Photo by Mikhail Vedyokhin · CC BY-SA 2.5
Cave Surveying
Specialized training in underwater cave surveying techniques, data collection, and map production from field measurements. Surveying specialists learn to collect accurate depth, distance, bearing, and position data underwater using specialized tools, then produce publishable cave maps from raw measurements. The course covers survey methodology, instrument use, data processing, error correction, symbology, and integration with the NSS-CDS cartography program.
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
6 centres
A separate set of centres, teaching Cave Survey 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.
- $378total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- CDT Mexico (Cave Diving Training)MexicoCave SurveyTDI1 student$300/day→ $1,200 for the 4-day minimum$300per day
- Protec MexicoMexicoCave SurveyPSAI1 student$440/day→ $1,760 for the 4-day minimum2+ students$390/day→ $1,560 for the 4-day minimum each$440per day
- $295per day
- Under The JungleMexicoCave SurveyTDIprivate$345/day→ $1,380 for the 4-day minimumper diver in a group$295/day→ $1,180 for the 4-day minimum each$345per day
- €750total
Same tier, agency not stated
1 centre
These centres publish a price for Cave Survey, 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.
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $400per day
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 Cave Diver certification (or equivalent), minimum 18 years old.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Demonstrate knowledge of seven phases of survey process from conception through publication, understand accuracy standards and survey team composition, proficiently use and fabricate specialized survey tools, execute proper survey techniques including tie-off/station selection, vertical surveying, radial surveys, collect accurate measurements, perform data reduction and verification, understand cartography and symbology, and demonstrate safety awareness in survey operations. Minimum 2 cave survey dives required over approximately 2 days.
Instructors Teaching This Course
Mexico
United States
Dive Centres Offering This Course
Mexico
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 Surveying
What are the prerequisites for NSS-CDS Cave Surveying?
NSS-CDS's standards require: NSS-CDS Cave Diver certification (or equivalent), minimum 18 years old.
What is the minimum age for NSS-CDS Cave Surveying?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 18 years old.
What does NSS-CDS Cave Surveying training involve?
According to NSS-CDS's published standards: Demonstrate knowledge of seven phases of survey process from conception through publication, understand accuracy standards and survey team composition, proficiently use and fabricate specialized survey tools, execute proper survey techniques including tie-off/station selection, vertical surveying, radial surveys, collect accurate measurements, perform data reduction and verification, understand cartography and symbology, and demonstrate safety awareness in survey operations. Minimum 2 cave survey dives required over approximately 2 days.
What is the equivalent of NSS-CDS Cave Surveying in other agencies?
At the same tier in TecDiveTools' cross-agency comparison: IANTD Adv. Cave - Survey Diver, TDI Cave Surveying Diver and PSAI Underwater Cave Survey and Cartography 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.
Where can I take NSS-CDS Cave Surveying?
1 dive centre and 2 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach NSS-CDS Cave Surveying, in Mexico and the United States. Each is listed further up this page.