White

Design and layout // Jesper Kjøller

Copy editing

// Pat Jablonski // Kady Smith

Writers

// Brad Beskin // Sergio Rhein Schirato // José Antonio Ferrari // Jenn Thomson // Kirill Egorov // Daniel Riordan // Fred Devos // Todd Kincaid // Chris Le Maillot // Jarrod Jablonski

Photographers

// Kirill Egorov // David Rhea // Ingemar Lundgren // Jason Brown // Jesper Kjøller // Julian Műhlenhaus // Peter Gaertner // Jenn Thomson // Mario Tadinac // Oceanx Dive Team // Mohamed Khamis // Emily Cox // Devina Wijaya // Maria Williams // Erik Wurz // Sam Ooms // Olga Martinelli // Nico Lurot // Taj Howe Quest is published quarterly by Global Underwater Explorers 18487 High Springs Main Street, High Springs, Florida 32643 www.GUE.com

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6 QC CORNER // 25 YEARS IN THE MAKING In this issue’s QC Corner, Brad is joined by GUE Vice President Dorota Czerny for a deep dive into the phrase that has helped shape GUE: commitment to excellence.

12 CAVES IN BRAZIL

Brazil offers enormous potential for cave exploration.

However, the country’s vast size, challenging road conditions in some areas, and the remote nature of most karst regions create logistical challenges that restrict exploration.

24 AROUND THE WORLD IN 180 DIVES

Jenn Thomson, the second-ever recipient of GUE’s NextGen Scholarship and the first post-pandemic awardee in 2022, shares her journey through 180 dives worldwide, focusing on skill improvement, dive training, and exploration operations.

38 PORTFOLIO // JASON BROWN

Jason excels at capturing distinctive and challenging images in environments like frigid waters or deep caves. His passion lies in pushing creative boundaries through off-camera lighting.

44 JABLONSKI’S QUEST FOR EXCELLNCE

In 1998, Jarrod founded GUE with a profound mission: to reshape the world of diving, emphasizing safety, skill, and exploration. He looks back at the first 25 years and ahead at the next.

56 CAVE DIVING // PLANNING PART 2

Cave diving logistics play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and success of cave diving expeditions.

We continue to delve into the multifaceted aspects of logistics, from transport options to gas supply considerations.

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GUE’S COMMIT MENT TO EXCELLE NCE

6Professionalism Family

Passion Intrepidness

AdvanceIntegrity Authenticity ment Adventure C ommitm Perseverance

ent Leadership Friendsh ip Safety Legacy Community Loyalty Mentorship

Reliability

Support

Responsibility

Global m Trust indedne ss

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38

44

56

COVER PHOTO JASON BROWN

44 November 2023 · Quest

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QC CORNER

25 YEARS IN THE MAKING

TEXT BRAD BESKIN & DOROTA CZERNY// PHOTO JESPER KJØLLER

In this issue’s QC Corner, Brad is joined by GUE Vice President Dorota Czerny for a deep dive into the phrase that has helped shape GUE: commitment to excellence. We encounter this adage so frequently that we often gloss over what it truly means. But it remains the lighthouse that has guided GUE’s development over its first 25 years, and it will remain the north star that shows us the way into the future.

H

appy 25th anniversary, GUE! Congratulations to each of you who has contributed to this momentous achievement. Whether you were there at the beginning in 1998 or just performed your very first S-drill this year, each of you has contributed to GUE’s legacy and achievement in a meaningful way. Whether you push the end of the line, or simply push yourself to go farther down the line, your spirit of exploration has and will continue to drive GUE forward.

Where we’ve been

Much has been written about where we’ve been.

Indeed, GUE’s first 25 years are marked by substantial achievements in the technical, overhead, and rebreather diving spaces.

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Unquestionably, our genesis lies in exploration. What Jarrod Jablonski and his trusted peers created was an exploration-driven model, with mission-focused diving supported by comprehensive training programs.

“During the 1990s we were a small group of extremely passionate diving explorers and researchers. We hoped to develop training that encouraged greater safety, allowed more fun and empowered divers with enough capacity to join a variety of projects, including our many conservation and exploration projects. I am proud of the innovations that we’ve made in diver education and the fact that many of these have been adopted to varying degrees by the dive industry. GUE helped create industry-wide awareness of proper buoyancy and trim and pioneered a team-focused approach including standardized equipment configurations and common protocols for

GUE’S COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE m s i l a n o i s s e Prof

P as si on Family

Intrepidness

Authentici y t i r g e t ty In

Advancement

Perseverance

Adventure Commitmen t Leadership Safety

Friendship

ability i l e R Lega

cy Mentorship Loyalty Community

Support

Responsibility

Global m i ndedness t s u r T  November 2023 · Quest

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gas switching and emergency procedures. We were the first to require instructor requalification and dive certification renewals as well as the first to eliminate ‘deep air’ diving, include nitrox in all classes, introduce helium to recreational divers, and prohibit smoking. These and many other initiatives were developed upon a backdrop of rigorous, capacity-based training that helped ensure qualified individuals were not merely paying for a card but developing reliable capacity.”

Jablonski, “In Retrospect: Twenty Years of Global Underwater Explorers”, InDepth (Dec. 5, 2018).

GUE revolutionized the diving industry by developing and implementing standardized gear configurations, procedures and protocols, gasses, team dynamics, and educational programming. Over time, GUE expanded more broadly into the diving industry by, for example, developing a recreational training model and embracing equipment like dive computers and CCRs. Each of these developments has furthered the paramount end goal: GUE’s commitment to excellence.

GUE’s compelling history begs the question: What does the next 25 years hold in store for GUE? Where does this commitment take us next?

We are confident our commitment perseveres, and we are unreservedly excited for the future of GUE. Undoubtedly, what comes next will continue the success of our existing robust Fundamentals, technical, and cave diver programs. It will continue to advance our CCR and Project Diver initiatives. And, it will embrace a recreational civer program that will help revolutionize entry-level diving experiences in the same way GUE revolutionized technical and cave diving.

There are, of course, those who find the idea of change off-putting. With respect, growth and quality are not mutually exclusive. In Built to Last, Collins and Porras caution against succumbing to the fallacy that certain outcomes are mutually exclusive. They explain that visionary organizations abandon the “Tyranny of the OR.” Indeed, GUE (like any values-based, visionary organization) is vulnerable to such a fallacy.

Different journeys

We succumb to the tyranny of the “or” when we believe things must be one way or the other, but cannot be both. Highly visionary organizations should embrace the “Genius of the AND”—the Where are we going? ability to embrace both extremes and a multiIt is not our privilege to share with you what hap- tude of dimensions at the same time. So, too, pens next. That privilege lies with the GUE Board can GUE embrace the change that comes with of Directors, who are working feverishly with our growth while preserving and advancing its comtalented instructors, members of the Training mitment to excellence.

Council, and dedicated HQ staff to chart a path Our first generation divers and instructors through the next 25 years. Those of you attend- were those whose names adorn the mastheads ing the conference will likely learn much about of classic surveys. They made the Turner-Wakulthese plans, and I’m confident GUE’s leadership la connection, found Mars, and added innumerawill share them with all of you ble kilometers through this publication and of line to the other media when the time labyrinthine We are confident our comes. tunnels undercommitment perseveres, and Of course, any conversalying the Yucatwe are unreservedly excited tion about strategic planning an. They are at for the future of GUE. and future objectives can home sleeping bring trepidation: How can in sumps or GUE continue to achieve its reading books goals and add value for its during hours of members? Are our plans for the future congrudeco. They created a new paradigm for technient with our past? Are we still the same organical and overhead diving. zation created so many years ago? Are we still That intrepidness still exists in GUE today, driven toward and committed to excellence? and you can find it all over the world. That explo-

“

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PHOTO JESPER KJØLLER

GUE has broadened its presence through innovations such as recreational training and the adoption of CCRs. November 2023 · Quest

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ration will continue, and one will always find GUE The connotations are all subtly different, but divers at the end of the line with a compass and the distinction isn’t critical. What is critical—and a survey with a fire in their eyes and bravery in what has been critical since GUE’s founding—is their hearts. But we must remember that there the congruence across the value set from diver is ample room in GUE for all those who commit to diver, teammate to teammate. to excellence—both at the end of the line and in Earlier this year, the authors had the opportua single tank on a shallow reef. We have instruc- nity to dive together for two weeks in Sardinia tors who are truly excellent (and committed to at Base1, one of GUE’s Premium Dive Centers. staying on the cutting edge of that qualification) The experience was a bucket-list adventure that teaching exclusively at the recreational levels. afforded memorable dives, new friends, and a GUE’s commitment to excellence embraces deeper appreciation for the incredible opportudifferent journeys for nities membership in different divers.

GUE affords.

Of course, we don’t For fun, a few of us The greenest Rec 1 diver or the have to continue to engaged in late-night, newest Fundamentals diver grow. But growth and deep conversation can demonstrate a stellar development is a natabout GUE and what it ural consequence of means to each of us. commitment to excellence that GUE’s visionary qualThrough brainstormexemplifies GUE’s core values. ities. In Built to Last, ing, we identified the Collins begs three several shared GUE questions of visionary nonprofit organizations values that we believe permeate all aspects of like GUE: (1) what is our passion? (2) where GUE. We believe there is a commonality and can we achieve excellence? (3) what drives our congruence between those who truly believe in resource engine? Our first 25 years has been GUE that tracks these values in some form or marked by excellent and outstanding achieveconstruct. As such, we relied heavily on these ments and accomplishments. Whatever path we values to guide us in suggesting certain changforge next through GUE is achievable with the es to GUE’s form and leadership structure. same quality familiar to you, so long as we reThe list goes on. Each of us had a different main focused on our commitment to excellence. anecdote for how these concepts shaped our membership in GUE, but each disparate story GUE values sounded in familiar values, outcomes, and ideGUE has always been a values-driven organizaals. As we built our list, we began to realize that tion.

GUE’s commitment to excellence and that of “From the outset I believed that divers’ trainits individual divers and instructors represents ing, their equipment, their configuration, their a synergy of these GUE core values and the knowledge, and their skill set should all contribmanifestation of what happens when they work ute to greater safety and enjoyment in the water. together in harmony.

That was the reason I founded GUE.” Jablonski, “Toward A New and Unique Future”, Excellence, Individually We can look at excellence through both a perQuest Vol. 5, Issue 3. sonal lens and that of the organization more What many of us now summarize as GUE’s broadly. For the individual, excellence connotes “commitment to excellence” connotes a broader commitment to and the synergy of a shared value striving to be the best. But our focus must be on set. GUE’s quality lies in the congruence between the journey, not merely the destination. There is a substantial difference between the pursuit of what our divers do and that shared value set. excellence and perfectionism.

How you define that value set is up to you.

“Perfectionism is not the same thing as strivWhat you may identify as trust or integrity, aning for excellence and it’s not about healthy other might refer to as reliability or teamwork.

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achievement and growth. Perfectionism is a defensive move. It’s the belief that if we do things perfectly and look perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.

Perfectionism is not the key to success.”

Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection.

There is a key difference between striving to produce excellent results and perfect results.

While excellence is attainable with effort, skills, and grit and perseverance, perfection is an unrealistic and markedly unattainable standard.

What does this mean for you as a GUE diver? Does it simply mean a precision back kick and enviable trim? Or does it require something more—the traits and qualities that sound in the values stated above? Indeed, a GUE diver’s commitment to excellence is apparent in his or her value as a teammate, reliability in the water and on the surface, integrity, and hard work. While these may result in a flawless valve drill, for example, that is but an indicator of the powerful synergy of GUE core values underlying the skill.

What does it require of the GUE instructor: simply a robust mastery of the curricula? I think not. Rather, it requires the confluence of education, communication, empathy, dynamism, magnetism, and the other exemplary qualities we find in our talented instructor cadre.

Of course, we must remember that a diver can commit to (and achieve) excellence at various levels. Excellence does not require a CCR, two DPVs, and an array of decompression gases (although excellence is certainly achievable therein). The greenest Rec 1 diver or the newest Fundamentals diver can demonstrate a stellar commitment to excellence that exemplifies GUE’s core values.

Brad Beskin

Organizational Excellence

Organizationally, GUE’s commitment to excellence mirrors that found in its individual divers and instructors.

“It’s not enough for organizations to be good.

For those who want to be the top and timeless choice in the market, excellence must be the goal. Organizational excellence is achieved by focusing on culture and strategy.”

Erica Callaway Karr, “Better Than Good: The quest for organizational excellence”, 9 Principles.

If we find excellence in the individual who personifies a synergy of GUE values, then GUE’s excellence must lie somewhere in the shared work and effort of those excellent and highly committed divers. Excellence “is not achieved by fluke, but by systemically ensuring all elements of the organization work together to achieve the desired income.”

Debashis Sarkar, “Four principles of organizational excellence which every small business should know”, The Economic Times (March 27, 2017).

GUE’s excellence lies in our passionate instructors who work tirelessly with trainees to master skill sets. We see this in our dedicated divers who practice those skills over and over again. We see it in our community days, workshops, and conferences. We see it in project divers and teams who work together to bridge connections, discover wrecks, and identify new species.

As we embrace the next 25 years of GUE, we will focus on strengthening the ways GUE empowers and advances these key demonstrations of excellence. We will focus on new ways to foster that commitment in our existing divers while bringing new divers into the organization.

We are proud to be a part of Global Underwater Explorers with you! 

Brad Beskin has been diving actively for approximately 28 years. He first became involved with GUE by taking Fundamentals in 2002, and then Cave 1 with Tamara Kendel in 2003. He is now a proud GUE DPV Cave diver and is looking forward to undertaking the GUE

technical curriculum in 2023. When he is not diving, he earns his living as a civil litigator in Austin, Texas, and he also finds time to act as Director of Quality Control and the Chair of the Quality Control Board for Global Underwater Explorers.

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CAVES IN

BRAZIL

– So much to explore, too little time

TEXT SERGIO RHEIN SCHIRATO, PHD & JOSÉ ANTONIO FERRARI, PHD PHOTOS KIRILL EGOROV 12

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

With more than 6,000 known caves, out of an estimated number of 150,000 existing caves, Brazil has tremendous potential for cave exploration. Of course, the continental dimensions of the country, areas with difficult road conditions, and the remoteness of most of the karst regions pose many logistical difficulties, causing exploration to be relatively limited. Additionally, many of the caves are in state parks or conservation units, whose access requires permits, usually restricted to research projects.  November 2023 · Quest

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“

Given the quantity of potential targets for exploration, choosing a location for a new project is never an easy task.

D

espite all the difficulties, a few relevant exploration projects are currently going on in the country. Different groups have been making some amazing progress in the exploration of the caves located in the western area of the state of Bahia, where thousands of meters of new passages have been explored in the recent years, as well as in the São Francisco River valley, in the state of Minas Gerais.

As for the GUE community in Brazil, our efforts over the past years have been directed to exploring, mapping, and researching very interesting sites in the states of Goias, Tocantins, and Mato Grosso. In addition to exploration, one of our goals is to promote the exchange of knowledge with other GUE groups, having received over time our colleagues from CINDAQ, as well as leading explorers from Europe and the USA as guests in our projects.

Given the quantity of potential targets for exploration, choosing a location for a new project is never an easy task. It has happened before that, after days of traveling, we simply find that the cave shuts down after a few meters. The fact is that the only way to find out is by going to pre-chosen locations and checking them out.

After much discussion about potential targets, in 2022, GUE Brasil divers, in association with the University of São Paulo, started working on a plan to explore the caves located in the Gruta Azul State Park, in the city of Nobres, state of Mato Grosso, a place that has been on our list 14

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for years. In close collaboration with the Department of Geology, a research plan was developed and submitted to the local authorities, narrowing the targets to two main locations, Dolina do Pai João and Dolina do João Terêncio (also known as Dois de Maio). Once the research project was approved, logistical preparations started to move many thousands of kilos of equipment halfway across the country. Finally, in May 2023, we started our journey to Mato Grosso. A team of four divers, one archaeologist and one geologist, one filmmaker, two support members, and one local guide finally kicked off the project after driving 2,200 kilometers/1,400 miles.

Serra das Furnas

Serra das Furnas is composed of Neoproterozoic rocks from the Raizana Formation, consisting of sandstone and arkose with conglomerate layers and intercalations of siltstone and claystone that stand out from the carbonate surface of the surrounding area. The carbonate area is primarily formed by Neoproterozoic dolomites from the Nobres Formation. The area is part of one of the flanks of a NE-SW trending anticlinal structure, and the two caves are located at the contact zone between the carbonate rocks and the lithologies that make up the mountain range. Most of the area is within the Gruta Azul state park, a natural reserve managed by the state of Mato Grosso. Based on the available information, we decided to focus our efforts on two locations— Dolina do Pai João and Dolina do João Terêncio.

After the strenuous task of carrying dive equipment along the trail and into the sinkhole, the moment of descending into the cave is truly satisfying.

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV November 2023 · Quest

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

The entrance to Caverna Pai João is located at the bottom of a sinkhole situated on the slope of the mountain within the boundaries of the Gruta da Lagoa Azul State Park. It is an ephemeral or temporary sinkhole that collects water from a small basin. According to reports from the local community, during the rainy season, the water level inside the sinkhole can rise more than 10 m/33 ft compared to the level observed during dives. Starting from the parking area, it is necessary to walk a trail of 1.8 kilometers/1.1 miles to reach the entrance of the sinkhole.

From there, a descent of approximately 50 m/165 ft on rough terrain leads to the water’s surface. Although it is not a long distance, transporting the various cylinders used in the dives (along with various support materials) is very labor-intensive, requiring the support of the local volunteers. Very little information was available about previous dives in this area, but it was brought to our attention that in the past twenty years, a few dives were conducted there, mainly on air in the main vertical tunnel.

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PHOTO HALCYON DIVE SYSTEMS

Straightforward logistics

The second target, Dolina João Terêncio, is a resurgence located in the thalweg of the Mutum River, near the section where the drainage crosses the lithologies of the Serra das Furnas.

In this sector, the relief of the mountain is more subdued. The cave is within private property, outside the park boundaries, which uses its waters for agricultural activities. Tubes connected to the resurgence also supply properties downstream. There was no time to verify whether upstream and downstream of the resurgence, the Mutum stream is perennial, or if surface runoff has already been captured for underground routes. In this area, the logistics for diving are straightforward because vehicles can be parked next to the cave. The place has been explored on different occasions, and we found line placed by previous explorers down to a depth of approximately 90 m/295 ft in an area where the cave follows a steady slope in a reasonably small shape.

In addition to the main targets, our group also planned to visit other caves in the area to evaluate the potential for future exploration, includ-

On our final day, the team examined potential sites for future projects. One standout prospect was the second siphon in Gruta da Lanterna. ing Gruta da Lanterna, Grutas das Pacas, Gruta Azul, and Lagoa Negra.

checked and clearly connected with the deeper section of the cave. Dives were long, followed by many hours of decompression. Most of the The dives equipment was left at the cave entrance, making The first day of diving was used to bring the the trail to trek back to the farm much easier. equipment closer to the entrance of the cave, On the following day we returned with even an effort that required a dozen people to make more tanks, with the specific goal of exploring multiple trips from the farm, where the trucks the deeper sections of the cave. Meanwhile were parked, to the cave and to do a first evalKirill, our official photographer, was registering uation of the site. The dimensions of the place everything with his camera. This was another are impressive, and tunnels only get bigger with fruitful and long day in the water, with most depth. The highlight of the day was the disof the exploration happening between 100covery of a siphoning tunnel on the west wall 120 m/330-390 ft of depth. In the original plan, under a ledge of the cave that was explored to this would be our last day at this location but, as a maximum depth of 45 m/150 ft. Dye tracing said before, no plans survive the battlefield. following the instructions of the research team Snakes and spiders helped in this discovery.

After three days spent at Pai João, the focus Having a better understanding of the enviof the exploration was now Dolina do Joao ronment, we returned for the second day much Terêncio, a site where access to the water is better prepared—deco and stage tanks, trimix 10/70 for bottom gas and lots of positive disposi- much easier, but with more challenging diving conditions. The spring forms a small lake that tion. The conduit discovered on the previous day followed a S-SW trend and was explored down to feeds the nearby Mutum River. The entrance of a depth of a bit over 100 m/330 ft. Other passag- the cave is located at approximately 6 m/20 ft of depth and follows a constant slope down to es in the 75-85 m/250-280 ft of depth were also

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Cave exploration is a collaborative endeavor, with a dedicated group of local volunteers providing invaluable support to the project.

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FACT FILE // THE REGION

BRAZIL

Mato Grosso

Nobres is located in the state of Mato Grosso, the mid-western area of Brazil, in the transition between two biomes, the Amazon rainforest and the Brazilian savanna (“cerrado”).

The area offers all sorts of options for nature lovers, from crystal clear rivers to beautifully sculpted limestone mountains. Nature is exuberant, making the place a great destination for wildlife observation. It is located approximately three hours from the closest airport, which is in the city of Cuiabá.

Nobres

The cave configurations, conduit directions, and geological context suggest the possibility that the two caves may be part of the same system.

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Exploring below 100 m/330 ft in the Dolina do Pai João system, one of the main targets of the exploration.

PHOTO

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV 20

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“

Dives were long, followed by many hours of decompression.

Most of the equipment was left at the cave entrance, making the trek back to the farm much easier.

JESPER KJØLLER

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approximately 90 m/295 ft, where the end of Early stages The next day we started carrying the equipthe line was found. The cave is much smaller ment at sunlight. Sometime during the mornand siltier than Pai João, making the presence ing, a local TV team joined us after hearing that of two teams in the water tough, especially some divers had found an unheard-of aquifer. for the second team that often descended in Before noon we were ready to start the dive very low visibility. At a depth of approximately and, in order to reduce total bottom times, we 100 m/330 ft, the cave opens into a massive split areas of survey, so that each team betunnel, in a configuration like the one observed came responsible for a part of the cave. The at Pai João. The tunnel runs in a N-NE orientadive worked precisely as planned and, before tion. Due to the limited visibility, team 2 called the end of the afternoon, divers and equipment the dive and, after a short deco, decided to were out of the water, ready to be transported explore other caves in the area while team 1 back to the trucks. pushed the cave for another 200 m/660 ft at an The last day we reserved for visiting some average depth of 100 m/330 ft. additional caves and investigating potential Later that night, when we regrouped at the targets for future base, we realized that some projects. One parsurvey data from Pai João The plan was quite simple: ticular lead, the was missing. As a group we second siphon agreed that there was no carry the equipment as fast as in Gruta da Lanpoint in ending the project we could through the jungle, terna, certainly with incomplete survey inlower it to the water with deserved another formation and adjusted the ropes, dive, retrieve all the visit. plan to go back to Pai João equipment, and be back at the Although we the next day. To execute this are still in the plan, however, we would farm before sunset. very early stages have to carry all the equipof the exploration ment through the jungle of this area, the configuration of the caves, the once more. To accomplish this mission, we had apparent direction of the conduits and wathe priceless support of the local community. ter flow—especially in view of the geological The plan was quite simple: carry the equipment as fast as we could through the jungle, lower it to context—meant that it might be possible to speculate that the two caves, separated by a the water with ropes, dive, retrieve all the equipdistance of 7 kilometers/4.3 miles, are part of ment, and be back at the farm before sunset. the same system.

This time limit was imposed for two reasons: Of course, additional exploration and reFirst, we got lost enough times even in daylight, search will be made to either confirm or deny and second, all the snakes, spiders, and other poisonous creatures that we saw during the day the connection between these two extraordiwould still be there, but unseen, during the night. nary caves. 

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Sergio Rhein Schirato Sergio Rhein Schirato is a passionate diver and a GUE instructor based in Miami. He is an active explorer who has been organizing expeditions to different parts of Brazil for many years.

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He has also been actively promoting GUE in Brazil by organizing events for the local community. Sergio holds a PhD in biosciences and a master’s in applied Math and Finance.

The team deployed both open-circuit and closedcircuit systems during the project.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks to Carla Rocha and Pousada Casa de Pedra for the logistical support to Dr. Francisco William da Cruz, for working with the authorities and obtaining the permits, to the Government of the State of Mato Grosso, and of course to all the volunteers that supported the transportation of the equipment to the dive sites.

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV November 2023 · Quest

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AROUND THE WOR

IN

180

DIVES

TEXT JENN THOMSON PHOTOS JENN THOMSON, MARIO TADINAC, OCEANX DIVE TEAM, MOHAMED KHAMIS, EMILY COX, DEVINA WIJAYA, MARIA WILLIAMS, ERIK WURZ, SAM OOMS, OLGA MARTINELLI, JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS, NICO LUROT & TAJ HOWE

As a way to empower the next generation of divers, GUE created the NextGen Scholarship, providing a year of training and other benefits to a deserving diver on their quest for excellence. As their secondever recipient (and the first postpandemic), Jenn Thomson (2022 Scholar) recounts her experiences in skill refinement, scientific dive training, and exploration operations in 180 dives around the world.

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RLD

– A NextJenn Scholar’s (2022-23) Journey

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PHOTO OCEANX DIVE TEAM November 2023 · Quest

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And, when Jarrod surprised me from an initially camera-off Zoom call, I was already shaking at the upcoming implications of the only question asked during my ‘interview’: Was I ready to be their scholar?

M

y name is Jenn, and I am the 2022-2023 NextGen Scholar. No matter how many times I write this sentence down, utter this on podcasts, or speak to different GUE communities around the world, it never feels real! However, getting to where I am today took passion, working three part-time jobs at university to buy my first dive computer, and a belief that dreams can come true.

I first heard about the scholarship years before the 2022 applications officially opened.

When applying, I was sitting on the helipad of a research vessel called OceanX, where I was an expedition scientist and logistics coordinator on a five-month mission. I helped drive submersibles, spotted dugongs from helicopters, sampled deep-sea corals, and conducted live broadcasts to school classrooms. However, as a result of Covid (and trying to craft my own path in the world), my diving education was limited and I didn’t have a clear path forward. My goal: becoming a scientific dive instructor/aquanaut on expedition vessels and in neutral buoyancy labs, connecting the space and marine sectors via diving and exploration! Nevertheless, I was honest about my weaknesses, vulnerable in my aspirations, and manifested this year whilst simultaneously thinking there was no hope for getting the scholarship. When the email came in concerning an interview for the very next day, I was suspicious. And, when Jarrod surprised me from an initially camera-off Zoom call, I was

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already shaking at the upcoming implications of the only question asked during my ‘interview’: Was I ready to be their scholar?

How to sum up a year? I set out last November to explore the intersections of GUE recreational instructing, extreme exploration, astronaut training, ocean conservation, and scientific diving/communication. I think I achieved this and more! There are so many other workshops, projects, documentaries, and outputs collated on various corners of the internet which I hope the reader will delve into. But for now, enjoy a very short overview of my year as a GUE Scholar, beginning with a definition: The GUE NextGen Scholarship is designed to provide free GUE courses for a year, in whatever capacity that looks like. I took this a step further and invested in a full gap year of diving and learning. I went all in, and I was terrified. Then enter Scuba Seekers in Dahab.

First stop Egypt

My goals for Dahab—being my first stopover en route to other countries—was first and foremost to dive again. GUE requires 25 experience dives between courses in order to progress vertically up the certification levels or to move from Fundamentals to other foundational courses. I am a huge advocate of taking your time and building up your confidence via experience. If I don’t think I am ready, I will step away and postpone a course. In January 2023, I logged my 25+ post-Fundies GUE dives and completed one of my personal diving goals: to become confident again.

My first The primary scholarship light cord dive is neatly as a recreational stored in the diver: belt when not in use, wetsuit andand single an extra tank, belt buckle and stillsecurely GUE. holds the canister in place.

PHOTO MOHAMED KHAMIS

DIVE LOG ENTRY 1 THE DETAILS Crafting a year that one never expected: Becoming the Scholar TYPE The first experience dives LOCATION Scuba Seekers, Dahab, Egypt GUE DIVES 35 TOTAL DIVES 35

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During our time up in the Musandam Peninsula area, we were the only dive boat around, save for one time on our final dive.

DIVE LOG ENTRY 2 THE DETAILS Courses, projects, and experiences TYPE Fixing the fundamentals and exploring the Middle East GUE COURSES Doubles, Drysuit, Gas Blender, Photogrammetry LOCATIONs Deep Dive Dubai, Freestyle Divers, Dibba UAE and Musandam, Oman GUE DIVES 65 TOTAL DIVES 100

PHOTO JENN THOMSON 28

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With GUE’s focus on community, conservation projects, and skill refinement in mind, I aimed to highlight roles that recreational scuba can play in scientific operations—and inspire the next generation of young divers. Thus, crafting a year of full-time dedication to GUE and its values was surprisingly easy! I reached out to instructors advertising my desired courses, built a timeline, and then started to talk about joining local projects in the interim. Finally, it came down to searching for the cheapest flights possible, finding accommodations, and overcoming the do-I-need-a-visa panic. My base at the time in the Middle East (and the location of my mentor Dorota in Dubai) made hopping around the Middle East and Europe the most practical.

Deep Dive Dubai

However, I never thought I would visit the UAE and Oman in February and March 2023, and these were such amazing experiences! One such location was the very tip of the Musandam Peninsula with my friends from Freestyle Divers, Dibba, UAE. Diving from sunrise to sunset was a joy, especially when surrounded by the majestic mountain ranges of the Omani Musandam, the desert rocks reflecting almost golden-orange

with the rising sun, and the landscape of Iran just on the horizon. In addition, I am exceedingly aware of how expensive and once-in-a-lifetime dives are in Deep Dive Dubai, so being able to stay there for a month was a privilege I never got over. I left with a solid foundation of upgraded skills (drysuits, gas blending, photogrammetry, and doubles), the tools needed to combat my less-than-adequate trim and positioning via muscle activation exercises, and underwater proprioception. Now it was time to put these skils into action!

Shoot for the moon; even if you fail, you will land amongst the stars. What would be the worst that could happen? Although my main aims with the scholarship were to achieve dive proficiency, complete another foundational course, and help with scientific projects, interwoven was a desire to fill in gaps to shape my future career: space sciences, social media, and teaching experiences. However, this meant networking, and daring to say that I wanted to work in a neutral buoyancy lab in front of ~200 tech divers at a GUE Conference. You never know—someone could be in the audience who used to work at NASA, and then you might actually be going!

DIVE LOG ENTRY 3 THE DETAILS More than just a scholarship. Outreach and community TYPE Non-GUE topside experiences/ COLD water diving LOCATION NASA NBL, Houston, USA, GUE Seattle, Washington, USA GUE DIVES 5 TOTAL DIVES 105

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The Neutral Buoyancy Lab aim to provide astronauts with a mock-up of the International Space Station (ISS). Here, they can feel what it would be like to conduct real extravehiculwar activities (EVA’s).

PHOTO JENN THOMSON

NASA Lab

Over a few days in April, I was exceedingly privileged to be given backstage access to the facilities at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab and observe an astronaut training run. Here, Matthew Dominick was being tutored by astronaut Michael Barratt, a veteran with over five hours of spacewalk time and a specialist on the last Space Shuttle mission. It was such a privilege to be inside! One can feel the gravitas of this building and its importance to humanity. To walk the same path of all the astronauts who have trained here; to think they have flown in shuttles, worked in the ISS, and bounced on the moon— one cannot really put that feeling into words.

I am eternally grateful for the GUE community (and their wider connections) for making this amazing experience happen.

Speaking of communities: Being GUE Seattle’s guest for a week in April 2023 was spontaneous, yet I could not resist the multiple invi30

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tations. They hosted various meet-and-greets, diving weekends (which divers s as far as Vancouver Island commuted for!), and whale-watching trips. GUE Seattle is a prime example of the family mentality to diving that GUE envisions, and I left with many lifelong dive buddies.

DIVE LOG ENTRY 4 THE DETAILS The less glamorous reality: Perceptions, burnout, and fitness TYPE The courses that were my main scholarship focus GUE COURSES Rec 2, Scientific Diver, Documentation Diver LOCATION Krnica, Istria, Croatia, Zeeland and Vinkeveen, Netherlands GUE DIVES 30 TOTAL DIVES 135

New tools

From the moment I walked into the GUE Conference (a year before this publication), I was so scared of what other GUE members would think of me. There were so many people more deserving of this scholarship than me: They had had more dives, more qualifications, more experiences with the agency. So, why me? As someone who initially perceived GUE as a tech and wreck agency, I suppose it was easy to see the inception of my imposter syndrome. Although this has now changed (yay for recreational divers!), I often get it caught in my head that I am not doing enough as a recreational GUE Scholar, even though I am an advocate of rec diving. I need to take the advice I give to others!

The months of May and July (when I completed the Rec 2, Scientific Diver, and Documentation Diver courses) were the most stressful (albeit fun) time I had this year. During the Scientific Diver course, Erik Wurz gradually introduced different methods: from making site sketches, to quadrats, offshoots, and sampling grids along transects and baselines. We also used various tools which I had no prior experience with (even as a scientist!): lift bags, stages, and airlifts. It was the perfect test to see how far I had come (from the week before!) when I learned line and spool work in Rec 2 [Navigation Primer]. However, after all this, the Even as a scientist, the GUE Scientific Diver course allowed me to try a range of techniques and gear that I had not before, such as lift bags, airlifts, and stages.

DIVE LOG ENTRY 5 THE DETAILS This changed my life: Instructorship and mentorship TYPE The GUE ITC, Science Week, and Creative Week GUE COURSE Instructor Training Course LOCATION Base 1, Cala Gonone, Sardinia, Italy GUE DIVES 20 TOTAL DIVES 155 skill that was lacking was dive project management; hence, the Documentation Diver course was the final puzzle piece.

I will not shy away from the fact that I spent all my life savings this year. Without the finances I had saved up, I would not have been able to have all of these amazing experiences. In fairness, it was my own doing: I wanted to seize as many opportunities with training and traveling as possible. However, in April, I was constantly worried about money yet eager to try and embrace as many opportunities as I could (hence almost back-to-back courses). No wonder I suffered from minor burnout in the summer (and even cracked a rib due to illness)! However, this did give me much-needed time to reset.

PHOTO Erik Wurz

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GRAPHIC JENN THOMSON 32

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Scholarship recipients can undertake GUE training in the locations and environments they’re most passionate about.

Mentorship

Having a growth mindset with this scholarship is essential—to take a leap on something you thought was impossible. For me, becoming a GUE instructor is one of these things. Upon writing this article, I came across a section from my November 2022 NextGen Diary. It read: “My potential goals for the scholarship year are: Rec 2, Photogrammetry, Documentation, and Scientific Diver courses, as well as starting to work towards registering to be an Instructor.” My past self had imagined present me at the end of the scholarship, in terms of my instructorship progress. I had envisioned being on 200 dives at a tech rating in terms of trim and buoyancy, working on my fitness level, and maybe considering the transition to doubles—and teetering on the edge of registration. Ultimately, I would have waited longer.

So, I came to the Sardinian instructor training Course (Rec/Fundies) in May 2023 feeling like a complete underdog. I know that my trim and buoyancy are simply not up to the level of instructor yet. However, it was one of my goals for the GUE scholarship year to learn more about the education process! And indeed, a large part of this course was dedicated to teaching lectures, field drills, and surface clinics, as 34

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we practiced how to disseminate the various drills and equipment setups to impart our knowledge. Lacking the foundational skills/experience to be at the top level became both my weakness and superpower—being unable to over-teach a subject and giving tips to others based on my personal struggles. I left the course with the tools to know how I can improve and progress, and an unbelievable confidence that I could make it one day as a GUE instructor!

This summer in Italy, learning doubles and the ITC would not have occurred without the support of my mentor Dorota Czerny. From the moment we met, we knew it would be a perfect match. Before the GUE Conference, I had roughly planned my year with the instructors, courses, and locations that matched my goals for

PHOTOS JENN THOMSON, EMILY COX, DEVINA WIJAYA, MARIA WILLIAMS, SAM OOMS, OLGA MARTINELLI & JULIAN MÜHLENHAUS

DIVE LOG ENTRY 6 GUE DIVES 20 DETAILS A future with GUE: The next steps and a NextGen Legacy TYPE The dives yet to be done GUE COURSES Fundamentals (intern), Rec 1 (intern) LOCATION Base 1 Sardinia 2.0 Scuba Seekers Dahab 2.0 Panama City, Florida, USA PROJECTED GUE DIVES 25+ TOTAL DIVES 180+ the scholarship. Within my first five minutes of meeting Dorota in person, she also mentioned her ideas for me based on my goals... which, of course, were identical. Knowing that we were perfectly in sync was amazing. She has been a constant source of advice, regardless of how busy she has been herself. From giving extra trim classes, joining me for pilates sessions, and inviting me to learn in multiple countries, we have gone from mentor and student to lifelong friends, to partners. Thank you so much, and here’s to many future memories!

Full circle

The readers keeping count have realized that from January to July 2023, I have managed to make 155 dives, doubling my dive count from around 150 to over 300. In addition, I have had the privilege to travel all over eight countries to learn from amazing GUE instructors and participate in several GUE and non-GUE projects: Egypt, UAE, Oman, USA, Croatia, Netherlands, UK, and Italy. However, the year is not over yet!

At the time of writing (August 2023), I am currently in Hawaii, about to partake in a trans-Pacific transit expedition led by a company called Inkfish, helping observe and conduct deep sea sampling operations. In a nostalgic twist, this November 2023 · Quest

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Expedition scientist turned future-expedition-diver. brings me to an almost full-circle moment, back to sitting on the helipad of OceanX, thinking about applying. And now, we are in the same place, albeit with an arsenal of amazing diving skills to apply to expeditions! In addition, I am excited to be going back to Sardinia in September to continue recreational instructor training and work with the Marine Genome Project. Then, I am heading back to Dahab to see Sameh, and then Florida for A) a Rec 1 Internship with Gemma and B) the GUE Conference. I have a suspicion that I will make 25 dives by November!

Speaking of the GUE Conference, I am most excited to see who has become the next 202324 Scholar! I individually read and watched every single application that came in (at least twice), and noted that so many individuals would flourish if connected. And that is why I am so proud to have spearheaded the NextGen Legacy Project, whose inception began in February 2023 on the plane to Dubai! This is a way for individuals 36

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to benefit from the wider-reaching opportunities of the GUE scholarship: access to GUE courses/ projects via supplementing memberships or invitations to connect with other scientists. This is exactly what we have done with the 2022-23 year. I met with Elizabeth Kroger (a 2022 runner-up) to establish a recreational long-term monitoring project in Sardinia. Already receiving a Fundamentals course from the Legacy Project, Elizabeth came away with more knowledge and skills, and I came away inspired. These connections are exactly the types of experiences and connections I wish to give back to others, just as the scholarship did for me.

I remember putting on my application that I aspired to become an “ocean astronaut” and bridge the gap between scientific exploration, expedition vessels, and neutral buoyancy labs.

Trying to make a career out of all these disciplines is not easy, however, I am so much closer to achieving this than I was a year ago,

Fostering collaborations between young scientists is one of the cornerstones of the NextGen Legacy Project.

thanks to the scholarship. Hopefully 2024 will bring amazing things; if it does not, it is just a longer journey to a very cool destination. However, one forever facet of my life is my relationship within GUE and helping grow and develop

Jenn Thomson

about the NextGen Scholarship theInformation organization. www.gue.com/nextgen-scholarship

Jenn is the 2022-23 NextGen Scholar for Global Underwater Explorers—on a global mission to highlight the roles that recreational scuba can play in scientific operations. From behind-the-scenes astronaut training at NASA, to transiting the Pacific Ocean, to completing the GUE ITC/Scientific Diver courses around Europe, she aimed to use this year to inspire young, up-and-coming divers!

Jenn is also an Honorary Research Fellow, scientific illustrator, marine biologist, and diverse field researcher of extreme environments. Last year, she spent five months onboard the OceanXplorer working as a logistics

coordinator and expedition scientist on the eDNA, deep-sea coral, and megafauna teams. As an ambassador for sea-to-space company Blue Abyss, Jenn is helping to create a network of next-generation extreme environment, R&D, and training centers around the world. She has radio-tracked everything from elephant shrews to elephants, and her travel bucket list includes parabolic flights. www.jennelizabeththomson.com

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JASON BROWN

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hat came first? Photography or diving? For Jason Brown, it’s not an easy question to answer.

Having learned to dive back in the late 90s, it didn’t take long for Jason to realize that simply being underwater wasn’t enough—he also wanted to capture what he saw and share it with a wider audience. Combining his passion for image making with his newfound obsession with the underwater world seemed only logical.

From the moment he took his first film camera underwater, he was hooked.

Jason’s first attempts at image making underwater were less than stellar, but these early mistakes taught him many valuable lessons.

Lessons that, as the years have passed, have given him the knowledge and experience to capture eye-catching images that have graced the pages—and covers—of numerous magazines, newspapers, and other publications across the globe. As an accomplished writer with a back-

Obsessed with the underwater world

ground in journalism and magazine publishing, he is a regular contributor to dive publications both in the UK and further afield.

In addition to his magazine work, Jason’s photography has also provided striking and inspirational imagery for a number of leading dive industry brands and training agencies. His photography has been used on a diverse range of promotional materials ranging from training agency certification cards to adverts, pull-up banners, brochures, and more. He also works as an event photographer at several high-profile diving events, such as Rebreather Forum 4.0 in Malta.

Jason loves nothing more than capturing eye-catching and unique imagery in challenging environments—whether it’s cold, green water, or deep inside a cave, Jason prides himself in always getting the shot. He particularly enjoys experimenting with off-camera lighting—a technique that opens a whole new world of creative lighting possibilities, especially in environments where ambient light levels are very low.

While he enjoys the lure of warm, clear blue water, Jason is most at home in the limited visibility typical of the cold, green waters that surround the UK.

www.bardophotographic.com

TITLE Aeolian Sky LOCATION Dorset, UK CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/60, f/5, ISO500 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1 on camera COMMENTS The remains of a Land Rover inside the holds of the Aeolian Sky—a popular wreck off the South Coast of the UK. 38

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TITLE Exploring the Underworld LOCATION Cenote Tajma Ha, Mexico CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/80, f/4.0, ISO320 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1 on camera, 1 x YS-110 Alpha mounted on model’s back COMMENTS Mexico’s cenotes are a photographer’s dream—one cannot help but be inspired!

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TITLE Jailhouse Rock LOCATION Cenote Jailhouse, Mexico CAMERA Nikon D7200 LENS Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/60, f/4.5, ISO500 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1 on camera, 1 x YS-D2 mounted on model’s back COMMENTS This image always reminds me of Monty Python. Can you tell why?

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TITLE Spotting Top, SMS Kronprinz WIlhelm LOCATION Scapa Flow, Orkney CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/80, f/6.3, ISO800 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1 on camera, 1 x YS110 alpha placed inside wreck COMMENTS The use of off-camera lighting adds a fun new dimension to any wreck shot.

TITLE The Human Gyre LOCATION Museo Atlantico, Lanzarote CAMERA Nikon D7200 LENS TOKINA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/160, f/8.0, ISO250 FLASH 2 x YS-D1 on camera COMMENTS One of many thought-provoking underwater sculptures created by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor now on the seabed off Playa Blanca, Lanzarote.

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TITLE RB80 Rebreather Diver LOCATION Vobster Quay, UK CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/60, f/5.6, ISO400 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1, 1 x YS-100 alpha placed into background COMMENTS Black dive gear against a black background? Not a problem with off-camera lighting!

TITLE Bristol Beaufighter LOCATION Malta CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/60, f/5.6, ISO400 FLASH None COMMENTS Malta’s illustrious wartime history has given divers many fascinating wrecks to explore including this British Beaufighter aircraft.

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TITLE Thomas Canyon LOCATION Straits of Tiran, Red Sea CAMERA Nikon D300s LENS Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye EXPOSURE 1/125, f/6.3, ISO400 FLASH 2 x Sea&Sea YS-D1, 1 x YS-110 alpha hand-held COMMENTS I love how the strobe interacts with the diver’s bubbles to give the impression of a glowing Olympic-style torch.

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25 YEARS

– The ongoing quest for excellence TEXT JARROD JABLONSKI PHOTOS KIRILL EGOROV, TOMASZ STACHURA, DAVID RHEA, INGEMAR LUNDGREN & GUE ARCHIVES

In 1998, Jarrod founded Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), an organization with a profound mission: to reshape the world of diving, emphasizing safety, skill, and exploration. Little did he know that his relentless pursuit of knowledge, adventure, and a safer diving community would not only change his life but redefine an entire industry.

GUE remains an organization in constant evolution, driven by a spirit of adventure, heartwarming stories, and the satisfaction of overcoming complex problems. For Jarrod, the journey is far from over, and the ongoing "Quest for Excellence" is a defining aspect of a life well lived.

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he most difficult challenges we confront in our lives are the most formative and are instrumental in shaping the person we become. When I founded Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), the younger version of myself could not have foreseen all the challenges I would face, but equally true is that he would not have known the joy, the cherished relationships, the sense of purpose, the rich adventures, the humbling expressions of appreciation from those impacted, or the satisfaction of seeing the organization evolve and reshape our industry. Many kindred souls and extraordinary events have shaped these last 25 years. With this chronicle I will attempt to capture the heart behind the creation of GUE, and the committed dedication ready to guide the next 25 years.

Insatiable curiosity

I don’t remember a time that I was not in, around, and under the water. Having learned to swim before I could walk, my mother helped infuse a deep connection to the aquatic world.

I was scuba certified in South Florida with my father, and promptly took all our gear to North Florida where I became a dive instructor at the University of Florida. It was then that I began my infatuation with cave diving. I was in the perfect place for it, and my insatiable curiosity was multiplied while exploring new environments. I found myself with a strong desire to visit unique and hard-to-reach places, be they far inside a cave or deep within the ocean.

My enthusiasm for learning was pressed into service as an educator, and I became enamored with sharing these special environments. Along with this desire to share the beauty and uniqueness of underwater caves was a focused wish to assist people in acquiring the skills I could see they needed to support their personal diving goals. It could be said that these early experiences were the seeds that would grow, mature, and bloom into the organizing principles for GUE.

The pre-GUE Years

Before jumping into the formational days of GUE, allow me to help you visualize the envi46

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ronment that was the incubator for the idea that became GUE’s reality. By the mid-1990s, I was deeply involved in a variety of exploration activities and had been striving to refine my own teaching capacity alongside this growing obsession for exploratory diving. While teaching my open water students, I was in the habit of practicing to refine my own trim and buoyancy, noticing that the students quickly progressed and were mostly able to copy my position in the water. Rather than jump immediately into the skills that were prescribed, I started to take more time to refine their comfort and general competency. This subtle shift made a world of difference in the training outcomes, creating impressive divers with only slightly more time and a shift in focus. In fact, the local dive boats would often stare in disbelief when told these divers were freshly certified, saying they looked better than most open water instructors!

By this point in my career, I could see the problems I was confronting were more systemic and less individualistic. In retrospect, it seemed obvious that key principles had been missing in both my recreational and technical education, not to mention the instructor training I received.

The lack of basic skill refinement seemed to occur at all levels of training, from the beginner to the advanced diver. Core skills like buoyancy or in-water control were mainly left for divers to figure out on their own and almost nobody had a meaningful emphasis on efficient movement in the water. It was nearly unheard of to fail people in scuba diving, and even delaying certification for people with weak skills was very unusual.

This remains all too common to this day, but I believe GUE has shifted the focus in important ways, encouraging people to think of certification more as a process and less as a right granted to them because they paid for training.

The weakness in skill refinement during dive training was further amplified by little-to-no training in how to handle problems when they developed while diving, as they always do. In those days, even technical/cave training had very little in the way of realistic training in problem resolution. The rare practice of failures was deeply disconnected from reality. For example, there was almost no realistic scenario training

By the mid-1990s, Jarrod was involved in a variety of exploration activities.

PHOTO GUE ARCHIVE

for things like a failed regulator or light. What little practice there was wasn’t integrated into the actual dive and seemed largely useless in preparing for real problems. I began testing some of my students with mock equipment failures, and I was shocked at how poorly even the best students performed. They were able to quickly develop the needed skills, but seeing how badly most handled their first attempts left me troubled about the response of most certified divers should they experience problems while diving, as they inevitably would.

no coincidence that diver after diver lost their lives simply because they breathed the wrong bottle at depth. Many others died mysteriously during solo dives or while deep diving with air.

One of the more impactful fatalities was Bob McGuire, who was a drill sergeant, friend, and occasional dive buddy. He was normally very careful and focused. One day a small problem with one regulator caused him to switch regulators before getting in the water. He was using a system that used color-coded regulators to identify the gas breathed. When switching the broken regulator, he either did not remember or Diving fatalities did not have an appropriately colored regulator.

Meanwhile, I was surrounded by a continual proThis small mistake cost him his life. I clearly gression of diving fatalities, and most appeared remember turning that one around in my head entirely preventable. The loss of dear friends and quite a bit. Something that trivial should not close associates had a deep impact on my view result in the loss of a life. of dive training and especially on the procedures Also disturbing was the double fatality of being emphasized at that time within the commu- good friends, Chris and Chrissy Rouse, who lost nity. The industry, in those early days, was wholly their lives while diving a German U-boat in 70 focused on deep air and solo diving. However, m/230 ft of water off the coast of New Jersey. alarmingly lacking were clear bottle marking or I remember, as if the conversation with Chris gas switching protocols.

It seemed to me to be were yesterday, asking him not to use air and PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV November 2023 · Quest

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

PHOTO HALCYON DIVE SYSTEMS OnDuring our final theday, early the stages team of

examined technical potential diving, sites there for were future scarce projects. tools available, One standout so the prospect primary was the driving second force siphon was a profound in Grutadetermination da Lanterna. to venture into uncharted territory.

PHOTO GUE ARCHIVE

even offering to support the cost as a counter to his argument about the cost of helium. And the tragedies continued: The loss of one of my closest friends Sherwood Schille, the death of my friend Steve Berman who lived next to me and with whom I had dived hundreds of times, the shock of losing pioneering explorer Sheck Exley, the regular stream of tech divers, and the half dozen body recoveries I made over only a couple years, which not only saddened me greatly, but also made me angry. Clearly, a radically different approach was needed.

Learning to explore

Meanwhile, my own exploration activities were expanding rapidly. Our teams were seeking every opportunity to grow their capability while reducing unnecessary risk. To that end, we ceased deep air diving and instituted a series of common protocols with standardized equipment configurations, both of which showed great promise in expanding safety, efficiency, and comfort. We got a lot of things wrong and 48

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experienced enough near misses to keep us sharp and in search of continual improvement.

But we looked carefully at every aspect of our diving, seeking ways to advance safety, efficiency, and all-around competency while focusing plenty of attention into the uncommon practice of large-scale team diving, utilizing setup dives, safety divers, and inwater support. We developed diver propulsion vehicle (DPV) towing techniques, which is something that had not been done previously. We mostly ignored and then rewrote CNS oxygen toxicity calculations, developed novel strategies for calculating decompression time, and created and refined standard procedures for everything from bottle switching to equipment configurations. Many of these developments arose from simple necessity. There were no available decompression programs and no decompression tables available for the dives we were doing. Commonly used calculations designed to reduce the risk of oxygen toxicity were useless to our teams, because even our more casual dives were 10, 20, or even 30 times the

The Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) was instrumental in further developing the Hogarthian approach to the standardized configuration.

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allowable limit. The industry today takes most of this for granted, but in the early days of technical diving, we had very few tools, save a deep motivation to go where no one had gone before.

WKPP

Many of these adventures included friends in the Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP), where I refined policies within the team and most directly with longtime dive buddy George Irvine. This “Doing it Right” (DIR) approach sought to create a more expansive system than Hogarthian diving, which itself had been born in the early years of the WKPP and was named after William Hogarth Main, a friend and frequent dive buddy of the time. By this point, I had been writing about and expanding upon Hogarthian diving for many years. More and more of the ideas we wanted to develop were not Bill Main’s priorities and lumping them into his namesake became impractical, especially given all the debate within the community over what was and was not Hogarthian.

A similar move from DIR occurred some years later when GUE stepped away from the circular debates that sought to explain DIR and embraced a GUE configuration with standard protocols, something entirely within our scope to define.

These accumulating events reached critical mass in 1998. I had experienced strong resistance to any form of standardization, even having been asked to join a special meeting of the board of directors (BOD) for a prominent cave diving agency. Their intention was to discourage me from using any form of standard configuration, claiming that students should be allowed to do whatever they “felt“ was best. It was disconcerting for me, as a young instructor, to be challenged by pioneers in the sport; nevertheless, I couldn’t agree with the edict that someone who was doing something for the first time should be tasked with determining how it should be done.

This sort of discussion was common, but the final straw occurred when I was approached by the head of a technical diving agency, an organization for which I had taught for many years. I was informed that he considered it a violation of standards not to teach air to a depth of at least 57 m/190 ft. This same individual told me that I had to stop using MOD bottle markings and fall 50

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in line with the other practices endorsed by his agency. Push had finally come to shove, and I set out to legitimize the training methods and dive protocols that had been incubating in my mind and refined with our teams over the previous decade. Years of trial and many errors while operating in dynamic and challenging environments were helping us to identify what practices were most successful in support of excellence, safety, and enjoyment.

Forming GUE

Forming GUE as a non-profit company was intended to neutralize the profit motivations that appeared to plague other agencies. We hoped to remove the incentive to train—and certify—the greatest number of divers as quickly as possible because it seemed at odds with ensuring comfortable and capable divers. The absence of a profit motive complemented the aspirational plans that longtime friend Todd Kincaid and I had dreamed of. We imagined a global organization that would facilitate the efforts of underwater explorers while supporting scientific research and conservation initiatives.

I hoped to create an agency that placed most of the revenue in the hands of fully engaged and enthusiastic instructors, allowing them the chance to earn a good living and become professionals who might stay within the industry over many years. Of course, that required forgoing the personal benefit of ownership and reduced the revenue available to the agency, braking its growth and complicating expansion plans. This not only slowed growth but provided huge challenges in developing a proper support network while creating the agency I envisioned. There were years of stressful days and nights because of the need to forgo compensation and the deep dependance upon generous volunteers who had to fit GUE into their busy lives. If it were not for these individuals and our loyal members, we would likely never have been successful. Volunteer support and GUE membership have been and remain critical to the growing success of our agency. If you are now or have ever been a volunteer or GUE member, your contribution is a significant part of our success, and we thank you.

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

While standardization is a fundamental principle in the GUE approach to equipment, it remains crucial to explore and experiment with alternative configurations, such as sidemount rebreathers.

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Forming GUE as a non-profit company was intended to neutralize the profit motivations that appeared to plague other agencies.

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Jarrod Jablonski frequently embarks on expeditions that take him to the most secluded corners of the globe. During one of his recent journeys, he found himself in Antarctica .

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

The challenges of the early years gave way to steady progress—always slower than desired, with ups and downs, but progress, nonetheless. Some challenges were not obvious at the outset. For example, many regions around the world were very poorly developed in technical diving. Agencies intent on growth seemed to ignore that problem, choosing whoever was available, and regardless of their experience in the discipline, they would soon be teaching.

Fundamental skills

This decision to promote people with limited experience became especially problematic when it came to Instructor Trainers. People with almost no experience in something like trimix diving were qualifying trimix instructors. Watching this play out in agency after agency, and on continent after continent, was a troubling affair.

Conversely, it took many years for GUE to develop and train people of appropriate experience, especially when looking to critical roles, including high-level tech and instructor trainers. At the same time, GUE’s efforts shaped the industry in PHOTO EGOROV no smallKIRILL fashion as agencies began to model 52

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their programs after GUE’s training protocols.

Initially, having insisted that nobody would take something like Fundamentals, every agency followed suit in developing their own version of these programs, usually taught by divers that had followed GUE training.

This evolving trend wasn’t without complexity but was largely a positive outcome. Agencies soon focused on fundamental skills, incorporated some form of problem-resolution training, adhered to GUE bottle and gas switching protocols, reduced insistence on deep air, and started talking more about developing skilled divers, among other changes. This evolution was significant when compared to the days of arguing about why a person could not learn to use trimix until they were good while diving deep on air.

To be sure, a good share of these changes was more about maintaining business relevance than making substantive improvements. The changes themselves were often more style than substance, lacking objective performance standards and the appropriate retraining of instructors. Despite these weaknesses, they remain positive developments. Talking about something

“

Most agencies, including GUE, have been using some form of online training for years, but GUE is taking big steps to reinvent the quality and efficiency of this form of training.

JESPER KJØLLER

is an important first step and, in all cases, it makes room for strong instructors in any given agency to practice what is being preached. In fact, these evolving trends have allowed GUE to now push further in the effort to create skilled and experienced divers, enhancing our ability to run progressively more elaborate projects with increasingly more sophisticated outcomes.

structural changes within the GUE ecosystem.

One such forward-thinking project leverages AI-enabled, adaptive learning platforms to enhance both the quality and efficiency of GUE education. Most agencies, including GUE, have been using some form of online training for years, but GUE is taking big steps to reinvent the quality and efficiency of this form of training.

This is not to replace, but rather to extend and The future of GUE augment inwater and in-person learning outThe coming decades of GUE’s future appear comes. Related tools further improve the fluidity, very bright. Slow but steady growth has now allowing GUE to seamlessly connect previously placed the organization in a position to make distant communities, enabling technology, trainwise investments, ensuring a vibrant and ining, and passion to notably expand our ability to tegrated approach. Meanwhile, evolving techrealize our broad, global mission. nology and a broad global base place GUE in a Meanwhile, GUE and its range of global unique and formidable position. Key structural communities are utilizing evolving technologies and personnel adjustments complement a grow- to significantly expand the quality and scope of ing range of virtual tools, enabling our diverse their project initiatives. Comparing the imprescommunities and representatives to collaborate sive capability of current GUE communities with and advance projects in a way that, prior to now, those of our early years shows a radical and imwas not possible. Strong local communities can portant shift, allowing results equal or even well be easily connected with coordinated global beyond those possible when compared even missions; these activities include ever-morewith well-funded commercial projects. Coupled sophisticated underwater initiatives as well as with GUE training and procedural support, these November 2023 · Quest

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PHOTO INGEMAR LUNDGREN

ongoing augmentations place our communities at the forefront of underwater research and conservation. This situation will only expand and be further enriched with the use of evolving technology and closely linked communities. Recent and planned expansions to our training programs present a host of important tools that will continue being refined in the years to come. Efforts to expand and improve upon the support provided to GUE projects with technology, people, and resources are now coming online and will undoubtedly be an important part of our evolving future.

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The coming decades will undoubtedly present challenges. But I have no doubt that together we will not only overcome those obstacles, but we will continue to thrive. I believe that GUE’s trajectory remains overwhelmingly positive, for we are an organization that is continually evolving—driven by a spirit of adventure, encouraged by your heartwarming stories, and inspired by the satisfaction of overcoming complex problems. Twenty-five years ago, when I took the path less traveled, the vision I had for GUE was admittedly ambitious. The reality, however, has exceeded anything I could have imagined. I know that GUE will never reach a point when it is complete but that it will be an exciting lifelong journey, one that, for me, will define a life well lived. I look forward our mutual ongoing “Quest for Excellence.”

Jarrod is an avid explorer, researcher, author, and instructor who teaches and dives in oceans and caves around the world. Trained as a geologist, Jarrod is the founder and president of GUE and CEO of Halcyon and Extreme Exposure while remaining active in conservation, exploration, and filming projects

worldwide. His explorations regularly place him in the most remote locations in the world, including numerous world record cave dives with total immersions near 30 hours. Jarrod is also an author with dozens of publications, including three books.

GUE TECH 1 A GIANT LEAP FORWARD Read m the GUE ore about Tec and see h 1 course schedul ed classes o n www.gu e.com

THE GUE TECHNICAL DIVER LEVEL 1 COURSE

• Cultivates, integrates, and expands essential skills required for safe technical diving • Teaches you how to prevent, identify, and resolve problems • Addresses the potential failures associated with twinsets • Introduces accelerated decompression strategies, single stage diving, and the use of helium to minimize narcosis PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

CAVE PLANNIN PART 2

TEXT FROM THE GUE PUBLICATION DEEP INTO CAVE DIVING WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM KIRILL EGOROV, JARROD JABLONSKI, DANIEL RIORDAN, FRED DEVOS, TODD KINCAID & CHRIS LE MAILLOT PHOTOS KIRILL EGOROV & DAVID RHEA

Cave diving logistics play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and success of cave diving expeditions. We continue to delve into the multifaceted aspects of logistics, from transport options to gas supply considerations. Advanced dive planning, task assignment, and contingency planning are also explored in-depth in this second partof the cave diving planning series.

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ave diving logistics primarily impact how cave divers will experience a given dive site and how they’ll get there. Most often, cave divers drive to cave sites. Less frequently, they set out from boats. However, in even more remote locations, where roads are either impassable or non-existent, cave divers may be forced to carry their own gear or use pack animals. This means that, logistically, varied environments and objectives present different logistical issues that cave divers must address before they can safely pursue their objectives.

For example, use of underwater propulsion vehicles on a cave dive can raise more logistical issues than a traditional swim dive.

As noted above, the logistical requirements of a particular dive can vary considerably from one location to another; nonetheless, all dive

planning should include elements that maximize safety (i.g., sufficient support, gas supply, and contingency/emergency planning).

In many cases, diving leaders take on much of the responsibility for logistical planning.

Unfortunately, this lulls many divers into a false sense of security, one in which they lack a realistic appreciation for dive planning or risk. Divers must become practiced at logistical planning and should never blindly trust arrangements made by others.

Establish parameters

Divers can use a variety of constraints to set cave diving parameters. The risk of a particular dive is often greatly magnified (if not created) by the absence or breach of appropriate diving parameters (e.g., breaking the thirds rule). Fatal accidents are replete with cave divers who failed to establish sensible limitations or ignored

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established parameters, resulting in insufficient breathing gas, extended decompression obligation, and/or team separation. All parameters, including time limitations, should be set from the perspective of the worst-case scenario.

Time

Cave divers must define when their dive will take place and agree upon an acceptable bottom time limit. Bottom time limits will largely correspond to the experience of team members and to the demands of a particular diving environment (e.g., the depth of a cave system). For example, divers uneasy with decompression diving will have their bottom time limits set by the planned diving depth. In contrast, cave divers who are experienced with decompression will have their bottom times limited by what would be considered an ‘acceptable’ decompression time. Divers who are new to decompression should proceed gradually, adding longer decompression times as they become more comfortable.

Other factors may also impact dive length: thermal considerations, DPV burn time, breathing gas supply, nutritional needs, and lighting requirements, perhaps. For example, divers should leave at least a 20% reserve on their primary light, while each backup light should allow them to exit from maximum penetration (i.e., two reserves and one primary). Divers should also be very familiar with their DPV battery burn time (through burn testing) and ensure that they can still exit in the event of DPV failure. In the case of their breathing supply, cave divers should maintain two-thirds of their supply for diving (one-third for each direction) and one-third for emergencies.

Depth

The phrase “deep diving” is largely meaningless outside the context of individual experience and team preparedness; however, dives exceeding 30 m/100 ft, especially in a cave environment, require increasingly greater levels of experience and preparation. Moreover, beyond (and, in many cases, near) 30 m/100 ft, divers should use helium-based mixtures to eliminate the onset of narcotic impairment. Trying to go beyond these depths while diving air has become indefensible today.

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Mixed-gas diving has all but eliminated the most obvious risk to deep diving, and, amongst most sensible divers, has greatly reduced overall risk. However, deeper mixed-gas diving in the cave environment entails an array of other risks, such as greater decompression obligations and limitations related to time, breathing gas supply, and ascent profiles. Deeper diving in a cave environment adds an entirely new layer of complexity to standard cave diving; getting turned around or entangled at 9 m/30 ft while cave diving is much different than getting turned around or entangled at 91 m/300 ft where time is of the essence. Therefore, divers who undertake deeper cave dives must be well versed in the mechanics of decompression and be prepared to manage problems efficiently.

Finally, deeper cave dives require more attention to established time constraints because lost minutes can result in exponential increases in decompression obligation, which greatly impacts breathing supply requirements. Many divers have unwittingly established insurmountable obstacles for themselves by extending their time at depth without reserve gas supplies or contingency plans.

Assign responsibility

For the enjoyment and safety of the cave diving team, dives require that certain team members perform certain tasks. In cave diving, the ideal team size has been traditionally set at three (though some situations, such as a small cave, may benefit from fewer team members), with each diver responsible for a set of tasks. Some of these tasks are the responsibility of one diver for the benefit of the group: running a guideline in an overhead, for instance. Other tasks require the commitment of each team member, such as gas management and team unity. Regardless of individual or assigned team responsibilities, divers should be able to function in all necessary capacities. Tasks relating mainly to one diver (such as running the reel) should be well supported by the entire team. For instance, when one diver is running the line, other team members should help illuminate the area, provide assistance with loose line, and help with placement to avoid line traps. Of course, team divers

should always be prepared to come to each other’s aid and, in the event a diver is unable to accomplish their task, be ready to assume their duties. The benefits of teamwork in these settings cannot be overstated.

Contingency planning

Well-crafted dive plans account for contingencies: unplanned increases in bottom time, extensions in decompression obligations, team separation, decompression sickness, lost divers, injured divers, or failed equipment. In many cases, the most basic plan can greatly alter the risk of a dive and/or the success of an emergency response. For instance, divers suffering from decompression illness enjoy substantially greater recovery the sooner they receive recompression treatment. Divers should always inform a third party of their diving plan, carry relevant emergency contact information, and use any available communication devices such as cell phones and radios. With a little forethought,

contingency plans can have a dramatic impact on emergency response and successful treatment of injured divers.

Evaluate equipment

All cave divers should be very familiar with individual, team, and emergency equipment.

However, leading explorers long ago recognized that true familiarity with another diver’s equipment was difficult without standardized configurations. This consideration is one of the mainstays of GUE diving, which promotes team standardization as a key component of team/ individual safety. Furthermore, divers should conduct regular maintenance on equipment and frequently test life support gear. For example, regulators and cylinders require yearly maintenance and/or testing, battery powered lights require burn tests and/or voltage metering, and most equipment should be visually inspected for leaking or damaged components regularly.

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

Cave diver securing a jump spool to a permament line before jumping across a gap to another fixed line.

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BREATHING GAS LOGISTICS A variety of gases are available to diving teams who seek to explore both conventional and unconventional diving depths and times. Cave dive planning includes generating decompression tables, choosing the right gas mixes, planning oxygen and narcosis levels, and establishing breathing gas parameters.

Decompression tables

PHOTOHALCYON DIVE SYSTEMS Standard gases

Many cave divers have been led to believe that great precision is needed when calculating a ‘best mix’ for a particular dive. Actually, such mixes do not perceptibly improve the efficiency of a diver’s decompression; rather, they can place divers at greater risk as they near individual limits. In contrast, standard mixes allow divers to become familiar with a handful of mixes with comparable efficiency levels. This familiarity, coupled with a more liberal safety margin, makes the standard mixes a wise choice for nearly any diving operation.

All dive tables must include a schedule with the expected decompression plus and minus at least 30% for depth and time. Cave divers DECOMPRESSION CONSIDERATIONS should study these tables so they can evaluate the trend of the decompression should they Choosing decompression mixtures is based need to extrapolate from it.

Cave divers should also generate contingency primarily on cost-benefit analysis. Individuals must weigh the difficulty and logistical feasibilitables to enable them to adjust their decomty of carrying a particular set of decompression pression schedule in the event of a lost or nongases against the benefits derived from these. functional decompression bottle. They should Though using a variety be able to adjust their of decompression gases decompression with may reduce ‘calculated’ any combination of Cave dive planning includes decompression, they may remaining gases. For generating decompression also increase task loading example, a cave diver tables, choosing the right and fatigue. who loses their oxygen gas mixes, planning oxygen Furthermore, maintainbottle should be able ing high partial pressures to do the entire deand narcosis levels, and of oxygen with multiple compression on other establishing breathing gas mixtures results in vasoavailable gases. parameters. constriction (a reduction Experienced cave in off-gassing potential), divers carry and are increased pulmonary irritation (likely with readept at using decompression tables; they are also able to extrapolate from a memorized table duced diffusion efficiency), and increased CNS to any reasonable schedule they may encounter. toxicity risk. Sensible divers vary gas mixtures by weighing the benefit of each gas introduced Skilled divers develop an understanding of how against the ‘cost’ of doing so. For example, decompression tables are generated and indivers will quickly notice that on a 45 m/150 ft vest time in understanding the effects of alterdive, using oxygen and 50% nitrox is more than ations in the plan (lost gas or increased time/ sufficient for efficient decompression, while depth). Divers can create many rough guides adding 35% to these has a negligible impact and general rules to familiarize themselveswith decompression trends and adjust for unplanned on decompression but adds additional drag, weight, and risk. Divers can evaluate the benefit situations. Of course, these divers should still of additional decompression mixes by entering reference diving tables. But, the intuitive understandard mixes into a conventional decompresstanding of decompression accumulation simplifies dive planning and reduces divers’ risks of sion program like GUE’s DecoPlanner.

Bottom mixes with conservative pO2s and low accruingunacceptable decompression obligaENDs provide divers with sound safety martions when their plans change.

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PHOTO DAVID RHEA

WKPP RB80 divers decompressing after a dive.

Wakulla Springs Cave System, Florida (USA). gins. A 1.4 pO2 limit should be considered the maximum permissible for breathing mixtures while exerting, and 1.6 while decompressing. To provide for better safety margins, divers should choose from established standard mixes. In cases where dives require very long immersions or are carried out at questionable depths, divers should hold closer to 1.0 pO2. In cases of moderate diving activity, pO2s should fall somewhere in between.

additional positive buoyancy. Except for oxygen bottles that are often steel (because they can be left behind while cave diving), all other stage bottles should be aluminum to simplify transportation in the cave.

Travel mixes

Historically, travel mixes were used to allow mixed-gas divers—who were using breathing mixtures with very low oxygen content—a mix to breathe near the surface and during their deCylinder choices scent. The concept of a travel mix is somewhat For cave diving, steel back gas cylinders are more appropriate in cave diving where dives relatively common. They provide large reserves may involve lengthy travel before they reach of gas and, in most cases, eliminate the need for their anticipated depth. The main purpose of a additional weight. However, cave divers in shaltravel mix is to provide a pO2 that will sustain divers in cases where the bottom mix pO2 is low low, warm water are more likely to use aluminum tanks. In either case, conditions may result enough to pose the risk of unconsciousness. in a diver that is too positive (such as with heavy When divers are safely out of the hypoxic danger zone (near 0.15 pO2), they will switch to their undergarments). In this case, steel backplates bottom mix and continue their descent. and/or v-weights can be added to offset the

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In practice, mixed gas divers will use a decompression gas to descend to an appropriate depth. Usually, this will be their deeper decompression gas. However, divers with lengthy travels may require additional gas for decompression and/or travel. This form of diving can add notable complexity as any given section of cave might be too shallow to breathe the bulk of a diver’s gas supply.

quickly. Inexperienced divers riding scooters have been found thousands of feet from the surface confronting potentially fatal scenarios without the knowledge or experience to handle them. Other inexperienced divers have ridden scooters well beyond their level of experience and lost their lives as a result. Most of the problems associated with scooters are, in fact, created by irresponsible divers.

Popular wisdom suggests that, when diving Thermal conductivity with a scooter, divers should use only oneHelium-based mixtures contribute significantly sixth of their gas supply for penetration. Such to heat loss when divers are immersed, as is rules, however, are so generic that they are not the case of drysuit inflation. Individuals should useful in active dive planning. While this type not underestimate the thermal loss that can of gas management rule may be appropriate result from helium mixes or the subtle but dan- in some cases, it is typically overly consergerous impairment of hypothermia. vative. More realistically, the particular dive Because helium transmits heat very effilocation, its specific conditions, and the dive ciently (with a thermal conductivity six times plans themselves will dictate reasonable gas that of air) divers should always use an auxilplanning for a scooter dive. Having said that, iary gas for suit inflation. While air is certainly however, a good general rule would be not to better than helium for suit inflation, argon has scooter to an area one cannot swim out of in a heat transfer capacity that is about 66% that the event of a scooter failure. This rule proof compressed air, which makes argon the tects divers who have a scooter failure and are preferred gas for suit inflation. Though carbon forced to swim out or tow one another from a dioxide also has a low heat conduction capacdistant point in the cave. Individuals with more ity, when moisture is present, carbonic acid—a cave diving experience develop proficiency at skin irritant—may form, making argon a better gauging their ability to swim from a given locachoice. tion, enhancing their ability to safely plan DPV dives. Dives in which it is impractical to swim DIVER PROPULSION VEHICLES (DPVs) from maximum penetration require safety scooters and the requisite training to manage Diver propulsion vehicles (DPVs), or scooters, multiple DPVs. have become progressively more common in Divers considering using a scooter in the recent years. Many avid divers find that few cave should be very comfortable with normal pieces of equipment bring more fun and excite- cave diving. They should have refined their ment to their diving than do scooters. Though swimming and stage diving skills and proven scooters do offer several unique benefits, they themselves capable of detailed dive planning. can also give rise to several problems, ranging For some, this level of proficiency may take from environmental damage to the potential for hundreds of cave dives. Scooter diving classes compromised personal safety. can also prove to be an essential part of safe Historically, scooters have been viewed with DPV diving. Instructors with ample experisuspicion because they allow divers to achieve ence can impart not only lifesaving skills but significant penetrations regardless of their can also tutor the DPV student in proper dive experience. Usually, new divers are limited by planning and emergency procedures. Scooter their own ability, and they typically penetrate diving can revolutionize diving fun and safety, deep into the cave only after their level of or it can create untold levels of risk and damproficiency increases. Scooters, however, can age. Safety and responsibility nearly always increase an inexperienced diver’s range very boil down to personal choices.

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PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

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Scooter diving can revolutionize diving fun and safety, or it can create untold levels of risk and damage.

Cave divers thinking about using a scooter should demonstrate expertise in meticulous dive planning.

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“

The definition of human error can be expanded to include poor diver training, lack of focused preparation, inability to manage complex systems, and chronic failure to carry sufficient open-circuit reserves.

CAVE DIVING AND REBREATHERS Rebreather systems capture divers’ exhaust gas, scrub this exhalation of CO2, and add fresh oxygen. Simply put, the value and the risk of rebreathers is a topic of substantial complexity. On the one hand, these various advantages promise great benefits. The lack of bubbles can be useful in silty conditions; the recycled gas greatly extends the utility of a given gas supply; the closed circuit and the conversion of CO2 create a warm and moist environment, reducing thermal loss and dehydration.

Unfortunately, rebreathers also have the potential to increase risk by expanding complexity, creating reliance upon technology and its attendant failures, and creating a false sense of security among those that fail to properly account for failures. Most people agree, more or less, upon the various benefits with rebreather diving. Yet, articulating the risk of rebreather diving becomes extremely difficult and quickly expands beyond the scope of this article. In simplifying such a debate, it can be said that most problems with rebreathers seem to involve human error.

The definition of human error can be expanded to include poor diver training, lack of focused preparation, inability to manage complex systems, and chronic failure to carry sufficient open-circuit reserves. There is probably a reasonable consensus on the premise that humans can greatly limit the risk of rebreather systems.

However, these factors and many others are surprisingly subjective and fill volumes of books and pages of forum posts.

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For the purposes of this text, the questions are “Which human?” and “In which circumstances can or should they be able to overcome common problems?” For example, most of the risk in rebreather diving could be fixed with robust diver training, methodical care of rebreather systems, repetitive training in failures management, and substantial open-circuit reserves. There might still be disagreement about the value of using such systems in recreational dives, which seems at casual glance to be a bit like using a race car to travel crowded streets on the way to the grocery store. However, these guidelines seem to be a good starting place for those interested in rebreather cave diving. The authors would strongly encourage any participants to first establish solid cave diving experience and commit to the previous structured approach for training and preparation.

The devil is in the details

The primary goal of all dive planning is diver safety; achieving a particular depth or distance is merely a secondary, optional objective.

Whether it’s locating the nearest decompression chamber while diving in Mexico, calculating required gas mixes for a deep dive, setting up a traverse or circuit, maintaining one’s life-support equipment, or checking a buddy’s gear before a dive begins, a well-planned and practiced dive is an enjoyable one. Attention to detail is critical to each and every part of planning a dive. In all forms of diving, but especially in overhead diving, hastily calculated gas mixes or lax pre-dive practices can easily lead to compromising situations whose outcomes can be fatal.

PHOTO KIRILL EGOROV

Scooters and closedcircuit rebreathers (CCRs) are invaluable assets for cave exploration.

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GUE PREMIUM DIVE CENTERS Area 9 Mastery Diving – Kralendijk, Bonaire  www.masterydiving.com

Base1 – Sardinia, Italy  www.baseone.it

Deep Dive Dubai – Dubai, UAE  www.deepdivedubai.com

Dive Centre Bondi – Bondi, NSW, Australia  www.divebondi.com.au

Duikcentrum de Aalscholvers – Tilburg, Netherlands  www.aalscholvers.nl

Eight Diving – Des Moines, WA, USA  www.8diving.com

Exploration Diver – Hangzhou, China  www.facebook.com/qiandaolake

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Islas Hormigas – Cabo de Palos, Spain  www.islashormigas.com

Living Oceans – Singapore  www.livingoceans.com.sg

Plongée Nautilus – Quebec City, QC, Canada  www.plongeenautilus.com

Scuba Academie – Vinkeveen, Netherlands  www.scuba-academie.nl 66

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Tec Diving – Luzern, Switzerland  www.tecdiving.ch

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Zero Gravity – Quintana Roo, Mexico  www.zerogravity.com.mx

DIVE CENTER

2023

PREMIUM

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GUE DIVE CENTERS Buddy Dive Resort – Bonaire  www.buddydive.com

China Dive Club – Hainan Province, China Dive Alaska – Anchorage, AK, USA  www.divealaska.net

Diveolution – Kessl-Lo, Belgium  www.diveolution.com

Faszination-Tauchsport – Sauerlach, Germany  www.faszination-tauchsport.de

Innovative Divers – Bangkok, Thailand  www.facebook.com/innovativedivers

KrakenDive – Tossa de Mar, Spain  www.krakendive.com

Living Oceans Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  www.livingoceans.com.my

Moby Tek Dive Center – Pahang, Malaysia  www.moby-tek.com

Paragon Dive Group – Arizona, USA  www.paragondivestore.com

Scuba Adventures – Plano, TX, USA  www.scubaadventures.com

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Scuba Seekers – Dahab, Egypt  www.scubaseekers.com

Tauchservice Münster – Münster, Germany  www.tauchservice.info

Tech Asia – Puerto Galera, Philippines  www.techasia.ph

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