Advanced Cave Diver Course

Advanced Cave Site

Defined as an enclosed body of water containing silt, darkness zones, and passages that at times are not large enough for two divers to buddy alongside. Advanced Cave sites are of unlimited penetration distance.

Prerequisites

Before commencement of a CDAA Advanced Cave Diver training program the candidate must:

1. Be 18 years of age.
2. Hold a CDAA Cave Diver award.
3. Have logged a minimum of 25 cave dives (outside of course dives) totaling a minimum of 18 hours with no more than 3 dives to be logged per day.
4. Hold a current diving medical.
5. Have experience in at least 5 different dive sites preferably in two different areas eg Nullarbor, NSW, Mt Gambier, overseas

Theory

To include equipment, guideline procedures, communications, restrictions, access procedures, dive planning, DPV use, decompression review, mapping, accident analysis, conservation.

Equipment

Minimum requirements include:

1. Suitable exposure suit.
2. Two masks. Taped straps or neoprene/Velcro strap.
3. Fins. Straps taped or use springheels. Preferably no split fins
4. Two small sharp line cutting devices.
5. Watch or bottom timer or computer.
6. Compass.
7. Depth Gauge or computer.
8. Buoyancy Control Device (must be in addition to the exposure suit)
9. Appropriate weighting. v weights or weight belt if required.
10. Twin cylinders (minimum combined capacity of 2200 litres) of equal capacity, securely held in an acceptable configuration with DIN valves.
11. Two DIN regulators with
    • A single second stage on each (no unused hoses to be left attached)
    • A low pressure inflator hose (if a drysuit is worn its inflator should come from the other cylinder)
    • A submersible pressure gauge for each regulator, unless using an isolating manifold.
12. One primary and two back up lights, each capable of lasting the duration of the dive.
13. Submersible decompression tables
14. Pencil and slate (or wet notes).
15. Approved reel and guideline.
16. 2 spools/jump reels each with minimum of 15m of line
17. Minimum of 2 directional markers ie line arrows
18. Minimum of 4 non-directional personal markers, eg cookies or pegs
19. Helmet and harness for climbing
20. Stage tank minimum capacity of 1200 litres with suitable attachment clips (eg bolt snaps) and a stage regulator with single regulator on a suggested hose length of 60cm, SPG on a short hose eg 12cm

Skill Sessions

To include equipment critique, S drills, jump reel use, lost line search, black out drill, gear removal / restriction exercise, mask and regulator change over, valve shutdowns, entanglement removal / line cutting, stress management exercise, air sharing through restrictions, stage tank use/remove/replace.

Supervised Dives

Six dives in CDAA rated Cavern, Cave and Advanced Cave sites.