General Information
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Hello and welcome to DiveCaves.com, formerly known as Cave and Technical Training. If you’re familiar with my old site you’ll notice that we have a new look. This basically came about because I wanted to try to share some of my more memorable cave experiences and wreck diving forays through the blogs to your left, that are now a part of things here. Cave (and wreck) diving is a wonderful way to escape the stresses and concerns of daily life so I thought you might want to read about some of the fun I’ve been having!
I also really hope that you get as much satisfaction and pleasure as I have from spending time in the beautiful waters that populate our earth. While I love all forms of diving, my passion is definitely caves, although deep wrecks are starting to become a very close second. My family and I are located in High Springs, Florida, where we’re lucky enough to work at a dive shop in the heart of “cave country”. Due to the numerous cave systems in the area, I’ve been able to learn from and dive with some of the most accomplished cave and technical divers in the world. The deep wrecks of Pompano Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and the Keys are also well within driving distance and I can tell you that I’m really starting to like this wreck diving stuff, even if it is done in salt water. 
I’ve always been a swimmer, taking life saving classes as a small kid, growing up just outside of London. After immigrating to the States with my family, I grew up playing in the gorgeous but chilly waters of Northern California. After getting scuba certified during the college years, I’ve been completely enraptured and absorbed by our underwater world. I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to a wide variety of diving environments ranging from the kelp fields of California to hard hat diving in Texas, and was smart enough after college to go play down in the islands for a while and spend time diving all over the Caribbean.
While living in the Virgin Islands, I completed a six month internship as a divemaster and soon after gained my instructor rating. I vividly remember taking a trip to High Springs in the early nineties and making my first dives into the Devil’s Eye and Ear, followed by forays into Peacock Slough and the wild flow of Little River. This hotshot Caribbean instructor was also shown how much he didn’t know by a local cave instructor and while humbled, learned a heck of a lot. It’s funny looking back now, ‘cause while I didn’t realize it at the time, by taking those first steps into the captivating underwater labyrinths of North Florida, I’d end up being completely hooked on cave diving! Luckily, I had the opportunity to move to the High Springs just after the turn of the millennium and was able to fulfill my goal of cave diving as much as possible. One thing led to another, I ended up marrying the woman of my dreams, followed by the arrival of a wonderful baby girl who now seems to be growing up very fast….
Anyways, if you’re interested in taking some classes, I can advise you that although cave and technical training can be rigorous and demanding, I will do my best to make your course a relaxed and enjoyable experience. I want my students to have fun, while teaching them the skills, practices and mindset needed to safely dive in the overhead environment. I also feel that education should not end with class, but develop into a mentoring process and much as I love teaching, my schedule tends to reflect the fact that one must set aside time for personal diving and exploration with former students and friends. I can however, teach a wide range of courses through a variety of different agencies and have a flexible schedule at the shop, so I can usually meet most scheduling needs with proper notice. More details can be found on the training links located in the upper left corner….
I’m always available for any questions and can be reached in a number of ways, the easiest is via email (rich@divecaves.com) and I’ll usually get back to you within twenty-four hours. I can also be reached at Cave Excursions East in High Springs at 386-454-7511.
Many thanks to my cave buddy and former student, James Garrett for setting this website up, I may know cave diving, but he knows computers! I’d also really like to thank my friends; Ed Jackson, Gene Page, Jeff Bauer and Jill Heinerth for letting me use their underwater photography on here. They have a wonderful way of capturing the silent beauty of our underwater caves for all to see….