Prerequisites

Must be qualified as an IANTD Overhead Environment Diver or equivalent qualification (NSS/CDS, NACD or CDAA cavern Diver not PADI). This can be included in the Introductory Course.

Must provide proof of a minimum of 25 logged dives or sufficient experience to satisfy the instructor that the student has the ability and knowledge to continue into this level of training.

Must be a minimum of 15 years of age with a parent or guardian authorization, or a minimum of 18 years of age without guardian approval.

Course Duration: 4 days (If the requirements of the standards are not met by the student, one or more additional days of training are required.)

A minimum of 90 minutes of bottom time must be completed in caves within 4 to 6 dives. There may be no crediting of previous dive time for this Program.

COURSE OVERVIEW
This course covers the knowledge and techniques of cave diving and describes the dangers involved with cave diving. After this Couse the Student can do dives on the main line without navigation in the Cave.
Here the daylight area is definitively left behind; you are in the zone of permanent darkness. Decompression dives are not uncommon, as well as those with nitrox(depending on the training organization). The cave zone is further defined (partly dependent on the organization) with respect to a specific minimum visibility, prohibition of diving through restrictions (narrow passages with a specific minimum size), a maximum depth of usually 30m, the (at this stage) absence of using stage bottles, no post-siphon dives and other limitations.

To conduct an Introductory Cave Diver course, the following is to be included:

• The planning, organization procedures, techniques, problems, and hazards of cave diving
• Special equipment considerations including, but not limited to: lighting, guidelines, reel handling and redundant breathing systems
• Proper body position and buoyancy control, air-consumption management and emergency procedures

Information that describes the specific hazards of cave diving should include, but not be limited to: silting, line entanglement and breakage, disorientation from permanent lines and emergency situations unique to cave diving.