Cavern Diver Mastery: Begin Cenote Exploration!

Embark on your underwater journey into the world of cavern diving with the TDI Cavern Diver course, your initial incursion into the mesmerizing realm of overhead environment exploration.

During this course, you’ll acquire the essential dive skills to confidently navigate within caverns while maintaining proximity to natural daylight and a quick exit route. Discover the art of meticulous planning, adherence to vital procedures, and the mastery of cavern diving techniques. Uncover the potential risks lurking in these subterranean wonders and how to effectively mitigate them.

Enhance your cavern diving adventures, particularly in the captivating Cenotes of Playa del Carmen, Tulum and its environs, with an elevated level of expertise and safety.

The TDI Cavern Diver course serves as the foundational segment of the comprehensive Cave course. Following your training, you’ll be well-prepared for what lies ahead and can make an informed decision about your continued journey.

Certification as a cavern diver opens doors to further enrich your diving experiences. You might contemplate advancing your skills with the Intro to Cave course or even pursuing the ultimate challenge of Full Cave training.

Duration of the cavern diver training

• Minimum of 3 days
• Open water training
• Minimum 4 cavern dives
• Theory: minimum 6 hours

The times and duration for the cavern diver course are given as an indication of the minimum required standards by the dive agency. It is important to note that when you engage in any technical diving course, we expect not just the minimum but full proficiency in all aspects.

Cavern Diver’s Gear

• Open water dive gear configured for cavern diving
• Twinset (Intro to Tech Training)
• Sidemount
• Razor Side Mount 

Choose your configuration and your gear wisely. Make sure to contact your instructor and follow their advice. There are many options on the market, but not all are equal. Some equipment is more performant than others and will help you become a better diver, not only for this particular course but in general and for eventual future technical diving training.

Prerequisites to join the cavern diver course

• Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
• Open Water Scuba Diver
• Proof of 25 logged dives

Cavern diver’s qualifications

• Daylight zone
• Penetration is limited to 1/3 of a single diving cylinder or 1/6th if using double cylinders
• 61 linear meters / 200 linear feet from the surface
• 40 meters / 130 feet maximum depth
• No decompression diving
• No restrictions
• Maintain a continuous guideline
• Qualified to enroll in Introductory Cave course

What do I learn during the Cavern Diver course

• Policy for cavern diving
• Gas management procedures
• Psychological Considerations of cavern diving
• Equipment considerations
• Communication (light and hand signals, touch contact)
• Body posture/trim
• Buoyancy control
• GuideLine use (deploy, follow with eyes opened and  closed)
• Propulsion and anti-silting techniques
• Physiology
• Cavern environment and conservation
• Problem-solving
  • Emergency procedures (Air share, light failure…)
  • Equipment failure
  • Silting conditions
• Accident analysis
• Predive planning

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in Intro to Cave training.