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Cave Diver Level 3

Purpose

The Cave Diver Level 3 (Cave 3) course is the culmination of a series of three courses designed to establish cave diving excellence. Cave 3 schools divers in the techniques necessary to sustain longer-range cave dives. Training emphasis is placed on advanced cave diving strategies, advanced gas management, efficient manipulation of multiple penetration stage bottles, cave survey techniques, and scooter diving. Participants must be experienced cave divers who are dedicated to mastering the art of cave diving.

Prerequisites

  1. Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6
  2. Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
  3. Must be GUE Cave 2 and GUE Tech 2 qualified or equivalent
  4. Must have proof of at least 300 logged dives, with at least 100 dives in a double tank/cylinder DIR configuration; 100 of these must be cave dives with 50 cave dives beyond Cave 2 training
  5. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold
  6. Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 12 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.

Duration

The GUE Cave 3 class is normally conducted over a 7-day period and involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction. Training consists of at least ten (10) dives of which six (6) are critical skills and four (4) are experience dives.

Course Limits

  1. General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4
  2. Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 2:1 during any overhead or land drill activity
  3. Gas consumption: maximum use of 1/3 of gas supply for cave penetration
  4. No training dives are to exceed an equivalent narcotic depth of 100 feet (+/- 30 feet)/30 meters (+/- 9 meters)

Course Content

The GUE Cave 3 course is normally conducted over a 7-day period, and cumulatively involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of class-oriented instruction (lecture and in-water) designed to instill divers with an advanced understanding of cave diving. Special emphasis here will be placed on extended cave diving penetrations/bottom times and their associated considerations (dive planning, gas management, DCS, Oxygen toxicity, and thermal concerns).

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, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
  3. Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.

Academic Topics

  1. GUE organization
  2. Limits of training and course completion requirements
  3. Conservation
  4. Logistical planning, project support, and operational planning
  5. Advanced diving techniques including scooter diving, use of multiple stage/deco bottles, navigation, extended penetration, advanced gas management, and decompression strategy

Land Drills and Topics

  1. Use of safety spools/reels
  2. Reel and guideline use in emergency procedures including touch contact and gas-sharing techniques
  3. Lost diver procedures
  4. Lost guideline procedures
  5. Basic and advanced navigation skills including gaps, jumps, and survey techniques
  6. Visual referencing skills

Required Dive Skills & Drills

  1. All skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills, Section 1.5.
  2. Effective pre-dive planning.
  3. Use of various propulsion techniques.
  4. Use of touch contact for limited and simulated zero visibility situations.
  5. Use of line following techniques for limited/no visibility situations. 
  6. Demonstrate the efficient deployment of a reserve light in less than 10 seconds.
  7. Demonstrate excellent buoyancy control skills.
  8. Perform a Lost Diver drill while remaining calm and maintaining a horizontal attitude and neutral posture.
  9. Perform a Lost Line drill while remaining calm and maintaining a horizontal attitude and neutral posture in simulated zero visibility conditions.
  10. 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.
  11. 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
    • Problem resolution including line entanglement, navigation in restrictive regions, and multiple line management
  12. Demonstrate advanced navigational ability by completing at least two jumps and successfully completing a circuit and/or traverse.
  13. Demonstrate a calm demeanor while sharing gas in simulated zero visibility for at least 300 feet/90 meters.
  14. Demonstrate effective and proficient use of stage cylinders for the purpose of extending penetrations.
  15. Demonstrate proficiency in gas-sharing while managing multiple stages.
  16. Demonstrate safe and efficient operation of a DPV.
  17. Demonstrate proficiency in gas-sharing while piloting a DPV.
  18. Demonstrate the ability to run a guideline while scootering.
  19. Demonstrate the ability to tow a diver whose diver propulsion vehicle has failed.
  20. Demonstrate facility with advanced decompression procedures by: 1) demonstrating the ability to explain trends in decompression tables, and 2) by explaining a strategy for managing decompression in the event of a lost decompression gas.
  21. Demonstrate the knowledge and ability to safely carry out all decompression obligations assuming the loss of all back gas.
  22. Demonstrate the ability to manage failed regulators, first and second-stages.

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 for the use of two first-stages. All dives must start with a minimum of 80 cubic feet/2250 liters of gas. Divers must also maintain the use of at least four (4) appropriately marked stages. Stage bottles should include one Oxygen stage, one decompression cylinder for use at 70 feet/21 meters, one cylinder for use at 120 feet/36 meters, and one cylinder for use at 190 feet/57 meters.
  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). Four first-stage regulators for decompression gases, each supplying a single second-stage and a pressure gauge.
  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. Approved DPV
  6. At least one depth-measuring device
  7. Survey compass and slate
  8. Decompression tables
  9. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
  10. At least one cutting device
  11. Wet Notes
  12. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
  13. One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters of line
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
  17. At least three line markers of which at least three should be directional (line arrows) and two 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.