Why take a course?
In the caves flooded with water there is a completely new world. There are huge chambers filled with perfectly clear water, long corridors, entrances defended by strong currents and unusual dripstone forms, which were created before the cave was flooded with water. The possibility of diving in flooded caves is a rare opportunity to experience a completely new dimension of the beauty of the underwater world, very different from that which delights in tropical seas or on wrecks. Perhaps this is where you will discover your diving passion?
What will you learn?
The IDF Cave Diver course is a very intensive training consisting not only of diving classes and theory, but also surface workshops. During the course you will gain valuable knowledge about the construction and formation of caves, but also about the dangers that exist in diving under the ceiling. In addition, we want you to understand very well the stress that cave divers are subject to and to be able to control it. During the workshop classes you will also take care of the configuration of the equipment so that each element of the equipment is adapted to the characteristics of cave diving and meets your needs. Still on the surface, you will practice the methods of using the guidelines and reel handling and emergency response such as entanglement, loss of visibility or lack of gas. During the training dives, some of which will take place under the ceiling, you will practice these skills – to use the reel, to move on the guideline in a team or to return in conditions of lack of visibility and lighting failure. The new skills, including rescue, will help you to efficiently assess the risk of your planned dives and use your newly acquired skills wisely.
What do you need to start?
- Minimum age: 18 years
- Sufficient swimming ability
- Health condition to participate in the course
- IDF Master Diver certificate or equivalent
- IDF Twinset Diver certificate or equivalent (if the course takes place in a back mount configuration)
- IDF Side Mount Diver certificate or equivalent (if the course is in side mount configuration)
- Minimum 100 logged in dives, including at least 10 dives deeper than 40 metres.
What is the course?
Number of dives
4 dives of a total duration of at least 200 minutes, of which at least 2 dives should take place in a cave or flooded anthropogenic facility
Depth range
Compatible with the current student's qualifications and within no-decompression limits, additionally, no diving must take place further than 200 meters from the exit.
Theoretical classes
Lectures using training presentations and IDF audiovisual materials
Examination
Online egzamin done within student`s panel.What will you be entitled to after the course?
Upon completion of the IDF Cave Diver course you will be qualified to dive without decompression in unrestricted caves, equipped with a fixed guideline, at a distance from the exit not exceeding 200 meters.
IDF Certificate
Upon completion of the training, you will receive an internationally recognised certificate confirming your qualifications. It is a plastic card with a unique number and watermark. In addition, you will have lifelong access to an individual panel on the IDF website, where your certificate will always be available in electronic form - in case you ever forget to take the original with you for diving.
What next?
Diving under the ceiling, in caves or man-made places requires experience and gradually pushing the limits of your mental comfort. If you feel that your existing skills are beginning to limit you, you can approach the next stage in cave diving – the IDF Full Cave Diver, where you will be able to set your own routes without relying solely on fixed guidelines.