Cave diving course - SNSI

Are you a serious adventurer looking to explore aerial environments? Enroll in the SNSI Full Cave Diver course! This course is the third stage of aerial training in the SNSI Full Cave Diver Development Program series. Advanced cave diving planning, hands-on execution of different types of cave systems, and the scenarios divers encounter are presented. This cave diving course is not intended to prepare divers to evaluate all facets of cave diving. The purpose of this course is to expand and critique previous skills accomplished in the SNSI Cavern and Introductory Cave Diving programs. Emphasis is placed on planning the dive and perfecting the skill through actual cave penetration.

Who is this course for:

• The SNSI certified Introductory Cave Diver (or equivalent) who is interested in advancing with aerial diving and expanding their diving techniques, capabilities, range and much more!

Course prerequisites:

• Minimum age 18
• Minimum SNSI Introductory Cave Diver certification, or equivalent
• If decompression dives are performed in training, the student must be certified in SNSI Decompression Procedures or equivalent, or this training can be performed concurrently. If courses are taught concurrently, ALL requirements for both courses must be met and applications processed upon completion.

What you can expect to learn:

The SNSI Full Cave Diver course provides an in-depth look at all of the following and more.

• Standard cave diving policies
• Gas management and management procedures to include different volumes
• Psychological considerations of cave diving
• Equipment considerations, including:
  • cylinder options
  • regulator options
  • Buoyancy compensator/harness options
  • proper weighting
  • coil options
  • equipment settings
• Communication (light and manual signals)
• swimming techniques
  • Body posture/balance
  • buoyancy control
  • next line
  • Propulsion techniques (finning)
• Physiology
  • breathing techniques
  • stress management
  • Decompression theory and its application to cave diving
• cave environment
• Conservation
• Problems solution
  • emergency procedures
  • equipment failure
  • siltation conditions
• accident analysis
• Cave diving etiquette

The necessary skills you will have to demonstrate include:

• Implement a guideline correctly
• Correctly use directional and non-directional line markers
• Correctly follow a guideline with eyes open and closed (simulating loss of visibility)
• Air sharing with a friend with eyes open, following a guideline
• Share the air with a friend with the lights off and eyes closed, using touch contact while following the guideline
• Remove and replace mask while in contact with guideline
• Demonstrate conservation techniques, awareness and prior references
• Demonstrate light/hand signals and touch contact
• Demonstrate anti-siltation techniques
• Simulate a primary light failure and use the backup light to exit the cave
• Demonstrate missed line and missed dip drills
• Demonstrate the use of spools to perform jumps and necessary intervals on circuits and crossings to maintain a continuous orientation to open water
• Demonstrate buoyancy control, proper trim and propulsion techniques
• Demonstrate proper stress analysis (detection and management)
• Demonstrate specialized propulsion techniques in various types of flow
• Equipment verification and matching
• Demonstrate proper pre-dive planning

What's in it for you?

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in cave diving activities without direct supervision, provided the following limits are adhered to:

• Diving activities approach those of training
• Planned dives do not exceed the diver's current certification level
• Penetration is limited to the “rule of thirds”, to a maximum depth of 40 metres/130 feet
• The diver must maintain a continuous orientation
• Proper cave diving equipment must be used
• Safety stops and decompression as appropriate or necessary (if trained as a TDI decompression diver or equivalent)

Minimum SNSI Full Cave Diver requirements:

• Satisfactorily complete the SNSI Cave Diver course written exam with an 80% passing grade, followed by 100% remediation by the Instructor
• Perform all land exercises and cave diving requirements efficiently
• Demonstrate mature and sound judgment regarding dive planning and execution
• Maintain an adequate level of awareness and respect for the environment
• Log all training dives