TDI Stage Cave

Course Overview

TDI Stage Cave teaches trained cave divers how to extend bottom time or penetration distance by using stage cylinders. The official TDI page explains that divers learn to plan dives that may include longer bottom times, complex planning, and multiple methods of gas management. The course does not grant new depth or decompression privileges by itself; dives remain within the student's current certification and experience level.

This course is for certified TDI Full Cave Divers, or equivalents, who want to extend their penetration limits with staged gas. TDI lists minimum age 18 and Full Cave Diver or equivalent certification as prerequisites. Students should already be comfortable with full cave navigation, guideline discipline, gas planning, team procedures, and emergency exits before adding stage-cylinder logistics.

Training covers motivations for extended time and penetration, cylinder size and rigging, streamlining, gas planning, gas management, decompression obligations, stage diving techniques, dropping and retrieving stage cylinders, drop-off stations, pre-dive planning, equipment matching, bubble checks, stress analysis, buoyancy, body posture, and propulsion in flow. In High Springs, Florida, it is highly relevant for experienced cave divers planning longer spring cave dives. Successful students should leave with better stage-cylinder discipline and more conservative penetration planning.