GUE Cave Diver 1

Enter Cave Diving Properly

GUE Cave Diver 1 is the entry point into GUE cave training and introduces divers to the discipline required in an overhead environment. GUE describes the course as preparation to venture beyond the natural daylight zone while using conservative gas management to keep beginning cave divers within a limited distance from the entrance. The course explains both the appeal and the seriousness of flooded caves, where a direct ascent is not available and team discipline matters from the first minute.

The class is designed for aspiring cave divers with strong foundational skills. GUE lists prerequisites including minimum age 18, fitness to dive, swimming ability, non-smoking status, medical clearance when needed, GUE Technical Fundamentals certification, and at least 100 logged dives beyond autonomous entry-level certification. Drysuit experience requirements apply if the class is conducted in a drysuit.

Training outcomes include the principles of cave diving, limited-penetration cave skills, environmental awareness, dive planning, teamwork, cave navigation, stress management, standard and emergency procedures, cave diving techniques, and an appreciation of cave hazards. GUE describes the course as normally six days with at least 12 dives, including 10 cave dives in at least three different caves, and 48 hours of instruction. At Extreme Exposure in High Springs, Florida, Cave 1 is a serious, structured introduction to one of diving?s most demanding environments.