Photo by Mikhail Vedyokhin · CC BY-SA 2.5
TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying
Technical Underwater Cave Surveying (advanced level) teaches experienced cave divers to map and document cave passages using professional surveying techniques. This course is for Full Cave Divers with substantial non-training cave experience who want to contribute to cave documentation, exploration archives, or conservation efforts. Candidates learn to collect precise depth, distance, and angular data underwater, then process that data into finished cave maps suitable for publication or expedition planning.
Prerequisites
Certified TDI Full Cave Diver. Minimum 25+ non-training (real expedition) full cave dives on record. Minimum age 18.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Students complete 2+ cave dives of 60+ minutes each, demonstrating proficiency in: survey data collection methodology (line, compass, depth measurement), underwater slate recording under task-loading, team coordination for survey work, emergency procedures while conducting survey tasks, and proper handling of survey instruments in cave environments.
Instructors Teaching This Course
Mexico
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 TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying
What are the prerequisites for TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying?
TDI's standards require: Certified TDI Full Cave Diver. Minimum 25+ non-training (real expedition) full cave dives on record. Minimum age 18.
What is the minimum age for TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying?
TDI's standards state: Minimum age 18.
What does TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying training involve?
According to TDI's published standards: Students complete 2+ cave dives of 60+ minutes each, demonstrating proficiency in: survey data collection methodology (line, compass, depth measurement), underwater slate recording under task-loading, team coordination for survey work, emergency procedures while conducting survey tasks, and proper handling of survey instruments in cave environments.
Where can I take TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying?
3 dive centres and 3 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach TDI Technical Underwater Cave Surveying, in Thailand and Mexico. Each is listed further up this page.