Cave Diver

Course Description

This course builds on the knowledge, skills and experience students gain during the Apprentice Cave Diver course. In addition to ensuring students have maintained knowledge and skill proficiency from the Apprentice course, the Cave Diver course focuses on:

• Cave navigation involving jumps and gaps and, at a minimum, the theory behind complex circuits and traverses (those requiring the establishment of a halfway or “point of no return”).

• How students can apply their open-water decompression training to caves.

Course Equipment Requirements

In addition to the equipment requirements listed for Apprentice Cave Diver, students may need to supply one or more prepely configured decompression cylinders.

Course Prerequisites

• NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver or equivalent.

Additionally, if the course is to include planned decompression dives, students must possess appropriate certification from a widely recognized diver training organization. This training must cover:

• Use of pure oxygen or oxygen-rich decompression mixtures
• Procedures for decompression diving

This training may take place concurrently with NSS-CDS Cave Diver training.

How long will this take?

This course generally takes four days. Students must accrue at least 360 minutes of bottom time over at least eight dives.