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Cavern Diving Specialty Course

Most scuba divers get excited about exploring inside caverns and cave entrances. But, you need to have the skills and knowledge to do it safely.

This section explains how to make four (4) training dives with a PADI Instructor and get certified as a Cavern Diver Specialist - and you can do it in only two (2) days.

PADI Cavern Dive Course | List of Contents

Important: The Cavern Diver Specialty certification may count towards the PADI Master Scuba Diver Rating. So, check our PADI® Specialty Courses List for further details on fifty (50+) other specialties (listed from A to Z).

What is the Meaning of Specialty Diver?

In simple terms, a Specialty Diver is someone with enhanced scuba diving abilities beyond entry level certifications (e.g. Discover Programs, Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver).

Signing up for specialist scuba courses is the ideal path to take if you want to learn new techniques and experience different kinds of underwater exploration.

Furthermore, you will get the best opportunity to acquire superior knowledge and skills in the diving activities that interest you the most because a 'Specialty Instructor' will be supervising the training.

Overhead Environments and Scuba Diving

The knowledge and skills that you learn in this course train you for swimming inside large convex overhangs. But, you must stay within the 'natural' light zone so you can make an easy exit from the undersea chamber back into open water.

Age, Depth, and Prerequisite Certification

There are minimum age requirements and maximum depth limits for all the specialties that require scuba training dives in open water.

As a result, before you can enrol in the PADI Cavern Diver Specialty course you will need to be (all):

Number of Days: Two (2) (minimum)

Cavern Training Dives: Four (4)

Maximum Depth: Depends on certification level

Important: Even though scuba certifications do not expire, we recommend taking the PADI ReActivate® refresher course if you have been inactive from diving for a while (e.g. longer than six months).


Reasons to Become a Cavern Diver Specialist

The typical locations where scuba divers can explore caverns are freshwater springs, limestone coastlines, and the walls of volcanic islands (e.g. Barren Island dive sites).

Some divers choose never to make any cave dives. Whereas others can't wait to get certified as Advanced Open Water and sign up for the Cavern Diving Specialty certification course.

Why dive into caverns?

This course is not for beginners. But, if you are looking to improve your dive planning skills you will benefit from the specialised training.

Furthermore, some of the best scuba diving locations around the world will have a hollow crevice or cavity to swim under. Thus, the only way to go inside a dugout safely is to get certified for cavern diving.

How to Get the PADI Cavern Diver Specialty Certification in Thailand.Some of the things you can see in the natural light zones of undersea caverns, include:

It is important to understand that the techniques and procedures used when entering and exiting the water for diving into caverns will vary.

Exploring Deeper Dive Sites Offshore

Having the knowledge and unique skills to explore distant locations away from the shore is another reason for taking the course.

Do you like swimming with big fish?

If so, you need to go diving in deeper water that attracts schooling vertebrates and pelagics, such as large sharks, mahi mahi (dolphin fish), and sea turtles.


Digital Learning Programs for Self-Study

In general, it is much easier for divers with a busy schedule to choose the online learning option to start scuba lessons.

Being able to complete the independent study portion of a multiple day course offers you some flexibility and convenience.

As long as you have a computer or a mobile device, you will be able to study the knowledge development portion at your own pace (online or offline).

Signing Up for PADI eLearning™

You can complete some self-study assignments online with eLearning®. Then, you would need to contact the dive shop to perform any required scuba training dives with a PADI Instructor.


PADI Cavern Diver: What Skills Will You Learn?

You need to participate in the instructor-led knowledge development sessions by completing all knowledge reviews from the Cavern Diver student manual.

Here's why...

Of course, you will learn how to enter and exit underwater caverns, chasms, and tunnels in a safe manner while wearing scuba gear (often from a custom-built dive boat).

Besides that, you will also learn about:

  • Effective dive planning (e.g. air management, depth and distance limits).
  • How to use a reel and the proper techniques for line handling
  • Procedures for avoiding disorientation from permanent lines underwater and anti-silting techniques
  • Proper body position for swimming in tight spaces and how to improve buoyancy control
  • Scuba emergency procedures (simulated outside a cavern)
  • The specific hazards for scuba divers and freedivers while cavern diving (e.g. silting, entrapment)
  • Tips and tricks for preventing underwater entanglement

Pro Tip: Another section contains information about the Night Diver Specialty course and where to find nocturnal creatures that become active in dark environments.



Dive Gear and Specialist Equipment

You need to wear standard scuba gear for the four training dives conducted in open water. Other specialist equipment for cavern diving may also include:

Pro Tip: Using underwater torches and lighting will be useful when the surroundings become darker and when navigating through dangerous structures (e.g. 10 best wreck dives in the world).


FAQ Section and Medical Questionnaire Form

What's the Deepest Diving Certification?

The term 'deep dives' has a different meaning in recreational scuba diving than it does in technical diving.

The deepest dive made for recreational purposes should not be below forty metres (130 feet). Whereas, a professional technical diver can go down to sixty (60) metres (200 feet).

Can I Survive Below 40 Metres Underwater?

We refer to the US Navy decompression dive tables to answer this question. Divers can only stay at forty seven metres (160 feet) for around five minutes before they need to decompress during the ascent.

Is it Possible to Scuba Dive the Titanic?

The Titanic is resting at a depth of 2,100 fathoms (12,500 feet). Because normal air consumption through a standard tank only lasts about fifteen minutes at 40 metres, scuba diving to the Titanic is impossible.

Fun Fact: The deepest scuba dive ever made is 332.35 metres (1,090 feet) undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in September 2014 in Dahab, the Red Sea. Using open circuit scuba, it took only fifteen (15) minutes to make the descent, but the ascent took thirteen (13) hours and thirty five (35) minutes.

Can a Certified Cavern Diver Dive Alone?

The diving buddy system is a safety procedure pairing two or more divers together. Also, the group should perform pre-dive safety checks (Begin With Review And Friend) before entering the water.

Nonetheless, PADI does consent to a kind of 'solo diving' through the Self-Reliant Diver certification course, which is available in Pattaya, Thailand.

Is it Easier to Blow Bubble Rings at Depth?

You may have seen divers make 'flying saucer' bubbles ascend from the abyss to the surface. So, what is a divers bubble ring? Our blog article explains the technique for blowing ring bubble circles underwater.

Can I Touch the Underwater Organisms?

Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, interacting passively with aquatic animals helps to safeguard the habitats of delicate and sensitive sea life.

What Should I Not Do after Diving a Deep Ocean?

After cleaning the gear, there are several kinds of activities that divers should avoid doing. They include:

  • Physical exercise
  • Flying in a plane, including traveling to altitude (e.g. mountain hiking).
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Having a full body massage, hot bath, or hot shower
  • Forgetting to log the dives

When Should You Do a Scuba Refresher?

Suppose you don't go diving for more than six months. There is a simple way to refresh the knowledge and skills that you already learned.

After a long period of inactivity, taking the PADI ReActivate® program will help you brush up on the safety procedures and scuba diving fundamentals.

Medical Requirements: Free Download

You must be in good physical and mental health and be medically fit for recreational scuba diving. You can review the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire Online to check whether you need to be evaluated by a physician.

It is not appropriate to ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice or clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.


Price for PADI Cavern Diver Specialty Course in Thailand 14,500 THB*

We have qualified instructors and expert dive guides who can teach in several languages, including English, Thai, and Chinese.

The price includes (all):

Blue Check MarkBoat trips (with free soft drinks served on board)

Blue Check MarkProfessional tuition from a "Private Scuba" Instructor

Blue Check MarkFree rental of required diving equipment (including a dive computer)

Blue Check MarkPADI Cavern Diving Specialty Manual and Certification Card

Blue Check MarkHotel transfers within Pattaya City limits

Important: You will usually be making two (2) scuba training dives in the same day. The PADI flying after diving guidelines say you need to wait a minimum of eighteen (18) hours after the second dive before you go to altitude. Please send an email to our team if you need further information.


YouTube Video and Knowledge Base for Cavern Divers

Most of the information and advice in this section focuses on deep scuba diving activities which we usually conduct from a boat in Thailand.

We also have a list of blog articles about snorkeling and freediving - with other popular watersport tourist attractions at the beach resort of Pattaya.

Scuba Diving Help Guides

Note: The short video presented by PADI highlights what to expect when taking the Cavern Diver Specialty course. It also emphasises some of the protocols and procedures for divers at some of the most dangerous dive sites around the world.


What Comes after the Cavern Diver Specialty?

Cavern and cave diving is very popular with almost all divers because of the excitement and exhilaration that going to "out of the way places" can offer.

So what comes next? Your certification links to almost all other scuba certifications, including the popular Specialty Courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Even so, the PADI® Cavern Diver course combines really well with several other specialty courses such as, AWARE Shark Conservation, Boat Diver, Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) Diver, Multilevel Diver, and Wreck Diver.

Note: All course prices for diving are subject to change and assume that all prerequisites have been met to start the training. Click here to contact the team at Private Scuba in Thailand to make a booking or send an enquiry.

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