TDI INTRO TO CAVE DIVER COURSE
DURATION
3 days
IN A NUTSHELL
The TDI Intro to Cave Diver course follows the Cavern Diver course, focusing on techniques, procedures, and protocols for safe cave diving, with an emphasis on conservative gas management and safe penetration distances. You'll encounter new challenges, but our comprehensive training equips you to handle them effectively. Skills like line placement, positioning, communication, and awareness, developed in the Cavern Diver course, gain deeper importance as you venture beyond the daylight zone into the cave. You'll learn to address issues along the line and plan complex dives.
This course takes you past the cavern zone into the cave's dark environment. Skills such as team positioning, line management, and environmental awareness become critical. Enhanced communication and situational awareness are vital for safe cave diving.
In essence, the TDI Intro to Cave Diver course provides advanced skills and knowledge to navigate cave environments confidently, preparing divers for deeper exploration and the Full Cave Diver course.
-
TDI Intro to Cave = 3 days
-
TDI Cavern + TDI Intro to Cave = 7 days
-
TDI Intro to Tech + TDI Cavern + TDI Intro to Cave = 9 days
-
TDI Sidemount + TDI Cavern + TDI Intro to Cave = 10 days
-
TDI Sidemount + TDI Cavern + TDI Intro to Cave + TDI Full Cave Diver = 14 days
​
Divers who have not trained with CDT Mexico at previous levels, have not dived the prior level in over three months, or completed their last course with us more than 12 months ago must undergo a one-day skills assessment review.
PRE-REQUISITES
Students must be 18 years old, and:
-
Certified as a TDI Intro to Tech diver (or equivalent or proven experience), if training in a backmount configuration
-
Certified as a TDI Sidemount diver (or equivalent or proven experience), if training in a sidemount configuration
-
Certified as a TDI Nitrox diver (or equivalent), as we use Nitrox32 as a standard breathing gas
-
Certified as a TDI Cavern diver (or equivalent)
-
Have a minimum of 50 logged dives
SKILLS & CHALLENGES AHEAD
The Intro to Cave Diver Course marks the step from cavern and intro-level training into true overhead environments. You’ll build on previous skills, refine your techniques, and develop the mindset required to safely venture into the cave.
In-water training includes:
-
Refining fundamental diving skills.
-
Following a continuous guideline as a team.
-
Advanced team communication.
-
Advanced propulsion techniques for precise control.
-
Touch contact communication and procedures in low or zero visibility.
-
Handling emergencies from previous levels under more challenging conditions.
-
Broken guideline and lost line procedures.
-
Lost diver and team separation drills.
Land-based training covers:
-
Simulations of disorientation and missed intersections.
-
Lost line, broken line, and lost diver scenarios.
-
Team separation exercises.
-
Thorough briefings and debriefings to reinforce learning.
Classroom presentations and discussions explore:
-
Gas management strategies (rule of sixths, conservatism).
-
Cave types, etiquette, and environmental considerations.
-
Bottom and ceiling awareness, and how to prevent silt-outs.
-
Psychological and physiological challenges of longer penetrations.
-
Stress recognition, self-control, and effective mindset management.
-
Conservation and responsible cave diving practices.
The challenge of Intro to Cave diving:
Diving into darkness under an overhead environment requires heightened awareness, refined buoyancy and propulsion, and excellent teamwork. You’ll face disorientation risks, reduced visibility from silt-outs, and the presence of other divers and their equipment inside the cave.
By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills and confidence to manage these environments safely, while building the awareness and mindset needed for more advanced cave diving.
