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Cave Diver Level 2

Purpose

The Cave Diver Level 2 (Cave 2) course is the second in a series of three courses designed to develop cave diving proficiency. This very demanding course seeks to refine the cave diving techniques of divers who have mastered the requirements of Cave 1. To succeed in this course, students must be practiced in the fundamental aspects of cave diving and comfortable in the use of double tanks/cylinders.

The Cave 2 course builds upon previously learned skills, focusing on extending essential cave diving techniques. These skills include: a focus on environmental awareness, dive buddy awareness, problem resolution, stress management, and advanced navigation. This course is heavily experience-based, and includes many practical, task-oriented skills that must be mastered before a student is competent to dive at this level.

Prerequisites

  1. Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6
  2. Must be a minimum of 18 years of age
  3. Must be GUE DIR Fundamentals and GUE Cave 1 qualified
  4. Must have proof of at least 200 logged dives, with at least twenty (20) dives in double tank/cylinder configuration; twenty-five (25) of these must be cave dives
  5. Must have enriched air training
  6. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold
  7. Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.

Duration

The GUE Cave 2 class is normally conducted over a 5-day period. It involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work.

Course Limits

  1. General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4
  2. Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during any overhead diving activity
  3. Gas consumption: maximum use of 1/3 of gas supply for cave penetration
  4. No training dives are to exceed a depth of 100 feet (+/- 30 feet)/30 meters (+/- 9 meters)
  5. Minimum 20 feet/6 meters of visibility to enter a cave
  6. Minimum 140 cubic feet/3950 liters of gas to enter a cave
  7. No scooter diving

Course Content

The GUE Cave 2 course is normally conducted over a 5-day period, and cumulatively involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction (lecture and in-water) designed to instill in divers an appreciation of the dangers, challenges, and beauty of the cave environment. 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, precision propulsion techniques, and decompression risk, management and protocol.

Course requirements include a minimum of ten (10) cave dives at a minimum of three (3) different diving locations. During flood conditions, this requirement can be modified with the prior consent of the Cave Training Director.

Required Training Materials

  1. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
  2. Beyond the Daylight Zone: The Fundamentals of Cave Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, Panos Alexakos, and Todd Kincaid, GUE, 2003, High Springs, Florida.
  3. Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.

Academic Topics

  1. Spool, reel, and guideline use
  2. Dive team order and protocols
  3. Touch contact
  4. Basic navigation skills

Land Drills & Topics

  1. Spool, reel, and guideline use in standard operating procedures
  2. Team order and protocols
  3. Spool, reel, and guideline use in emergency procedures, including touch contact and gas-sharing techniques
  4. Lost diver procedures
  5. Lost guideline procedures
  6. Basic and advanced navigation skills including gaps/jumps and circuits/traverses
  7. Visual referencing skills

Required Dive Skills & Drills

  1. All skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills, Section 1.5.
  2. Pre-dive planning to include:
    • Assess and review diving limitations
    • Dive plan review
    • Equipment review
    • Equipment familiarization
  3. Navigation, to include:
    • Visual reference
    • Guideline use
    • Limited and simulated zero visibility
  4. Procedures for gas failures; including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and regulator switching (as appropriate).
  5. Gas-sharing scenarios to include:
    • Breath hold management
    • Out-of-gas diver
    • Gas-sharing of at least 300 feet/90 meters
    • Comfortably swim at least 200 feet/60 meters without a mask while gas-sharing
  6. Use of various propulsion techniques.
  7. Use of touch contact for limited and simulated zero visibility situations.
  8. Use of line-following techniques for limited/no visibility situations.
  9. Demonstrate the effective deployment of a reserve light in less than 30 seconds.
  10. Demonstrate excellent buoyancy control skills.
  11. Perform a Lost Diver drill while remaining calm and maintaining a horizontal attitude and neutral posture.
  12. Perform a Lost Line drill while remaining calm and maintaining a horizontal attitude and neutral posture in simulated zero visibility conditions.
  13. 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.
  14. Demonstrate proficiency with guideline management in the following situation:
    • Simulated zero visibility line following; this would incorporate touch-contact skills
    • Efficient deployment of the guideline
    • Efficient removal of the guideline
  15. Problem resolution, including line-entanglement, navigation in restrictive areas, and multiple line management.
  16. Demonstrate advanced navigational technique by completing at least two jumps and by successfully completing a circuit and/or traverse.
  17. Demonstrate a calm demeanor while sharing gas in simulated zero visibility for at least 200 feet/60 meters.
  18. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of a stage cylinder for the purpose of extending penetration.

Equipment Requirements

Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.

  1. Tanks/Cylinders: Students are required to use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold, which allows the use of two first-stages. All dives must start with a minimum of 140 cubic feet/3950 liters of gas. One aluminum 80 cubic feet/10 liter cylinder, rigged for stage diving, is also required.
  2. Regulators: Two first-stages, each supplying a single second-stage. One of the second-stages must be on a 7-foot/2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable). One additional regulator, with first and second-stages, outfitted with a pressure gauge, and 40" low-pressure hose is also required.
  3. Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform, of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap attached to the lower end of this platform and looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding up a diver's back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be placed in line with a diver's right collarbone, the third should be placed in line with the diver's left collarbone, the fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while scootering or towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver's arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the placement of reserve light powered by three in-line c-cell batteries (where necessary). The system should retain a minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.
  4. Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver's buoyancy compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs, or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell. In addition, diver lift should not exceed 80lbs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.
  5. At least one depth-measuring device
  6. One timekeeping device
  7. Decompression tables
  8. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
  9. At least one cutting device
  10. Wet Notes
  11. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
  12. One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/ 90 meters of line
  13. One primary light: A primary light should be minimalist in design; its power source should consist of a rechargeable battery pack residing in a canister powering an external light head via a light cord. Primary lights should produce the equivalent output of 50 watt halogen/10 watt HID lighting or greater.
  14. Two reserve lights: Reserve lights should be non-rechargeable in-line three c-cell battery lights with a minimum of protrusions and a single attachment at its rear. The light should be activated by twisting the front bezel towards the body, deactivated by turning it away from the body.
  15. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
  16. At least six (6) line markers of which at least three (3) should be directional (line arrows) and three (3) non-directional.

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE's equipment requirement remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives. Participants are responsible for providing all equipment or for making provisions to secure all necessary equipment before the start of the course. In general, it is better for the student to learn while using his or her own equipment. However, students should exercise caution before purchasing new equipment to avoid acquiring substandard equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases. Information about recommended equipment can be obtained from the equipment considerations section of GUE's web site.