Description: Are you a serious adventure seeker wishing to explore overhead environments? Sign up for the Cavern Diver course. This 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 is 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.
Prerequisites:
Minimum age 18 years old (15 with parental consent)
Open Water Scuba Diver certification or equivalent
Proof of 25 logged dives
Schedule:
4 training full days
Departure from Playa city center
Included:
Experienced Full Cave Instructor
Knowledge Review session
Maximum of 3 students per instructor
Digital material & certification card
Not included:
Cenote Entrance Fees (they may vary from 17 to 27 USD)
Lunch
Complete overhead environment gear (60usd for the 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.
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
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
Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:
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 backup light to exit
Demonstrate buoyancy control, proper trim, and propulsion techniques
Equipment check and matching
Demonstrate adequate predive planning
Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in cavern diving activities without direct supervision so long as the following limits are adhered to:
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 meters/130 feet
Penetration is limited to 61 linear meters/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
Minimum certification requirements:
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
Questions about the pricing:
All prices are per person
All prices are in US Dollars and are subject to change without notice
Our prices include 16% sales tax
We know that things can happen before or when on vacations. We are 100% honest and transparent with our refund and cancellation policy. Please read our Terms & Conditions before you book