• Open Circuit Divers
  The certified TDI Intro to Cave Diver (or equivalent), who has interest in moving forward with overhead environment diving and expanding their diving techniques, capabilities, range, and more!
• Rebreather Divers
  The certified TDI Rebreather Intro to Cave Diver (or equivalent), who has interest in moving forward with overhead environment diving and expanding their diving techniques, capabilities, range, and more.

(these requirements must be met prior to commencement of training):

Open Circuit Divers

• Minimum age 18
• Minimum certification of TDI Intro to Cave Diver, or equivalent
• If decompression dives are to be conducted in training, the student must be TDI Decompression Procedures certified or equivalent, or this training may be conducted concurrently. If courses are taught concurrently, ALL requirements for both courses must be met and registrations processed upon completion.

Rebreather Divers

• Minimum age 18
• Certified TDI CCR Air Diluent Decompression Procedures Diver certification or equivalent
• Provide proof of a minimum of 50 logged dives and 50 hours on the rebreather unit used in training
• Provide proof of certification as a TDI Rebreather Intro to Cave Diver or equivalent

The TDI Full Cave Diver Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more.

• Standard cave diving policies
• Gas management procedures and management to include dissimilar volumes
• Psychological considerations of cave diving
• Equipment considerations including:
  • Cylinder options
  • Regulator options
  • Buoyancy compensator/harness options
  • Proper weighting
  • Reel options
  • Equipment configurations
• Communication (light and hand signals)
• Swimming techniques
  • Body posture/trim
  • Buoyancy control
  • Line following
  • Propulsion (finning) techniques
• Physiology
  • Breathing techniques
  • Stress management
  • Decompression theory and its application to cave diving
• Cave environment
• Conservation
• Problem solving
  • Emergency procedures
  • Equipment failure
  • Silting conditions
• Accident analysis
• Cave diving etiquette

Required skills you will have to demonstrate include:

• Properly deploy a guideline
• Properly use directional and non-directional line markers
• Properly follow a guideline with eyes open and closed (simulating loss of visibility)
• Air share with a buddy with eyes open, following a guideline
• Air share with a buddy with lights off and eyes closed, using touch contact while following the guideline
• Remove and replace mask while in contact with the guideline
• Demonstrate conservation, awareness, and back referencing techniques
• Demonstrate light/hand signals and touch contact
• Demonstrate anti-silting techniques
• Simulate a primary light failure and use back up light to exit the cave
• Demonstrate lost line and lost diver drills
• Demonstrate use of reels to perform jumps and gaps required in circuits and traverses to maintain a continuous guideline to open water
• Demonstrate buoyancy control, proper trim, and propulsion techniques
• Demonstrate proper stress analysis (detection and management)
• Demonstrate specialized propulsion techniques in varying types of flow
• Equipment check and matching
• Demonstrate adequate predive planning

The TDI Rebreather Full Cave Diver Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:

• Policies for rebreather cavern diving
• Psychological considerations
• Equipment considerations
  • Bailout cylinder options
  • Rebreather configuration options
  • Scrubber options
  • Buoyancy compensator device (BCD) / harness options
  • Reel options
  • Proper weighting
  • Equipment configurations
• Communication
  • Hand signals
  • Light signals
  • Touch contact signals
• Swimming techniques
  • Body posture / trim
  • Buoyancy control and rebreather weighting
  • Line following techniques
  • Propulsion techniques
• Physiology
  • Breathing techniques
  • Stress management
• Cave environment
  • Geology
  • Local access requirements
  • Land owner relations
• Conservation
• Problem solving
  • Equipment failure
  • Silting conditions
• Accident analysis
• Review of dive tables and decompression theory
• Cavern diving with Open Circuit (OC) divers
  • Bailout configuration requirements
  • Out of gas emergencies
• Cavern diving etiquette

Some of the in-water skills include all of the following and more:

• How to properly:
  • Deploy a guideline
  • Follow a guideline
  • Conduct bailout exit including bottle swapping while following a guideline
  • Conduct bailout exit including bottle swapping simulating zero visibility and using touch contact while following a guideline
• Use of safety reel in:
  • Lost diver procedures
  • Lost line drill
• S-drills to be performed on all dives
• Demonstrate adequate pre-dive planning
• Equipment check and equipment matching
• Demonstrate:
  • Specialized propulsion techniques in varying types of flow
  • Proper buoyancy control, body posture, stress analysis, oxygen partial pressure management, and overall rebreather instruments analysis
• Remove and replace mask while in contact with the guideline
• Demonstrate light / hand signals and touch contact
• Execute conservation and awareness techniques
• Use 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 drills using instrumentation lighting only
• Demonstrate lost diver drills
• Demonstrate to use of reels to perform jumps and gaps required in circuits and traverses to maintain a continuous guideline to open water
• Exit the cave flying the rebreather in SCR mode
• Exit the cave simulating solenoid failure (if applicable)
• Demonstrate advanced navigation techniques including a minimum of:
  • 4 jumps
  • 2 circuits
• Demonstrate rebreather unit specific skills in compliance with current level of rebreather certification as outlined in the TDI course curriculum

*Note: At NO point during the TDI Rebreather Full Cave Diver Development Program should the diver be unable to monitor their PO2 while on their rebreather. Zero visibility drills must be performed in a realistic way, allowing the student the ability to monitor their handset or heads up display.

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in cave diving activities without direct supervision so long as the following limits are adhered to:

• 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 metres/130 feet
• Diver must maintain a continuous guideline
• Proper cave diving equipment must be used
• Safety and decompression stops as appropriate or necessary (if trained as TDI Decompression Diver or equivalent)

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in single guideline rebreather cave diving activities without direct supervision provided the graduates adhere to the following requirements:

• Diver carries adequate bailout to safely exit from the furthest point of penetration and complete and decompression stops using a minimum SAC rating of 30 litres per minute / 1 cubic foot per minute OR the students calculated elevated SAC rate to account for a CO2 event, whichever is greater
• The diving activities approximate those of training
• Planned dives do not exceed diver’s current certification level
• Diver must maintain a continuous guideline
• Proper cave diving equipment must be used
• Safety and decompression stops as appropriate or necessary
• No equipment removal in cave

• Satisfactorily complete the written examination with an 80% passing grade, followed by 100% remediation by the Instructor
• Perform all land drills and cave dive requirements efficiently
• Demonstrate mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
• Maintain an appropriate level of awareness and respect for the environment
• Log all training dives