TDI Cave DPV Diver Course Overview

This course is designed to teach trained cave divers how to utilize Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs) in the cave environment. Divers will learn about safe DPV use, DPV components, and care and maintenance. Students will learn to plan dives that may incorporate extended penetration, longer bottom times, complex dive planning, and proper methods of gas management.

Who this course is for?

The certified TDI Full Cave Diver or equivalent with a minimum of 25 logged cave dives.
The certified cave diver looking to expand their diving range, abilities, and skills.

Course prerequisites:

Minimum age 18
Certified as a TDI Full Cave Diver or equivalent
Provide proof of at least 25 non-training full cave dives

What you can expect to learn:

Motivations for DPV cave diving
Advantages of DPV use
Equipment considerations
- DPV options
- DPV components
- Rated burn time
- Care and Maintenance
- DPV rigging
- Helmets
Problem solving procedures
- DPV malfunction or failure
- Towing
- Gas sharing with DPVs
- Light failure
- Entanglement
- Collision avoidance
- Team separation
Environmental considerations
- Appropriate vs. inappropriate passages
- Suitable cave conditions
- Low impact DPV use
DPV diving techniques
- Buoyancy and trim with DPV
- Dropping, securing, and retrieving a DPV
- Installing guidelines with a DPV
- Instigating directional and depth changes
- DPV courtesy and etiquette
Dive planning and gas management
- Turn time, turn distance, and turn pressure
- Gas mix(es) and NDLs or decompression obligations

Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:

Demonstrate adequate pre-dive planning
Equipment check and equipment matching
Bubble check
Demonstrate specialized propulsion techniques in varying types of flow
Demonstrate proper buoyancy control
Demonstrate proper body posture
Demonstrate proper stress analysis (detection and management)
Share gas with DPVs while maintaining visual contact with the guideline.
Simulate primary light failure and exit utilizing the DPV and the smallest backup light
Simulate exiting the cave with disabled DPV
Exit while towing a team member and his disabled DPV

What’s in it for you?

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

If each diver utilizes a single DPV, each diver must turn the dive with no less than twice the amount of gas required to exit the cave while swimming.
If each diver utilizes multiple DPVs, each diver must turn the dive with no less than twice the amount of gas required to exit the cave while utilizing the DPV.
No equipment removal in cave with exception of stage bottles if utilized 39 metres /130 feet maximum depth.
Students are encouraged to gain experience before attempting to plan and execute complex DPV cave dives.
Safety and decompression stops are completed as appropriate or necessary.