Thousands of people testify in hearings worldwide every day and potentially millions throughout the year. Avoid some of the pitfalls that come with testifying in court, with Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI) new awareness program, Testifying In Court.
For some, presenting information to a collective body can sometime seem to be a challenging and intimidating task. However, for the emergency response diver it can often seem overwhelming, at the onset. Unfamiliarity with the legal system, not knowing the procedures or required etiquette necessary to present oneself and the information in hand can often lead to undue stress and even fear of testifying in legal hearings. However, with proper planning, preparation and an understanding of the legal arena any individual can appear confident, competent and professional.
This course will address the necessary steps you need to be prepared when providing testimony in legal proceedings as well as the etiquette required of most courtroom settings. Look like a professional, act like a professional and be prepared, it can make a world of difference.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TIC-scaled.jpg25602003Rob O'Goodenowhttps://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/header-web-live.pngRob O'Goodenow2013-07-22 14:39:372021-10-04 16:10:33Testifying in Court, new ERDI online course is here
An Emergency Response Diver has documented the location of a simulated child victim in the artificial aircraft and now prepares to make the recovery. Notice the simulated “debris.”
“Confined Spaces” is the term assigned by the U.S. federal government and also commercial/military diving entities for what would commonly be known in the Technical Diving community as the “Overhead Environment.”
A common definition of Confined Space is any site or environment in which there is primarily only one entry/exit point and two divers may not pass through side-by-side. Some entities also consider mission-oriented Ice Diving as Confined Space Diving.
While the technical diving community experiences Confined Space Diving mainly in Advanced Wreck or Cave Diving – and only for exploration – Emergency Response Divers may be called upon to recover bodies or collect evidence in this unique overhead environment. Of course, no Emergency Response Diver should attempt a Confined Space Dive without first having been trained and certified in this unique task. That is the topic of another article and I will also not delve into the variety of training courses associated with Confined Space Diving.
The most well-known incident in our time involving Confined Space evidence recoveries is the cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Italian coast. Numerous Emergency Response Divers from multiple jurisdictions penetrated the ship in search of possible trapped survivors and to recover drowning victims. Confined Space diving, for the most part, is not conducted on such a grandiose scale as the Costa Concordia. Most often, Emergency Response Divers are called upon to penetrate submerged aircraft, school buses, other types of vehicles, or various types of underwater structures. These penetrations may be attempted rescues, body recoveries, or evidence collection that is crucial enough to risk such a unique and complex dive. This now reveals another difference between Technical Divers (penetrating wrecks or caves) and the Emergency Response Diver on a Confined Space Dive. The Wreck or Cave Diver should not be mission-oriented, but an Emergency Response Diver is almost always mission-oriented.
Now let’s address the issue of actually making penetration dives to recover evidence. First, it would be an extraordinary circumstance that would justify the risk of a Confined Space Dive to collect evidence. The value of the evidence would need to be so critical, that the risky elements of the dive would be have to overwhelmed by the need to collect it in its pristine state. For example, if a small airplane or an automobile becomes submerged, it would normally just be lifted to the surface by some means and then investigated topside. Yet, the Emergency Response Diver is an appendage of the criminal investigator, who may feel a compelling need to collect evidence from the confined space site while it is in its pristine condition. There might be suspected foul play in the case of a homicide or it could be a suspected terrorist incident. Then the Emergency Response Diver may be given the charge to make a penetration dive. When a Confined Space dive to collect evidence is decided upon, the Diver should have a clear idea of what particular target he or she is assigned to document or retrieve.
The bottom line is … the rules of recovering evidence are the same, no matter what the environment. So, a photograph documenting the position of a key in an ignition, or the angle of a throttle in a boat cabin, or a body’s position in a riverbank undercut, nonetheless still need to be clear and sharp. Likewise, a video of an object or person in a truck cab needs to be carefully shot, so the viewer can clearly perceive what he or she is seeing. Similarly, documenting a body’s original condition in the confined space is much more beneficial to investigators and litigants than trying to imagine the scene according to testimony of the Diver. Such evidence is used to investigate the incident and then later for courtroom purposes.
It is in the courtroom setting, however, that the integrity of the collected evidence will receive its greatest scrutiny. The skill involved with the evidence collection can make the difference between evidence allowed as an “Exhibit” or being excluded from the case entirely.
Now for the skills and procedures; let’s begin at the surface. There will still be a Tender at the surface, if circumstances permit. That person will still perform the function as normally done. Additionally, there will be an underwater Tender positioned just outside the point where the penetration is made.
That Tender will monitor the Diver and control the line such that the Diver can enter the confined space with the least possibility of getting entangled in his/her own safety line. Both the entry point Tender and the Diver should be aware of the target being sought, whether it is to be photo/video documented or a physical recovery is to be made. Finally, the Diver must exhibit superior buoyancy and maneuvering skills. The Frog Kick, Reverse Kick, and Helicopter Turns are optimal propulsion techniques in confined spaces, or perhaps Pull & Glide* may be possible. A major factor will be if the Diver has photo or video equipment in his/her hands, which diminishes the possibility for Pull & Glide or holding position by grasping an object. Regardless, a horizontal trim will almost always be desirable. Regardless of propulsion and trim, the primary objective will be to maneuver safely without disturbing silt or debris and maintain as much visibility as possible for movement and also photo/video purposes.
Physical evidence may be collected in the typical fashion: small items in plastic boxes or baggies, larger items in plastic boxes or similar containers, and even bigger objects may need to be placed in large PVC tubes with end-caps. Collecting evidence is collecting evidence, whether in a confined space or not.
The next challenge for the Confined Space Diver is to exit safely. He or she may have the photo/video equipment to deal with, or even an object(s) of collected evidence. Again, superior buoyancy and propulsion skills are highly desired. The entry point Tender will retrieve the tended line carefully to diminish the possibility of the Diver becoming entangled in the line. Here’s an important point: the Diver who collects an object of evidence should keep it in his/her possession all the way to the surface – unless it creates an unsafe situation for the Diver. This aids with the “chain of custody” issues that will surely arise in any subsequent litigation. When the Diver surfaces, he or she may then turn it over to the appropriate Evidence Technician for processing.
Lastly, any personnel who anticipate engaging in this unique aspect of Emergency Response Diving must – absolutely must – seek competent and qualified training before deploying. The overhead environment is unforgiving. One of my past instructors advised me: “… never forget, every time you penetrate an overhead environment, it will try to kill you ….”
As you seek competent and qualified training for this function, you will discover it is not widespread. As might be expected, ERDI has competent and reliable training available for Emergency Response Divers who might anticipate facing the confined space challenge. This is a situation, however, that is not conducive to waiting until the need exists, and then goes and get the training. If a reasonable possibility exists in your future that you may be tasked with a Confined Space Dive, be proactive and seek Confined Space Diver training in advance … you never know when the phone call may come of a school bus in the river or a submerged plane with VIP’s or a submerged vehicle with confidential documents inside. Colleagues, best wishes to you all and be careful out there.
* Pull & Glide is a Cave Diving propulsion technique in which the Diver uses hand-holds at opportune points to pull him/herself along and glide to the next possible hand-hold.
Wendell Nope is an Emergency Response Diver Instructor in Utah. He is also a TDI Advanced Trimix Diver and Full Cave Diver. He has been involved with over 40 drowning victim recoveries. He is also a member of the TDI/SDI/ERDI Training Advisory Pannel. His favorite pastime is exploring underwater caves in Utah. He may be contacted at wnope@utah.gov.
Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.
Our membership has been hounding us for years and we’ve finally got it finished, The Rebreather Cave Diving program is here and we are extremely proud of the final product. When we create a new course we have 3 goals in mind:
Create competent divers
Allow the standards to be applied worldwide
Make sure the standards are insurable
As you can imagine successfully accomplishing these three goals with a program as involved as training people to dive in caves using rebreathers was extremely difficult, but we were up for the challenge.
How it all got started:
In the past TDI had distinguished that rebreathers were an equipment configuration and caves were an environment. We allowed cave/rebreather instructors to teach their cave courses utilizing rebreathers but did not have any specific standards for this type of training; instructors were simply allowed to teach the cave courses using the rebreather as an equipment configuration. This worked well for a while, but had a few obvious drawbacks including: gas management, bailout requirements, and out of air drills. The skills for managing many of the aspects of diving a rebreather in a cave are significantly different than diving open circuit. We found that we needed to address these issues. In 2010 a TDI Instructor Trainer, who is also a member of our Training Advisory Panel (TAP), wrote a unique specialty to address these issues. He created a program specifically for diving closed circuit rebreathers in caves, from a basic cavern level up to an advanced mixed gas level. This course has been very successful for him and he has even trained several other instructors to teach his program as well. He has been training extremely competent divers, and we have been receiving rave reviews about his courses. After running this program successfully for the past two years we decided to create a global standard using this unique specialty as our foundation.
Why did it need to be changed?
If you have ever met a cave diving instructor, you would probably agree that they tend to have pretty strong opinions about how things need to be done. While the main focus is always training the most competent divers possible, the route to getting there can vary significantly from instructor to instructor. While we had a great foundation already in place, the rebreather cave program that was being taught was written specifically for one instructor’s teaching style, philosophies, and the environment he was typically teaching in. We decided to reach out to a few other members of our TAP (some of the most experienced cave and rebreather instructors on the planet) and see what they thought. Just as expected there were many heated emails exchanged and at times it seemed we would never come up with a solution everyone could live with.
Now what?
It wasn’t until we sent two TDI training department staff members into the field for some hands on testing that we started to make significant headway. Already experienced advanced mixed gas rebreather divers but not yet cave divers; they were perfect candidates for this type of research. They dedicated most of their weekends for almost 3 months to the project, spending over 20 hours underground in the springs of North Florida with one of the world’s most accomplished cave instructors (rough life, right?). Through hands on experience and the help of TAP members around the world the rebreather cave diving program was shaped and molded. The result is a set of courses, Rebreather Cavern, Rebreather Introductory Cave, and Rebreather Full Cave Diver, that can be adapted by a wide variety of teaching styles and environments to produce some of the most competent rebreather cave divers in the water.
Launch Time.
Now that the standards are written, it’s time to get the course out to the public. We have chosen several instructors and instructor trainers around the world to begin offering the TDI Rebreather Cave Program and are excited to start training rebreather cave divers. For a list of instructors and instructor trainers or for more information on these courses please contact us at worldhq@tdisdi.com.
Thank You.
This project was a huge undertaking, and there’s no way we could have done it on our own. We would like to give a special thank you to Ben Reymenants, the author of the original CCR Cave unique specialty outlines; without this foundation we would have had to start from scratch. Ben continued to provide TDI with feedback on how his courses have been going as well as provided feedback from the CCR Cave Instructors he had created using his unique outline.
Also, thank you to Randy Thornton and his sons, Josh and Michael, of Dive Addicts in Draper, UT. The Thornton’s are very active instructors and instructor trainers, specializing in rebreather and cave training. The input they provided was priceless, and always seemed to be the nudge that we needed to keep moving forward. Sorry it’s taken so long guys, but we would still be far from finished if it weren’t for your help.
Finally, thank you Lamar Hires, owner of the equipment manufacturer Dive Rite, for providing much of the equipment used and so many hours of his personal time to work with Jon and Lauren Kieren of TDI for their rebreather cave training. Lamar is an icon in the cave diving world and his never tiring dedication to the dive industry and the improvement of training proved to be an invaluable resource for creating the Rebreather Cave Diver courses.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/lost-in-a-cave.gif6251200Rob O'Goodenowhttps://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/header-web-live.pngRob O'Goodenow2013-07-15 14:16:582021-09-16 17:35:10Lost in a Cave: Becoming the Aware Cave Diver
The only plan we had when TDI Instructor Trainer Ben Reymenants asked us to join a trip to Chiao Lan lake’s floating rafthouses was to do nothing at all; read a book and relax for a couple of days on the water. The group we went with was packed with cave divers and students ready to explore the secrets that hide inside the local caves. Our initial plan was to tag along and make one or two dives to peek into the dark abyss in front of the cave. Well, it didn’t turn out as planned. Curiosity got the better of us and we decided to enroll in the cave diving course. I’m fairly certain Ben knew that all along because he had equipment ready for us to use.
Dark as a night; one only sees the wide light beam emitted by the torch held by your small shaky hand. There is a good chance that you may not see your own light if the diver in front of you decides to stir up some sediment. That’s why you have to obey the one golden rule – no matter what happens or what you are doing, never ever lose your guide line. It just so happened that somebody (not pointing fingers) gently removed our masks and as you might know, seeing underwater without a mask is a bit complicated. Here we go, now it’s time to start exiting!
You must be certain the direction you’re going is the right way out. If you lose the line, you’re in trouble. By holding the line and feeling the previously placed directional markers on it, we started slowly moving towards the exit. Usually when something goes wrong other things that were good until this point start to go wrong as well. It becomes a downward spiral. For example, you may run out of air in addition to zero visibility. That’s another reason to have a good teammate in there which is why I think cave diving is more teamwork than a marriage.
It’s not an ego thing that demands a cave diver to be in good shape. You need to be able to swim long distances without getting tired. Inside a cave, you no longer have the option to go up when you would like to end the dive. As far as you swim in, you must be able to swim out.
There are thousands of years of history recorded in the caves. The caves in Chiao Lan are formed by acids found in the ground and rainwater that dissolved limestone and made cracks in it. It takes thousands of years more until cave systems are formed until, for some natural or artificial reason, the caves are flooded and become home to a very unique ecosystem.
There are stalactites hanging down from the ceilings revealing time stamps and stalagmites grow from the floor like trees. There is almost no vegetation and fauna is quite scarce. You can find some near blind cavefish that may bounce off you during the dive because of they don’t see you (obviously), along with white crabs and lobsters, mustached catfish and snakehead fish dating back to ancient times.
During the last couple of years, it seems I constantly have to test my limits. Like now – I didn’t know anything about cave diving but Ben Reymenants and Paul Kirby taught us the skills necessary to navigate in the caves, deal with entanglements, find the exit in zero visibility, and much more. Over the time I’ve developed some sort of peace and mindset that I’ll do the things as well as I can. A cave diver has to know how to lay a line and tie knots because the line that leads you into the cave is like an umbilical cord; it’s your lifeline that supports you. I practiced my lifeline skills a lot during that week, invented some totally new knots and mastered the known ones.
Tuuli Piirsalu is working as organization development manager for Daimler Financial Services in Singapore. Before urban life she worked as a diving instructor in Egypt, Maldives and Thailand.
Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cave_diving_teamwork_1.png762510Rob O'Goodenowhttps://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/header-web-live.pngRob O'Goodenow2013-07-15 13:59:182021-05-10 19:45:38Cave diving: more teamwork than a marriage
Over the past few months, two members of the TDI training department spent their weekends assisting in the development of the Rebreather Full Cave Diver course. As CCR Advanced Mixed Gas divers with years of deep ocean experience and zero overhead environment training; they were the perfect candidates to test and challenge this course in the making as real students with one of the most experienced cave instructors in the field.
After 20+ hours underwater, a lot of lessons learned, humbling and exhilarating moments and more; they completed what is now the TDI Rebreather Full Cave Diver course. To recap on those experiences, here are some highlights from their course:
Day 1: Land Drills –After learning how to properly deploy and follow a guideline, our instructor set up a triangular course for us to follow in the woods. We tracked the guideline several times over with different variables in play each time around. The first time through the course we were able to have our eyes open and simply walk next to the line, easy enough right? This drill eventually progressed to closing our eyes while keeping in contact with the guideline and each other. The last time around the course with these variables in play it took us well over three times as long compared to the first time around. I don’t think I will ever forget our instructor’s face when he said, “you both are dead.” Ouch!
This drill was used as an example of improper dive planning. If we planned our bailout gas requirements based on the first time it took us to track the course (in easy conditions) and something went wrong (leading to a challenging exit), we would have exhausted our emergency bailout gas reserve before exiting the cave. First lesson of the course: Expect the unexpected and plan for the worst case scenario. Caves are an unforgiving environment; when things go wrong the potential for a continuous downward spiral is always present and you might be faced with little or no options if you do not plan your bailout accordingly.
Cavern Dives –The first few dives we made in the course were conducted in the cavern zone. This was our first experience applying the land drills we conducted earlier that day. Line laying, gas sharing, and zero visibility scenarios were played out extensively until our instructor was confident in our ability to handle these stressful situations. These were possibly some of the most humbling experiences of my diving career. Going into this course I thought I was a pretty good diver capable of handling a lot in the water. At this point, I realized I was truly a novice in this new environment with a lot to learn. This was certainly going to be an interesting course…
First Cave Dive – “I need to get in better shape.” During our first swim beyond the daylight zone of the cavern going into the darkness of the cave, I felt the outward flow of water seek to push me out as I was striving to swim in. Although this makes for an easier exit, it created a very wearing entrance. I was trying to recall all of the things our instructor said about body positioning in the water, learning the cave’s personality, and tucking behind rocks or the diver ahead to “draft” them. None of it seemed to be working; I was tired, frustrated, and my ego was about the size of a pinhead at this point.
Working hard and over-breathing is not a good recipe on a rebreather. I knew I had to take a break to collect myself and gain control of my breathing rate before progressing on at a slower pace. I spent the rest of the dive observing my instructor’s movements while trying to get a feel for moving efficiently in the water. My technique was improving but I was lacking speed and stamina. I knew I was in need of a lot of work to keep up in this environment.
That was the last dive for the weekend and I left with a goal in mind; get in better shape! I spent the next three weeks out of the caves and in the gym. The only diving I did during that time was in shallow water practicing skills and line laying drills for the dives to come.
1st half of the course –“A rebreather is a tool, utilize it!” Throughout the course, we practiced a number of skills and drills to make the most of a rebreather in the cave environment. Even though you must always properly plan your bailout requirements for the dive to allow a safe exit, with proper training and execution, diving a rebreather sometimes offers other options in adverse situations.
We spent the majority of these dives practicing and perfecting these options which include but are not limited to; flying the rebreather manually, semi-closed rebreather mode, bailout bottle swapping exercises, and more. The first half of the course also included a lot of lost diver and lost line drills. We exercised these drills on almost every dive until we were comfortable quickly deploying our safety reels and conducting a quick search for either a simulated lost teammate or the main line. These drills were a good reminder of how great a rebreather is for the cave environment. In the event you lose the mainline or a teammate, you have time to conduct an efficient search without having to worry about a quickly depleting gas supply. While we were starting to feel comfortable in the cave, there was still a lot of work to be done. At one point my teammate mentioned, “I feel just comfortable enough to get myself into some serious trouble.” Meaning he was comfortable in the environment, but knew he had a lot left to learn.
2nd half of the course – “I am starting to get the hang of this…” After three months of a new workout routine, a fair amount of time in the caves, countless skills & drills; our overall comfort and confidence in the cave environment increased. We were now working on complex navigation in the cave, making multiple jumps off of the main line and doing large circuits and traverses. We were moving quickly and efficiently in the water for extended periods of time without getting tired and our skills were on target but we still didn’t quite have “it” yet…
Our instructor placed a major emphasis on situational awareness in the cave. The reoccurring question of the course was “what is your swim rate?” If we couldn’t answer that question appropriately, we typically received a “come on guys, you have to know your swim rate” lecture. The reason why it’s important to know your swim rate is to track the amount of time it takes you to swim a certain distance given the environmental factors (i.e.; high flow, low flow, and siphon). You can track this by monitoring a timing device as you pass each line marker indicating penetration distance. On a rebreather, you don’t always have your gas supply to tell you when to turn around. A rebreather enables a diver to spend a vast amount of time in the water; this can be deceiving in the cave environment if you venture too far in without adequate bailout to exit if something goes wrong. Often times you have to use time and distance to judge your turning points. If you go beyond the range of your bailout you can end up in a seriously problematic situation.
Last Cave Dive – “We finally figured out what “it” is…” As we were making our way into the cave I noticed we were swimming at a rate of 80-100FT/minute. I knew we made substantial headway in swimming rates since we started the course however, 100FT/minute was not a realistic pace given the limited amount of work we were putting out. As we were nearing the point we designated as our turn around location, we decided to call the dive a little earlier and make our way out. As we were exiting the cave, we noticed our swim rate slowed down to 50-60FT/minute, meaning we were moving at half the pace and would exit in double the amount of time it took us to enter the cave.
Once we surfaced our instructor asked why we called the dive earlier and if we noticed anything different. After indicating that it was a siphon, noting our exact swim rates, and the reason why we turned sooner was to allow extra time for our exit; he finally smiled and said “you got it.”
After completing the TDI Rebreather Full Cave Diver course; experiencing some of the most challenging, humbling, and exhilarating moments in my dive career, I can honestly say I can’t wait for more. The amount of dive experience my teammate and I had prior to the course could not prepare us for this type of diving. Now it’s time for us to keep our skills fresh, stay current, and slowly gain experience in the caves.
Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.
Is it the mystery, the beauty, the history, or the adventure that first drew your attention to wreck diving? No matter what your personal appeal, almost everyone who has looked through a doorway or porthole of a shipwreck has wanted to venture inside and unlock the real mystery.
While this can be hazardous to the untrained, those hazards can be reduced and it can be an exciting, and rewarding adventure for those who have taken the extra training to dive it correctly. The SDI Wreck Diver course will provide you with the skills necessary to dive through swim throughs or within the ambient light zone of the entry point of a wreck safely.
While diving inside a shipwreck can be fun and exciting, it can also be hazardous if the necessary precautions are not taken. The inside of a wreck can seem well lit and inviting when you are looking from the outside in, especially in the ambient light zone. However, there are many issues that many do not consider before venturing inside. Entanglement hazards and the silt that may have been accumulating undistributed for years can cause serious problems for the unprepared diver.
The SDI Wreck Limited Penetration Diver course will teach you how to manage these hazards; you will learn how to:
properly plan a limited penetration dive
avoid and manage a silt-out inside the wreck
deploy and follow a guide line
properly use dive lights
how to map the wreck noting potential hazards for future dives.
These skills are essential tools for a penetration dive, no matter how benign it may seem when looking at it from the outside.
Whether you are trying to unlock the mystery of a long lost ship or just enjoy the beauty and marine life associated with wreck diving, attending an SDI Wreck Limited Penetration Diver course will provide you with valuable tools to enhance your wreck diving experiences. For more information on SDI Wreck Diving visit or your nearest SDI Dive Center or click here to learn more!
Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wrecks_youcandivearoundit.png637422Rob O'Goodenowhttps://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/header-web-live.pngRob O'Goodenow2013-07-02 20:45:112013-07-02 20:45:11Wreck Diving: You can dive around it, learn to dive in it!
Imagine a laser light show at a Pink Floyd concert and place that image underwater. Picture light beams piercing through the water lighting up the bottom contour. You may or may not have “Shine On” stuck inside your head but you’re certainly seeing the cavern light up in front of your eyes. It’s not just the light show that attracts people to dive caverns; the visibility, natural formations, and skills associated with this type of environment lures in divers every day.
As divers, we often ask each other “How was the vis?” Rarely can we answer; “as far as the eye could see!” A cavern is not the environment you’re going to find waves that stir up the bottom. Any present water movement in and around many caverns worldwide typically pulls any present sediment away allowing for limitless visibility. Diving in the clear water of caverns allows one to feel like they are gliding through midair. You don’t have to search for that great “vis” when you can find it in the unexpected realm of cavern diving.
As a TDI Cavern Diver, you have the opportunity to get a “sneak peak” of the underwater realm inside of the earth. Within the limitations of your cavern training (ie; remain within the natural light zone, no farther than 200 linear feet from the surface, no restrictions and more) you have a plethora of new things to see while diving in this environment. Caverns around the world have visible fossils, stalagmites, stalactites and rock formations you typically cannot find in the open ocean. Taking the TDI Cavern Diver course is a great way to try something different and see something new.
You might be wondering, what is involved in the TDI Cavern Diver course? The objective of this course is to train divers in the proper planning, procedures, techniques and hazards of diving in caverns and the overhead environments. If you are over the age of 18 (15 with parental consent), can show proof of a SDI Open Water Scuba Diver certification or equivalent, and provide proof of a minimum of 25 logged dives, you meet the prerequisites for the program. During the TDI Cavern Diver course you will learn new swimming techniques by fine tuning your body posture / trim, buoyancy control and learn how to properly deploy and follow a guideline. Have you ever seen people in the water that make diving look so effortless? By fine tuning your diving techniques you can get closer to becoming one of those divers.
Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/thedangersofcavingwithoutpropertraining.png507647Rob O'Goodenowhttps://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/header-web-live.pngRob O'Goodenow2013-07-02 20:44:392021-10-04 16:04:11Cave Diving and the Dangers without Proper Training
Thousands of people testify in hearings worldwide every day and potentially millions throughout the year. Avoid some of the pitfalls that come with testifying in court, with Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI) new awareness program, Testifying In Court.
Wendell Nope is an Emergency Response Diver Instructor in Utah. He is also a TDI Advanced Trimix Diver and Full Cave Diver. He has been involved with over 40 drowning victim recoveries. He is also a member of the TDI/SDI/ERDI Training Advisory Pannel. His favorite pastime is exploring underwater caves in Utah. He may be contacted at 
The only plan we had when TDI Instructor Trainer Ben Reymenants asked us to join a trip to Chiao Lan lake’s floating rafthouses was to do nothing at all; read a book and relax for a couple of days on the water. The group we went with was packed with cave divers and students ready to explore the secrets that hide inside the local caves. Our initial plan was to tag along and make one or two dives to peek into the dark abyss in front of the cave. Well, it didn’t turn out as planned. Curiosity got the better of us and we decided to enroll in the cave diving course. I’m fairly certain Ben knew that all along because he had equipment ready for us to use.
During the last couple of years, it seems I constantly have to test my limits. Like now – I didn’t know anything about cave diving but Ben Reymenants and Paul Kirby taught us the skills necessary to navigate in the caves, deal with entanglements, find the exit in zero visibility, and much more. Over the time I’ve developed some sort of peace and mindset that I’ll do the things as well as I can. A cave diver has to know how to lay a line and tie knots because the line that leads you into the cave is like an umbilical cord; it’s your lifeline that supports you. I practiced my lifeline skills a lot during that week, invented some totally new knots and mastered the known ones.
