info@underthejungle.com
DPV CAVE AT A GLANCE
• Course Duration: 4 Days Minimum
• Certification Fees Included
• 32% Nitrox Fills Included
• Discounted DPV Rental for Students ($50 USD/day)
• Equipment: Backmount or Sidemount
PREREQUISITES
• Age: 18 Years Old
• Certification: TDI Stage Cave Diver or Similar in the Equipment Configuration to be Used for the Course.
• Logged Dives: 15 Stage Cave Dives After Stage Cave Certification
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS CERT?
TDI certified stage cave divers are qualified to do any of the following:
• Use DPVs in the Cave Within the Limits of Their Current Certification
• Use One or More DPVs in in the Cave to Extend Penetration Distance
• Use DPVs in the Cave to Reduce Decompression Obligations
• Go Racing Through Caves at Top Speed Laughing Hysterically Because This Is Just So Much Fun
CAVE TRAINING PATH
DPV COURSE DETAILS
DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicles) are a whole lot of fun, and they are relatively easy and intuitive to use. They are a great tool to drag multiple stage bottles into the cave, reach a location to start a project, or reduce decompression time by reducing time at depth. It’s all fun and games until the DPV malfunctions, which is, unfortunately, not unheard of. The cave DPV course is designed to make you comfortable and familiar with the machines, and prepare you for any foreseeable emergencies with your scooter. There’s a lot to consider when planning and executing dives with DPVs – but once you’ve completed the course, you’ll wonder why anyone swims at all.
WHERE WILL I DIVE DURING THE CAVE DPV COURSE?
The TDI Cave DPV Course will take you far, far into the cave, but not right away. Like most cave courses, the DPV course begins with open water skill practice, where divers hone scooter driving skills, practice towing, and familiarize themselves with drop protocols. The open water skills sessions are usually conducted in cenotes such as Ponderosa or X’tbay. From there, students start short penetrations into training caves, where they practice stage and scooter drops and emergency skills without excessive penetration or chances of damage to the environment. The cave DPV course finishes with a long scooter dive, during which students use the DPV to the limits of their gas and burn time to maximize penetration. One our our favorite sites to make the graduation dive is Maya Blue, but feel free to request a long flight into your favorite cave.
WHAT WILL I LEARN DURING THE CAVE DPV COURSE?
The TDI Cave DPV Course combines confined water skills practice, cave dives, and practice scenarios.
⇒ CAVE DPV COURSE THEORY
• Scooter types, battery considerations, and basic mechanics of the machines
• Assembling and caring for the scooter
• DPV malfunctions and how to manage them
• Positioning and communication for DPV use in the cave
• Psychological and physiological considerations for scooter use
• Gas planning options for DPV use
• When to use a second safety scooter
• Diving planning including scooter run times and decompression considerations including the use of cave maps
⇒ OPEN WATER SKILLS SESSIONS
• Driving the scooter properly
• Towing a diver
• Towing a second scooter
• Managing a runaway scooter
• Use of cruise control (depending upon scooter model)
• Basic dive skills such as pressure monitoring and regulator switching while on the trigger
• Dropping and retrieving the scooter
• Zero visibility protocols including scooter drops and retrievals
• Line work on and off the trigger while using the scooter
⇒ DPV CAVE DIVES AND SKILLS
• Predive checks to include the scooter
• Air sharing with the scooter
• Primary reel and jump placement and retrieval with the scooter
• Line following and referencing including team positioning and placement in the cave
• Scooter and stage bottle drops with and without visibility
• Towing a diver out of the cave
• Diving where a required decompression stop is a possibility
