PADI TEC INTRO TO CAVE
Learn line handling, gas planning, and emergency skills. Build confidence and safety awareness as you take your first steps into the world of cave diving with the PADI Tec Intro to Cave Course
8 DIVES
5 DAYS
749 USD
Course Description:
The PADI Tec Intro to Cave Diver specialty is your first step into the world of true cave diving. This course introduces the unique hazards and risks of diving in an overhead environment—conditions not found in recreational open-water diving. It’s the bridge between cavern diving and full cave certification, focusing on safety, skill mastery, and foundational cave techniques.
What You'll Learn:
The course teaches the basic principles of cave diving using a single continuous guideline (no jumps or gaps), while developing the mindset and technical skills required for safe penetration into a cave system. Training emphasizes:
Proper cave-specific equipment configuration
Navigation along a single primary guideline
Emergency procedures for gas sharing and lost line scenarios
Buoyancy, trim, propulsion techniques for low-impact movement
Risk assessment and gas management using the Rule of Thirds (or 1/6ths for doubles)
Course Limits:
To maintain safety, all dives are conducted within clearly defined limits:
Maximum depth: 30 meters / 100 feet
No decompression dives
Use of proper cave equipment only
No restrictions or tight passages (must allow two divers to pass side-by-side)
Single continuous guideline only
No removal of life support equipment inside the cave
Gas management follows the Rule of Thirds
Course Goals:
Refine and perfect cavern diving skills
Introduce advanced techniques required for basic cave penetration
Develop diver awareness of cave-specific hazards and safe practices
Build the attitude, discipline, and control necessary for overhead environments
This course is not full cave training, but it’s the essential foundation. Upon completion, divers are prepared to move on to the PADI Tec Full Cave Diver course and explore more advanced cave systems.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
Open water sessions : 8
Practical sessions: 4
stage regulators
weights
bottom and deco gas for all your dives
PADI Digital Book and certification fee
pick up in Playa del Carmen
PREREQUISITES:
Minimum age is 18 years
PADI Cavern diver
PADI Tec 45
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:
To enroll in Tec Intro To Cave, you'll need the following gear (some items may be available for rent or included in your course package):
Two independent first and second stage regulators (one must have a long hose)
Submersible pressure gauge
Proper weight system
Buoyancy Compensator Device (BCD) with power inflator, or sidemount configuration (if certified)
Exposure suit suitable for the diving environment
Two masks and fins
Two line cutting devices
Three battery-powered lights: 1 primary and 2 backups, with burn times matching planned dive duration
Safety reel/spool with minimum 37 meters of guideline, plus a second recommended
Primary reel for the team, with adequate length for the planned dive
Reels/spools for planned line jumps or gaps
Three directional line arrows and one non-directional line marker
Dive computer, watch or bottom timer, and depth gauge
Underwater slate with pencils for communication
