Hello my friends,

This is my traditional email about the WE, only this time I also did a class with the Master JJ.

Well, after an 70 hour week of work I could not make the Friday night dive. So I did my first dive on Sat. Solo this time. I had a great time. 110 bottom time (100 feet). I went right into the bone room, jumped left into the mud tunnel, to the main line, up the roller coaster, back down the main line towards the mud tunnel but took the jump near the mud tunnel that goes to the big room. (very small with a stage!). Big room to bone room. Jumped back into the mud tunnel, tried all the lines there. Then across to the white room, back out. Into the wonder tunnel, jumped to big room. Turned, back into the wonder tunnel to the end. (cold) and out of the cave! That was brilliant! 53 minutes deco, plenty of time to read what I had brought for the occasion.

Second dive was with Rick. We did the Double lines extended circuit. We took the second double lines jump after Hill 400. Went up past the ice room, to the back to back arrows. Through the windows, jumped right where the line makes a right angle (1st entry into double lines). Went through some tight stuff to take a left on the 1st T. Down to small jump. Then to the whale bone and out to the Syphon tunnel line. This whole backyard of double lines is a really good place to practice buoyancy.

Only one dive on Sunday, but the best dive of all! This one was with Rick and David. We sandwiched David as he hadn't been where we were going before. I was in front, Rick in the back. We basically went the opposite way to last dive: Hill 400, Syphon Tunnel, Double lines - Whale bone, right at T to small jump. But this time we took a right hand turn on the T towards Sherwood. There it gets very tough not to touch anything! But then it gets very roomy. Before reaching Sherwood there's another tight spot -- after 2 more Ts and a dome. Then it's all downhill. 95 minutes -- cool.

Then the Tech Nitrox class started. JJ had 2 assistants from Brazil: Marcus Werneck and Patrick Muller.The 2 other students were not very prepared at all. They had not cave dived since 1.5 year ago. The had stuff like Transpac and all the usual suspect gear for cave diving! Despite some major re-config and practice with stages before the dives, things did not go very well. On the first dive we dropped the stages before the key hole and one of the students gave thumbs up at the junction room (after the corn flakes). It was a mistaken reading of his gauge. JJ showed it to him and we continued a bit further. On the second dive (tuesday), we made it to the end of the bone room, a bit beyond 1000 feet after a very messy jump and various other problems. When we started back, and had to manage light failures and out of air diver, things went a bit hectic to say the least. Stage pickup was entertaining.

Well all in all, JJ suggested that I come to some other class. He thought that I was not learning enough from the class. He'll let me know when he has divers who are more conformable so that we can do some fun things.

There you go, that's it for the news. Sorry for the length.

Take care.

Herve.