Cavern Diving Views

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Visibility can vary from nearly unlimited to low, or non-existent, and can go from one extreme to the other in a single dive. While a less-intensive kind of diving called cavern diving does not take divers beyond the reach of natural light, true cave diving can involve penetrations of many thousands of feet, well beyond the reach of sunlight. The level of darkness experienced creates an environment impossible to see in without an artificial form of light. Caves often contain sand, mud, clay, silt, or other sediment that can further reduce underwater visibility in seconds when stirred up.

The NSS-CDS and NACD Cavern Diver course offers the certified open water diver a first glimpse into the truly amazing and beautiful world of underwater caves. As the first of four steps toward the Full Cave Diver certification, this course allows the diver to explore that portion of the cave system within the daylight zone. You have the opportunity to experience the overhead environment in a controlled setting to determine if cave diving is of interest to you.

Since the Cavern Diver course serves as an extension of open water diving and your first introduction to the cave environment, most open water dive gear can be adequately modified for this course. In addition to standard open water gear, additional required equipment includes two lights (one should be of a tubular body design- not pistol or lantern grip) and a safety reel. Double tanks may be used at this level after consultation with your instructor.

One of the most beautiful and exciting places to dive in the underwater world is the o"cavernC". Come with Michael O'Leary into the most exciting caverns every imaginable. Cavern diving is the exploration of an overhead environment while remaining within the portion of the light zone, which is illuminated by sunlight. It differs from cave diving in that, while cave divers may penetrate thousands of feet/meters, cavern divers go no further than a linear distance of 200 feet from the surface. The maximum depth for diving in a cavern is 100 feet.