Photo by Mikhail Vedyokhin · CC BY-SA 2.5
Cave Diver
Second step in NSS-CDS cave training, advancing from Apprentice skills to complex cave navigation including jumps, gaps, circuits and traverses. This course builds on apprentice proficiency while introducing advanced navigation requiring establishment of halfway points and points-of-no-return. Divers learn to apply open-water decompression theory to cave environments and execute intricate underwater pathfinding in overhead settings.
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
25 centres
A separate set of centres, teaching Full 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.
- $1,000total
- $1,200total
- $1,800total
- $1,500total
- $1,320total
- $1,050total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $275per day
- Protec MexicoMexicoFull CavePSAI1 student$420/day→ $1,680 for the 4-day minimum2+ students$370/day→ $1,480 for the 4-day minimum each$420per day
- $295per day
- Cave AdventurersUnited StatesFull CaveTDIPrivate class$450/day→ $900 for the 2-day minimumGroup class$350/day→ $700 for the 2-day minimum each$450per day
- $330per day
- $300per day
- Under The JungleMexicoFull CaveTDIprivate$345/day→ $1,725 for the 5-day minimumper diver in a group$295/day→ $1,475 for the 5-day minimum each$345per day
- $300per day
- Go Dive MexicoMexicoFull caveTDIprivate$330/day→ $1,650 for the 5-day minimum2+ divers$300/day→ $1,500 for the 5-day minimum each$330per day
- $350per day
- $235per day
- THB 49,000total
- THB 49,000total
- THB 49,000total
- THB 55,000total
- THB 50,000total
- €1,250total
- €2,000total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- €300per day
- MX$19,000total
Same tier, agency not stated
4 centres
These centres publish a price for Full 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
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $280per day
- THB 45,000total
- THB 60,000total
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
NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver certification (or equivalent), minimum 50 logged dives total (post-apprentice training not required). Minimum 18 years old.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Demonstrate mastery of all apprentice-level skills (buoyancy, propulsion, guideline use, emergency procedures) plus advanced navigation: make proper jumps to offshoot lines, execute gaps, plan and navigate circuits and traverses, establish halfway points and points-of-no-return, apply open-water decompression procedures to cave dives, navigate with complex route planning, and maintain situational awareness in multi-directional cave systems. Minimum 360 minutes bottom time across 8 dives at depths to 40 m/130 ft, training at 2+ different sites.
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 Cave Diver
What are the prerequisites for NSS-CDS Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards require: NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver certification (or equivalent), minimum 50 logged dives total (post-apprentice training not required). Minimum 18 years old.
What is the minimum age for NSS-CDS Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 18 years old.
How many dives do I need before starting NSS-CDS Cave Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 50 logged dives total (post-apprentice training not required).
What does NSS-CDS Cave Diver training involve?
According to NSS-CDS's published standards: Demonstrate mastery of all apprentice-level skills (buoyancy, propulsion, guideline use, emergency procedures) plus advanced navigation: make proper jumps to offshoot lines, execute gaps, plan and navigate circuits and traverses, establish halfway points and points-of-no-return, apply open-water decompression procedures to cave dives, navigate with complex route planning, and maintain situational awareness in multi-directional cave systems. Minimum 360 minutes bottom time across 8 dives at depths to 40 m/130 ft, training at 2+ different sites.
What is the equivalent of NSS-CDS Cave Diver in other agencies?
At the same tier in TecDiveTools' cross-agency comparison: RAID Cave 2, IANTD Cave Diver, TDI Full Cave, ANDI Full Cave, PSAI Full Cave Diver and SSI XR Full Cave Diving. 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 Cave Diver?
After NSS-CDS Cave Diver, divers usually go on to specialise. NSS-CDS's next courses include NSS-CDS Cave Surveying, NSS-CDS DPV Cave Diver, NSS-CDS Stage Cave Diver and NSS-CDS Tech Nitrox and Cave Decompression Diver.
Where can I take NSS-CDS Cave Diver?
2 dive centres and 4 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach NSS-CDS Cave Diver, in Mexico and the United States. Each is listed further up this page.