Advanced Side Mount Cave Class

Prerequisites

• Must meet UTD General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6.
• Minimum age of 18.
• Completed UTD registration process.
• UTD Cave Diver (or equivalent) and Essentials of Cave Side Mount.
• Must have completed twenty five (25) experience cave dives in Side Mount configuration  at current level of certification.
• Standard gases are used. Nitrox and/or Helium certification required if breathing any gas with higher O2 content than 22% and/or using a helium based mix.

Course Content

Training is usually over a 5-day period and  requires a minimum of ten (10) hours of academics / dry runs and at least ten (10) in-water dives. These must be a combination of demonstration/critical skills and experience dives. Additional training and dives are at the discretion of the instructor and are based on the level of training the student is seeking.

Course Limits

• General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4.
• Student to Instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during any overhead diving activity.
• Open circuit gas consumption: minimum of 2/3 of gas supply for cave exit (normal stage limits apply, where applicable).
• No critical skills training dives are to exceed a depth of 100 feet / 30 meters.
• Max Depth - according to students’ current certification level.
• Minimum 10 feet/3 meters of visibility to enter a cave.
• Minimum 100 cu. ft./2832 liters of gas to enter a cave.
• UTD Z-System or similar Side Mount configuration.
• No goal-oriented dives.

• Online Classroom Materials - Advanced Side Mount Cave Diver.
• Cave Side Mount Worksheet.
• Cave Diver and Essentials of Side Mount DVDs (recommended).

Academic Topics

• UTD organization.
• Side Mount diving principles.
• Side Mount theory as it applies to cave diving.
• Dive planning and gas management, including stage bottles.
• Negotiating restrictive areas.
• Air sharing and valve procedures.

• Dive team protocols.
• Configuration of the Z-System or equivalent for cave Side Mount diving.
• Gas sharing drills.
• Configuration of multi-cylinder Side Mount system.
• Multiple cylinder gas management.
• Simulated failures of the stage bottles.
• Simulated failures of the distribution block.
• Simulated failure of the drive hose connection.
• Zero visibility communication.

• All skills and drills as outlined in the general diving skills as outline in Section 1.5.
• All skills requirements of requested crossover level as outlined by UTD Class structure.
• Emergency out of gas management.
• Multiple cylinder gas management.
• Unclipped drive hose failure.
• Distribution block failure.
• Gas switch failures.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the use of stage cylinders for the purpose of extending penetration and deco bottle to accelerate and enhance decompression.
• Drop and retrieve stage and decompression cylinders with minimum cave impact and without changing buoyancy 3 feet/1 meter specifically to avoid any visibility reduction.
• Retrieve stage and decompression bottles and switch bottles in simulated zero visibility.
• Demonstrate stage bottle gas sharing scenarios within the team.
• Demonstrate the proper use of stage bottles in restrictions.
• Demonstrate adequate procedures to enter and exit a restriction, including “no-mount” restrictions.
• Demonstrate a calm demeanor while sharing gas in a cave exit for at least 900 feet/300 meters.
• Demonstrate a calm demeanor while sharing gas through a restriction, minimizing ceiling impact.
• Demonstrate a calm demeanor while sharing gas in simulated zero visibility for at least 600 feet/200 meters.

• All equipment noted in paragraph 3.0.
• UTD Z-System side mount configuration or equivalent for Side Mount diving.
• Appropriate multiple AL80 stage bottles with appropriate Side Mount rigging.