Photo by Mikhail Vedyokhin · CC BY-SA 2.5
Cavern Tech Diver
Advanced cavern-zone training that extends daylight-zone diving with technical skills and extended-range procedures while remaining within the light zone and natural light penetration. This course bridges recreational cavern diving and full cave training by adding technical decompression and advanced navigation capabilities to cavern skills. Divers work within sight of daylight but with extended bottom time and more sophisticated equipment than basic cavern diving.
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
32 centres
A separate set of centres, teaching Cavern 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.
- $600total
- $750total
- $600total
- $950total
- $1,320total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- $275per day
- Protec MexicoMexicoCavernPSAI1 student$420/day→ $2,100 for the 5-day minimum2+ students$370/day→ $1,850 for the 5-day minimum each$420per day
- $295per day
- Cave AdventurersUnited StatesCavernTDIPrivate 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
- ByMoMoDiveMexicoCavern DiverIANTD1 student$245/day→ $980 for the 4-day minimum3 students$205/day→ $820 for the 4-day minimum each$245per day
- $325per day
- $300per day
- Under The JungleMexicoCavern Diver (TDI)TDIprivate$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
- Go Dive MexicoMexicoCavern diverTDIprivate$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 29,000total
- THB 29,000total
- THB 30,000total
- THB 29,000total
- THB 29,000total
- THB 20,000total
- THB 20,000total
- THB 20,000total
- THB 35,000total
- €1,000total
- €1,000total
- €800total
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- €300per day
Charged by the day or dive rather than as a course price:
- Air Dive AlorIndonesiaCavernTDI1 student, privateIDR 3,200,000/day→ IDR 6,400,000 for the 2-day minimum3 studentsIDR 2,400,000/day→ IDR 4,800,000 for the 2-day minimum eachIDR 3,200,000per day
- MX$15,000total
Same tier, agency not stated
5 centres
These centres publish a price for Cavern, 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.
- $600total
- $500total
- €800total
- €450total
- 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
NSS-CDS Cavern Diver certification, Advanced Open Water Diver certification, entry-level Nitrox certification (or concurrent enrollment), minimum 25 logged dives total. Minimum 18 years old.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Demonstrate all Cavern Diver skills plus proficiency in technical decompression procedures, staged gas management, advanced buoyancy and trim, extended-range navigation within cavern zone using technical procedures, proper use of decompression cylinders, gas switching techniques, emergency procedures with technical configurations, and all prerequisite technical knowledge. All diving remains within cavern zone (light zone) with maximum depth 30 m/100 ft and sight of entrance always maintained.
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 Cavern Tech Diver
What are the prerequisites for NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards require: NSS-CDS Cavern Diver certification, Advanced Open Water Diver certification, entry-level Nitrox certification (or concurrent enrollment), minimum 25 logged dives total. Minimum 18 years old.
What is the minimum age for NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 18 years old.
How many dives do I need before starting NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards state: Minimum 25 logged dives total.
How deep can you dive with NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver?
NSS-CDS's standards for NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver set a maximum depth of 30 m.
What does NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver training involve?
According to NSS-CDS's published standards: Demonstrate all Cavern Diver skills plus proficiency in technical decompression procedures, staged gas management, advanced buoyancy and trim, extended-range navigation within cavern zone using technical procedures, proper use of decompression cylinders, gas switching techniques, emergency procedures with technical configurations, and all prerequisite technical knowledge. All diving remains within cavern zone (light zone) with maximum depth 30 m/100 ft and sight of entrance always maintained.
What is the equivalent of NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver in other agencies?
At the same tier in TecDiveTools' cross-agency comparison: TDI Cavern, ANDI Cavern, RAID Cavern, PSAI Cavern Diver, IANTD Cavern Diver and SSI XR Extended Range Cavern 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 Cavern Tech Diver?
The next step in NSS-CDS's progression is NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver.
Where can I take NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver?
2 dive centres and 4 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach NSS-CDS Cavern Tech Diver, in Mexico and the United States. Each is listed further up this page.