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The UTD cave certifications follow this hierarchy.
Essentials of Tech is the prerequisite and sets the baseline for all our Technical training. That means all UTD Cave students have passed this class or have proven they have the personal skills required to participate in the tech-level classes UTD Offers.
OHP, Overhead Protocols
This certification means the student has completed the equivalent of “Intro to cave”. This class certifies the UTD students to start the official UTD Cave training. This level is NOT a cave certification and is only used as a skills-building class prior to the actual cave classes. The holder of this card has proven their skills and is granted access to the UTD Cave training program.
Cave 1
The UTD Cave 1 certification is the only UTD Scuba certification that has an expiry date. It expires 24 months after certification. The Cave 1 diver is allowed to dive in overhead environments like caves and mines, but is restricted to the main line only, with simple navigation, and may carry a maximum of 5 REMS (personal markers). This level is used in cases where the complete Cave 2 ( Full Cave ) class cannot be completed due to environmental situations, sickness, or other factors. This certification is issued only if the Cave 1 criteria have been met and is at the discretion of the UTD Cave instructor.
Cave 2
The UTD Cave 2 certification is a full cave certification that allows the diver to dive overhead environments like caves and mines, including complex navigation, jumps, and gaps, within the No-decompression limit and to a maximum depth of 30m or 100 feet, using either Air or Nitrox 32% as bottom gas.
Cave Stage
The UTD Cave Stage certification gives the Cave 2 diver the ability to use a stage to further penetration in overhead environments such as caves and mines, or to enable the use of the same set of doubles/sm doubles for 2 dives. Still sticking to the time and depth limits of the Cave 2 certification. This is also the prerequisite to starting the Cave 3 course.
Cave 3
The UTD Cave 3 certification is a full cave class with decompression capabilities and allows the Cave 3 diver to conduct decompression dives in overhead environments such as caves and mines up to their respective Technical certification level. So this card is accompanied by an Open Water Tech certification.
CCR Cave …
The certification says “CCR” before the Cave level, indicating that the diver can make these dives in overhead environments such as caves and mines on the CCR. They have reached a minimum of Cave 2 + Cave Stage prior to getting the CCR Cave certification.
Cave Gold
This is our NO-limits Cave certification and is not obtained by following a cave class in the general sense of the word. It’s a level reached by Cave 3 divers with extensive experience and who also hold the DPV 2 certification, and have participated in at least 2 UTD Expeditions.
