Cavern Diver Training
NAUI Cavern Diver training introduces qualified divers to overhead-environment procedures while staying within cavern limits. The official NAUI page describes the course as providing the skills and knowledge needed to gain experience and minimize risks in cavern diving, with graduates considered competent to plan and execute cavern dives without direct supervision when the environment, activities, and equipment match their training. The emphasis is on controlled overhead awareness, guideline discipline, communication, buoyancy, and exit-focused decision-making.
This course is for divers who already have solid open-water skills and want a structured first step into overhead environments. NAUI lists Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent as the prerequisite and requires the diver to be at least 18 by the water phase. The instructor must also ensure adequate student knowledge and capability before open-water training, which may include an evaluation dive if the diver?s proficiency is not already well known.
Training normally includes academic work, land or confined-water line practice, and cavern dives where the instructor evaluates gas planning, team procedures, light use, and silt-avoidance technique. In High Springs, Florida, Cavern Diver is an important gateway to local spring and cavern environments. The expected outcome is a diver who understands cavern limits and can approach overhead diving with more humility, structure, and respect for the exit.
