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ADVANCED SIDEMOUNT CAVE 

Extreme cave and no-mount techniques
In a Nutshell

The Advanced Sidemount Cave Diver course is designed for a very small subset of experienced cave divers who intentionally choose to operate at the outer limits of overhead diving.
 

This training addresses ultra-restricted cave environments where full cylinder removal, zero visibility, extreme confinement, and complete self-reliance are not exceptions — they are normal operating conditions.
 

At this level, mistakes are no longer forgiving. Space is minimal. Visibility may be nonexistent. In some situations, assistance from teammates or the instructor is physically impossible.
 

This course is not about progression. It is about exposure, control, and survival under extreme constraint.
This is widely regarded as the pinnacle of sidemount cave diving.
 

Minimum course duration: 5 days.

A Word of Warning

This course involves high-risk activities conducted in unforgiving environments.

  • Divers will operate in passages where movement is severely restricted

  • Cylinder removal and repositioning is required

  • Zero-visibility scenarios are routine

  • Stress, confinement, and task loading are deliberately high

  • Immediate assistance may not be possible
     

Participation requires:

  • Exceptional mental discipline

  • Absolute equipment familiarity

  • Calm, rational decision-making under pressure

  • Acceptance of the real consequences of failure
     

A specific liability waiver and risk acknowledgment is required prior to training.
 

This course is not appropriate for most cave divers, regardless of certification level.

Who This Course Is For

This course is intended exclusively for highly experienced sidemount cave divers who already demonstrate:

  • Excellent technical control

  • Emotional stability under stress

  • Conservative judgment

  • Strong self-awareness and humility
     

You should already be fully comfortable with:

  • Full Cave procedures in sidemount

  • Complex navigation

  • Restrictions requiring physical commitment

  • Advanced gas management

  • Emergency procedures without external support
     

This course does not teach basics.
It tests and refines the absolute limits of your capability.
 

Student selection is deliberate and strict.

Prerequisites

  • Minimum age: 24

  • TDI Full Cave Diver (or equivalent)

  • TDI Sidemount Cave Diver (or equivalent)

  • TDI Nitrox (Nitrox 32 used as standard gas)

  • Minimum 150 logged sidemount cave dives

  • Proven experience in restricted sidemount cave environments

The Real Challenge

Advanced sidemount cave diving is not primarily technical.
It is psychological. It is a "mind game".
 

As restrictions tighten, divers experience:

  • Elevated cognitive load

  • Confinement stress

  • Sensory deprivation

  • Rapid escalation of consequences
     

The ability to slow down, breathe, think, and act deliberately is what separates capable divers from dangerous ones.

This course focuses heavily on mental preparedness, stress recognition, and self-control — because without them, technique is meaningless.

Training Content (overview)

In-water training includes:

  • Valve drills and gas management in zero visibility

  • Bump-and-go procedures in extremely tight spaces

  • Passing restrictions while pushing both cylinders

  • Pull-and-glide propulsion in confined passages

  • Line-pull and finger-walk

  • Advanced problem-solving:

    • Leaks

    • Valve failures

    • Rigging failures

    • Hose bursts

    • Second stage malfunction

  • Unscrewing and exchanging first stages

  • Breathing from valves, hoses, air guns, and corrugated hoses

  • Guideline failures:

    • Broken or missing line

    • Entanglement scenarios

Land-based training covers:

  • Advanced gear workshops and configuration refinement

  • Minimalistic, clean sidemount setups for extreme restrictions

  • Advanced short-hose regulator configurations (including reversed setups)

Academic presentations explore:

  • Advanced gas planning and contingency management

  • Risk assessment in ultra-restricted penetrations

  • Psychological and physiological stress responses

  • Mind control, stress recognition, and mitigation

  • Equipment durability and failure patterns

  • Impact management and cave conservation

Briefings and debriefings:

Extensive, uncompromising, and continuous.
Nothing is left unexamined.

Course Duration
 

Minimum durations shown

Advanced Sidemount Cave

5 days

Students must dive with CDT Mexico for at least 2 days in restricted cave environments for an assessment. Participation in the course is not guaranteed!

Get Ready

Only divers who can remain calm, rational, and disciplined
— alone, confined, and under stress —
belong at this level.

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