Purpose

The TDI Cavern course is designed to teach safe exploration of the cavern environment. The course develops and establishes the skills, knowledge, dive planning abilities, problem solving procedures and the basic abilities to safely cavern dive.

Prerequisites

• Must meet the TDI General Course Prerequisites

• Must be qualified as an Advanced Open Water Diver with a minimum of 25 logged non-training dives

• Must be a minimum of 15 years of age with parent approval

• Be a non-smoker

Training Materials

TDI Cavern and Cave Diving Manual

Duration

The TDI Cavern course includes six hours of academics as well as 4-6 dives completed over 2 days.

Course Content

The TDI Cavern course cumulatively includes a minimum of 20 hours of instruction encompassing equipment configuration, dive planning, propulsion techniques, operational considerations, guideline use, failures and protocols.

Academic Topics

• TDI organization

• Course Standards and Procedures

• Course completion requirements

• Accident Analysis

• Conservation

• Land owner relations

• Cave types, entrances and formations

• Buoyancy, trim and propulsion techniques

• Equipment for the overhead environment

• Reels and guidelines

• Communication

• Pre-dive planning

• Hazards of the cavern / cave environment

• Psychology and stress management

• Problem solving and emergency procedures

Surface Drills and Skills

• Pre-dive S-drills

• Communications

• Air sharing techniques

• Reel and guideline use

• Propulsion techniques

• Off line exercises

• Lost diver exercises

In-water Skill Requirements

• Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this includes pre-dive preparations, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment

• Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner needs

• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver

• Comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments

• Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training

• Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim

• Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication

• Demonstrate proficiency with touch contact communication

• Demonstrate proficiency and understanding in regards to
  equipment configuration

• Swim a distance of 75' without a mask

• Swim in a simulated OOA situation without breathing for a distance of 45' and commence gas sharing

• Demonstrate controlled use of a reel while deploying and retrieving
  the guideline

• In the overhead environment, demonstrate a calm demeanor while following a guideline with eyes closed and maintaining proper trim and buoyancy control

• Follow a guideline while gas sharing with eyes closed and open

• Demonstrate proficiency making tie offs and wraps

• Demonstrate the deployment of a backup light in less than 30 seconds

Course Limits

• TDI General Program Limits

• Maximum student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 4 to 1

• Unobstructed exit with surface light must always be visible

• Maximum depth 130' or to students previous qualification

• All appropriate safety or required decompression stops must be performed

• The rule of 1/3rds must be applied from the point of entering the overhead environment until safe exit from the overhead environment

• The cavern diver will not pass any restrictions

• Initial visibility must be a minimum of 30'

• A continuous guideline to the surface must be in place at all times

Equipment Requirements

• Diving cylinder(s) to carry sufficient gas supply for completion of dive following the rule of thirds. We generally teach this course using doubles

• Alternate second stage or redundant gas supply. A 7' hose with backup around neck attached with bungee necklace

• Pressure gauge (this should be a 2" gauge on approximately a 24" hose)

• Buoyancy control device ( should be a single "wing" style BCD)

• Mask and fins

• Means of monitoring depth and time. Depth gauge and bottom timer or a dive computer

• Dive table must be used backup computer or for control of the dive

• Appropriate exposure suit for the environment

• Slate and pencil or Wet Notes

• Cutting tool. Small knife or medical shears

• Primary light (preferably a canister style light)

• 2 backup lights

• Small reel or spool (75'-100' of line)

• Primary reel (400' of line)