Technical Cave Diver Class

UTD's Technical Cave Diver training develops cave diving proficiency. This very demanding cave training seeks to refine the cave diving techniques of certified Cave Divers who have mastered the requirements of UTD Cave Diver (Cave 1 and 2) and UTD Technical Diver (Tech 1 and 2). To succeed, students must be practiced in the fundamental aspects of cave diving and comfortable in the use of stage bottles and single deco gas for decompression.

Prerequisites

• Must meet UTD General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6.
• Must be a minimum age of 21 years of age.
• UTD Cave Diver
• UTD Technical Diver (Tech 1 and 2) or equivalent, with a minimum of 25 non-training technical decompression dives. Divers who were not previously trained by UTD must first secure the approval of the UTD instructor before entering this class, and must be prepared to engage in supplemental training to remedy any training deficiencies. Additional time and fees are at the discretion of the instructor.
• Must have proof of at least 200 logged non-training dives, with at least 60 non-training dives in double tank/cylinder configuration.
• Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping.
• Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold.

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.
• Gas consumption: 1/3rd for penetration and a minimum of 2/3 of gas supply for cave exit or enough to conduct a swimming exit on open circuit, depending on team size, equipment redundancy and cave conditions.
• No critical skills training dives are to exceed a depth of 100 feet / 30 meters.
• Maximum depth 160 feet / 48 meters
• Minimum 10 feet/3 meters of visibility to enter a cave.
• Minimum 100 cu.ft./2832 liters of gas to enter a cave.
• All dives will be with stage and/or deco bottles.
• No scooter or rebreather diving unless certified Scooter Cave Diver or Cave Rebreather Diver.
• No goal-oriented dives.

Course Content

Training requirements include a minimum of eight (8) cave dives at a minimum of three different diving locations. Special emphasis here will be placed on the demands of extended overhead penetration, advanced navigation techniques (including traverses, circuits and siphons) advanced gas management, restrictive passage negotiation procedures, precision propulsion techniques,  decompression risk, management and protocol, and extensive stage bottle management.
UTD Technical Cave Diver training is normally conducted over a 5-day period, and involves a minimum of 40 hours of instruction (lectures and in-water) designed to extend the divers’ overhead skills and appreciation for the dangers, challenges and beauty of the cave environment.

Online Classroom Courses and Text

• Online Classroom Materials – Technical Cave Diver
• Technical Gas Planning Worksheet
• Technical Diver and Cave Diver DVDs are recommended

Academic Topics

• Reel and guideline use.
• Dive team order and protocols.
• Touch contact.
• Stage and deco bottle procedures in the overhead environment.
• Complex navigation skills, including circuits and traverses.
• Mixed team (rebreather & OC) diving in cave environments.

Land Drills and Topics

• Reel and guideline use in standard operating procedures.
• Team order and protocols.
• Reel and guideline use in emergency procedures, including touch contact and air-sharing techniques, including zero visibility.
• Advanced navigation skills, including circuits and traverses.
• Visual referencing skills.
• Stage and deco bottle configuration and procedures.

Required Dive Skills & Drills

• All skills and drills as outlined in the General Diving Skills, Section 1.5.
• Pre-dive planning to include:
• Assess and review diving team limitations,
• Dive plan review,
• Equipment review,
• Equipment familiarization,
• Map use, demonstrating ability for basic map reading.
• Navigation, to include:
• Visual reference,
• Guideline use,
• Limited and simulated zero visibility.
• Procedures for gas failures; including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and regulator switching (as appropriate).
• Demonstrate adequate mask switching.
• Use of various propulsion techniques according to conditions.
• Use of touch contact for limited and simulated zero visibility situations.
• Use of line following techniques for limited/no visibility situations.
• Demonstrate the effective deployment of a reserve light in less than 30 seconds.
• Demonstrate excellent buoyancy control skills.
• Perform a Lost Diver drill while remaining calm,  horizontal and neutrally buoyant.
• Perform a Lost Line drill while remaining calm,  horizontal and neutrally buoyant in simulated zero visibility conditions.
• Demonstrate effective valve-management by switching regulators, shutting down a valve in less than 10 seconds and returning the valve to the open position again in less than 10 seconds.
• Demonstrate proficiency with guideline management in the following situation:
• Simulated zero visibility line following; this would incorporate touch-contact skills,
• Efficient deployment and retrieval of the guideline.
• Problem resolution, including line entanglement, navigation in restrictive areas, and multiple line management.
• Demonstrate advanced navigational technique by successfully planning at least 2 circuits and/or traverses.
• Demonstrate adequate procedures to enter and exit a restriction.
• 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.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the use of stage cylinders for the purpose of extending penetration and deco bottle to accelerate and enhance decompression.
• Drop 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.
• Rescue and emergency procedures.

Equipment Requirements

• All equipment noted in paragraph 3.0.
• Three jump/gap spools per diver, each with a minimum of 100 feet/30 meters of line.
• One safety spool per diver with a minimum of 150 feet/50 meters of line, knotted each 30 feet/10 meters.
• One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 400 feet/120 meters of line.
• At least twenty line markers, of which at least ten should be directional (line arrows) and ten non-directional.
• 2 stage bottles.
• 1 Oxygen bottle.
• 3 stage regulators.
• Tank leash.
• Drysuit.
• Electric dry suit heating recommended.