Want to learn cavern diving? Start today.
What you will learn
The Cavern Diver is course is designed to develop the minimum skills and knowledge for cavern and overhead environment diving within the limits of light penetration, and outline specific hazards associated with cave diving.
The cavern diver course in not intended to provide instruction for cave diving environments. The objective of this course is to train divers in the proper planning, procedures, techniques and hazards of cavern diving.
1
Before your course starts
Eligibility & eLearning
Prerequisites – The following requirements must be met prior to commencing your training;
Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
Be an SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent
Proof of 25 logged dives
eLearning – After your eligibility prerequisites have been confirmed, we can send you an eLearning course code.
This will be generated by ourselves and sent to you in advance of starting any course.
2
Practical diver training
Cavern Diver Course
Avg. Duration – The cavern diver course takes between two and three days to complete.
Course Combinations – It is possible to combine the Cavern Diver course with the Intro to Cave course.
Other Considerations – You do not need any specific equipment for this course, it can be taken in recreational equipment, unless combining with the Intro to Cave Diver course.
3
Where to go from here
What next?
On Completion – You are able to dive the cavern zone within your training and certification limits, without the supervision of an instructor
The Next Level – Guaranteed you now have the bug for diving in overhead environments. As a qualified cavern diver you are now eligible to enrol on the TDI Intro to Cave Diver course.
Cavern Diver Course Skills & Learning
Course Content
What you can expect to learn
- Policy for cavern diving
Gas management procedures and management to include dissimilar volumes
Psychological considerations of cavern diving
Equipment considerations including: Cylinder options, Regulator options, Buoyancy compensator/harness options, Proper weighting, Reel options and Equipment configurations
Communication (light and hand signals)
Swimming techniques: Body posture/trim, Buoyancy control, Line following and Propulsion (finning) techniques
Physiology; Breathing techniques & Stress management
Cavern environment
Cavern conservation
Problem solving; Emergency procedures, Equipment failure and Silting conditions
Accident analysis
Cavern diving etiquette
Review of dive tables and decompression theory
Required Skills
Skills you will demonstrate
- Properly deploy a guideline
Properly follow a guideline with eyes open and closed (simulating loss of visibility)
Air share with a buddy with eyes open, following a guideline
Air share with a buddy with lights off and eyes closed, using touch contact while following the guideline
Remove and replace mask while in contact with the guideline
Demonstrate conservation, awareness, and back referencing techniques
Demonstrate light/hand signals and touch contact
Demonstrate anti-silting techniques
Simulate a primary light failure and use back up light to exit
Demonstrate buoyancy control, proper trim, and propulsion techniques
Equipment check and matching
Demonstrate adequate pre-dive planning
When Certified
What’s in it for you?
- The diving activities approximate those of training
Planned dives do not exceed diver’s current certification level
Penetration is limited to the “rule of thirds,” OR 1/6th if using doubles to a maximum depth of 40 metres/130 feet
Penetration is limited to 61 linear metres/200 linear feet from the surface
Proper cavern diving equipment must be used
Maintain a continuous guideline
No restrictions or areas that are too small for 2 divers to swim side by side
Safety stops as appropriate or necessary
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