TDI Cavern Course
Who this course is for:
- The certified diver who has interest in moving forward with overhead environment diving and expanding their diving techniques, capabilities, and more!
- Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
- Provide proof of an SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent
- Proof of 25 logged dives
- 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
- Equipment configurations
- Communication (light and hand signals)
- Swimming techniques
- Body posture/trim
- Buoyancy control
- Line following
- Propulsion (finning) techniques
- Physiology
- Breathing techniques
- Stress management
- Cavern environment
- Cavern conservation
- Problem solving
- Emergency procedures
- Equipment failure
- Silting conditions
- Accident analysis
- Cavern diving etiquette
- Review of dive tables and decompression theory
- 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 predive planning
- 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
- Perform all land drills and cavern dive requirements efficiently
- Demonstrate mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
- Maintain an appropriate level of awareness and respect for the environment
- Log all training dives