Photo by Mikhail Vedyokhin · CC BY-SA 2.5
Apprentice Cave Diver
First step in NSS-CDS cave training, introducing limited cave penetration with focus on traveling along main guidelines, developing critical emergency response skills, and mastering fundamental overhead environment diving techniques. This course serves as the foundation for cave diving by emphasizing proper line discipline, buoyancy control, and emergency procedures in the relatively forgiving light zone. Apprentices gain practical experience with cave-specific equipment and procedures before advancing to full cave navigation skills.
What it costs
No centre in the directory publishes a price for this exact certification yet. What follows is what the same training costs elsewhere.
Same training under a different agency
28 centres
A separate set of centres, teaching Intro to Cave under a different agency. These are not the same certification — the standards and the card differ — but they cover the same depth and scope, which is why centres price them alike. Every row here names whose rating it is, and none of them is counted above.
- $1,050total
- $1,320total
- $800total
- $1,000total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $275per day
- Protec MexicoMexicoIntro to CavePSAI1 student$420/day→ $2,520 for the 6-day minimum2+ students$370/day→ $2,220 for the 6-day minimum each$420per day
- $295per day
- Cave AdventurersUnited StatesIntro to CaveTDIPrivate class$450/day→ $900 for the 2-day minimumGroup class$350/day→ $700 for the 2-day minimum each$450per day
- $325per day
- CDT Mexico (Cave Diving Training)MexicoIntro to CaveTDI1 student$300/day→ $900 for the 3-day minimum$300per day
- Under The JungleMexicoIntro to Cave (TDI)TDIprivate$345/day→ $1,035 for the 3-day minimumper diver in a group$295/day→ $885 for the 3-day minimum each$345per day
- Go Dive MexicoMexicoIntro to caveTDIprivate$330/day→ $990 for the 3-day minimum2+ divers$300/day→ $900 for the 3-day minimum each$330per day
- $350per day
- $235per day
- $330per day
- $300per day
- ByMoMoDiveMexicoIntroductory to Cave DiverIANTD1 student$245/day→ $980 for the 4-day minimum3 students$205/day→ $820 for the 4-day minimum each$245per day
- THB 39,000total
- THB 39,000total
- THB 30,000total
- THB 39,000total
- THB 25,000total
- €2,000total
- €1,000total
- €800total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- €300per day
- MX$9,500total
- MX$20,000total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- Air Dive AlorIndonesiaIntro to CaveTDI1 student, privateIDR 3,200,000/day→ IDR 9,600,000 for the 3-day minimum3 studentsIDR 2,400,000/day→ IDR 7,200,000 for the 3-day minimum eachIDR 3,200,000per day
Same tier, agency not stated
5 centres
These centres publish a price for Intro to Cave, but their own wording does not say which agency's certification it buys — many teach several and name the card only once you enquire, and some price one course for either agency. The figure is comparable; the certification is not identified, so we do not guess at one.
- $1,500total
- $900total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $280per day
- Cave AdventurersUnited StatesApprentice CavePrivate class$450/day→ $900 for the 2-day minimumGroup class$350/day→ $700 for the 2-day minimum each$450per day
- THB 35,000total
These prices are not like-for-like. Two centres can charge very differently for the same certification because they include different things. One price may cover twinsets, stages, deco gas and cylinder rental for every training dive, a dedicated classroom for the theory, boat or transport to the site, and the agency's registration and materials; another may be tuition only, with all of that charged separately — or the other way round, with a centre bundling in extras the first leaves out. Class size, whether the course is one-to-one, and how many days are allowed for it move the figure too. Check what each centre's price includes before comparing them, and confirm with the centre before booking.
Consumables are usually extra. Sorb, helium, O₂ and other fills, park and cenote fees, certification fees and rental are commonly charged on top.
Packages combining several certifications, upgrades from an existing one, and open-ended day rates are excluded — none of them is the standalone price of this course, and including them would move the figures away from what a new student can actually book.
Prerequisites
Advanced Open Water Diver certification, entry-level Nitrox Diver certification (can be concurrent), Technical Sidemount or equivalent doubles/sidemount experience, minimum 50 logged dives total. Minimum 18 years old. Students must demonstrate adequate buoyancy, trim, and propulsion skills or complete CDS Basics orientation.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Demonstrate proficiency in all apprentice-level cave skills: proper equipment assembly and pre-dive checks, effective propulsion techniques (modified flutter, frog kick, pulling), neutral buoyancy and horizontal trim, primary and safety reel deployment and retrieval, guideline following with and without visibility, emergency procedures (simulated gas sharing, light failure, teammate search), proper hand signals and team communication, and correct response to in-cave emergencies. Minimum 240 minutes bottom time across 8 dives at depths to 30 m/100 ft with 300 m/1000 ft penetration limit.
Instructors Teaching This Course
United States
Dive Centres Offering This Course
We're still building out the directory country by country, so this list isn't every instructor or dive centre teaching it in the world — more locations are coming soon.
Common questions about NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver
What are the prerequisites for NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards require: Advanced Open Water Diver certification, entry-level Nitrox Diver certification (can be concurrent), Technical Sidemount or equivalent doubles/sidemount experience, minimum 50 logged dives total. Minimum 18 years old. Students must demonstrate adequate buoyancy, trim, and propulsion skills or complete CDS Basics orientation.
What is the minimum age for NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 18 years old.
How many dives do I need before starting NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 50 logged dives total.
What does NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver training involve?
According to NSS-CDS's published standards: Demonstrate proficiency in all apprentice-level cave skills: proper equipment assembly and pre-dive checks, effective propulsion techniques (modified flutter, frog kick, pulling), neutral buoyancy and horizontal trim, primary and safety reel deployment and retrieval, guideline following with and without visibility, emergency procedures (simulated gas sharing, light failure, teammate search), proper hand signals and team communication, and correct response to in-cave emergencies. Minimum 240 minutes bottom time across 8 dives at depths to 30 m/100 ft with 300 m/1000 ft penetration limit.
What is the equivalent of NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver in other agencies?
At the same tier in TecDiveTools' cross-agency comparison: RAID Cave 1, SSI XR Cave Diving, ANDI Intro to Cave, TDI Intro to Cave, PSAI Intro to Cave Diver and IANTD Introductory Cave Diver. They cover comparable training, but each agency sets its own standards, depth limits and certification card, so they are comparable rather than interchangeable — check which one your next course accepts.
What course comes after NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver?
The next tier up in NSS-CDS's courses includes NSS-CDS Advanced Cave Diver and NSS-CDS Cave Diver.
Where can I take NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver?
2 dive centres and 4 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver, in Mexico and the United States. Each is listed further up this page.