Introductory cave diving is the second level in the development of safe techniques for cave diving, directly building upon the cavern diver course. This introduction to cave diving is not intended to train divers for all facets of cave diving. The objective of this course is the perfection of skills taught in the cavern diving program with additional techniques and procedures required for elementary cave dives.
Structure:
• The minimum number of classroom and briefing hours is four (4).
• Course must be taught over 2 days.
• If this course is combined with a cavern diver course it is a minimum of 3 days and a total of 8 dives and 180 bottom time minutes.
You will learn the following:
• How to properly deploy a guideline.
• How to properly follow a guideline.
• Use of safety reel in lost diver procedures.
• Use of safety reel in lost line drill.
S-drill and skills during all dives:
• Demonstrate adequate pre-dive planning.
• Equipment check and gear matching.
• Bubble check.
• Demonstrate specialized propulsion techniques in varying types of flow.
• Demonstrate proper buoyancy control.
• Demonstrate proper body posture.
• Demonstrate proper stress analysis (detection and management).
In-water skills during cave dives:
• Properly deploy a guideline.
• Properly use line markers.
• Properly follow a guideline with eyes open and closed (simulating loss of visibility).
• Air share with a buddy with eyes open, following the guideline.
• Air share with a buddy with lights off, eyes closed and use touch contact, following the guideline.
• Remove and replace mask while in contact with guideline.
• Demonstrate light / hand -signals and touch contact.
• Conservation and awareness techniques.
• Referencing as back-up navigation.
• Demonstrate adequate anti-silting techniques.
• Simulate a primary light failure, and use back light to exit the cave.
• Demonstrate lost line and lost diver drills.
Required equipment:
• Twinset or two independent cylinders of minimum capacity 1415l each for sidemounted configuration (only if the student is certified as a sidemounted diver)
• Two independent first and second stage regulators. One regulator equipped with a long hose at a recommended minimum length of two (2) meters / seven (7) feet.
• Submersible pressure gauge.
• Buoyancy Compensator with power inflator.
• Exposure suit adequate for diving environment.
• Mask and fins – NO snorkel.
• Line cutting device.
