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STAGE CAVE DIVER

Extending range using stage cylinders
In a Nutshell

The TDI Stage Cave Diver course is designed for divers seeking to extend penetration distances in caves through longer bottom times, advanced gas planning, and efficient management of stage cylinders.
 

Divers learn to handle additional cylinders, optimize gas reserves, recalculate thirds for greater contingency, and execute safe, longer penetrations with enhanced redundancy and safety margins.
 

Key emphasis is placed on cave conservation via proper cylinder staging techniques that minimize environmental impact.

The course addresses the psychological and physiological challenges of extended range, building stress management, awareness, and endurance.
 

It provides essential preparation for advanced training such as Deco Cave and DPV Cave.

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Minimum course duration: 3 days.

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for certified Full Cave divers who want to:
 

  • Extend penetration distances responsibly

  • Learn proper stage handling and placement

  • Refine planning for longer, more complex dives

  • Prepare for advanced exploration or future decompression cave diving
     

This is not an entry-level cave course. Solid buoyancy, trim, awareness, and team discipline are assumed.

Prerequisites

  • Minimum age: 18

  • TDI Full Cave (or equivalent)

  • TDI Nitrox (Nitrox 32 used as standard gas)

  • Minimum 10 logged cave dives

Skills & Challenges Ahead

Stage diving introduces new layers of complexity:
 

  • Increased task loading

  • Multiple gas sources

  • Drop, retrieval, and navigation decisions

  • Greater consequences of planning or execution errors
     

This course focuses on keeping dives simple, controlled, and conservative, even as range increases.

Training Content (overview)

In-water training includes:

  • Stage cylinder rigging and configuration

  • Stage handling and placement techniques

  • Gas tracking and verification procedures

  • Drop and pickup protocols

  • Team communication and positioning with stages

  • Failure management involving staged gas

  • Long-penetration dive execution

  • Valve drills, bump-and-go, restrictions, and pull-and-glide
    (all with an additional cylinder)

Land-based training covers:

  • Gear workshop

  • Rigging of stage cylinders

  • Regulator configuration

  • Valve drills with an additional cylinder

Academic presentations explore:

  • Gas management strategies for stage cave diving

  • Risk management and conservatism

  • Task loading and human factors

  • Progressive exposure and dive planning discipline

  • Stage diving ethics and cave conservation considerations

Course Combinations
 

Minimum durations shown

Stage Cave

3 days

Stage Cave + Cave Deco

5 days

Divers who have not trained with CDT Mexico previously, or who have been inactive beyond defined timeframes, may require a 1-day skills assessment.

Get Ready

Training is not about collecting a card.
It’s about earning real autonomy, safety, and confidence.
The objective: divers who can plan and execute dives independently.

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