Full Cave

4 Days                         8 Dives                         $995

This class, the 3rd and final stage of overhead environment training certifies you to plan and execute cave dives without direct supervision with the following requirements:

  • 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,” to a maximum depth of 40 m/130 ft
  • Diver must maintain a continuous guideline
  • Proper cave diving equipment must be used
  • Safety and decompression stops as appropriate or necessary

*This cave diving course is not intended to prepare divers for evaluating all facets of cave diving*

This course is for certified Intro to cave divers who want to expand their capabilities and range. Advanced cave dive planning and practical execution of different types of cave systems and scenarios divers encounter are presented. The objective of this course is to expand and critique previous skills accomplished in the Cavern and Intro to Cave classes. Emphasis is placed upon dive planning and skill perfection through actual cave penetration.


Course prerequisites:

Intro to Cave diver certification, minimum age 18

Decompression diver certification if decompression dives are to be conducted OR this training may be conducted concurrently


What will I learn?

Over a minimum of 8 dives and several theory sessions you’ll cover

  • Standard cave diving policies
  • Gas management procedures – including matching tank volumes/dissimilar volumes; review of dive tables and decompression theory
  • Equipment considerations – options for cylinders and gear; gear configuration; correct weighting and trim, options for reels
  • Communication – both hand and light signals
  • Physiology – breathing techniques and stress management; Decompression theory and its application to cave diving
  • Land drills – deploying line, following line, simulating emergency procedures
  • Predive planning
  • In water skills – buoyancy, trim, finning techniques, deploying and following a line, using line markers, using reels to perform jumps
  • Problem solving – including emergency procedures – lost line, lost diver, equipment failures and dealing with silt
  • Accident analysis
  • Cave diving etiquette
  • Cave environment and conservation