GUE Cave 1 equivalence

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Ste Wart

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I'm just weighing options for Cave (probably along way away at this point)

The general IANTD route is: Cavern--Intro-Full Cave

Whereas GUE is : Fundies (tech pass) -- Cave 1--

So is Cave 1 the same as Intro to Cave? Or is it just a bit less than Full Cave? The same way that Tech 1 is a bit more than ART but a less (depth wise) than Normoxic. :confused:
 
Wart,

To answer your question simply: Yes, Cave 1 has similar standards to Intro. Both are main line navigation only with approximately 1/6th gas rule. Cave 1 allows you to navigate 1 permanent intersection such as a "T" or "Y" in the gold line. Essentially, they are your cave diving "learner's permit." Both have tons of great dives and allow you to gain valuable experience while keeping you within a relatively safe box, so to speak, with loads of gas and no complex navigational decisions.


Fundamentals and Cavern also have similarities in that they both focus on buoyancy, trim, non-silting precision kicks, and teamwork. As you mentioned, you'll need to take fundamentals in doubles to achieve a "tech pass" to move on to either Cave 1 or Tech 1. This just assures that you go into the next level classes with a solid foundation and are able to perform valve drills, s-drills, hose management, etc while handling mild task loading and maintaining good buoyancy and control. This way, you aren't spending your time working on those skills when you could be cave diving! A difference between these 2 courses is that fundies does not have any overhead training, while cavern obviously introduces you to the "daylight zone."

Full cave is more or less equivalent to GUE Cave 2. It allows you to start doing jumps, circuits, traverses, gaps, siphons, 1/3 gas rule. I'm not sure about the specific IANTD standards of what Full cave includes, but GUE Cave 2 allows you all of the things just mentioned plus deco and stages. A couple of agencies (NACD, NSS-CDS) also have an "Apprentice" level cave diver which I believe allows you to do 1 jump plus 1/3 gas rule. Someone chime in and correct me if that is wrong. Basically it's an intermediate level to afford more experience and planning before going onto Full cave. It would be equivalent to GUE "Cave 1.5" if it existed. :) I also don't think that any of the agencies allow scootering during Full Cave and require extra training for it.

Hope that helps and answers some of the questions you had!

Kyle
 
EE can you elaborate on the duration of the classes for each level of training? Obviously it's student/instructor dependent but what's the curriculum usually set up as?

For Example:
When I teach IANTD Cavern it generally takes 3 days. The course content says it can be done in 2, but I rarely do it in 2. Intro to Cave is another 2 or 3 days. Of course this depends on the skills of the student.

The only other thing I'd offer is that the IANTD Intro to Cave (w/ Doubles) is not an expiring certification like it is with many of the other agencies.
 
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EE can you elaborate on the duration of the classes for each level of training? Obviously it's student/instructor dependent but what's the curriculum usually set up as?

Of course!

Directly from the website:
"The GUE Fundamentals class must be conducted over at least four full days, encompassing both classroom and in-water work. Classes in which the student-to-instructor ratio (both in water and surface) does not exceed 3:1 may be conducted in no fewer than three full days. Course requirements include a minimum of ten hours of academics and five in-water sessions; at least two of these dives must include a depth of at least 25 feet / 8 meters."
These are the minimums. As you mentioned, things get adjusted depending on the students/instructor/environment, etc. Some classes can go 5 or even into 6 days with larger groups. People sometimes also elect to split the course up do to scheduling or comfort level. For example: Start on a Friday afternoon with classroom, do land drills and dive on Saturday and Sunday. Then go to work at your "pay for the scuba habit" job during the week, come back and finish the course on another weekend. Ultimately, as long as the minimum standards are met (and usually exceeded), its up to the students and instructor.

Cave 1: "
The GUE Cave 1 class is normally conducted over a five-day period. It involves a minimum of forty hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work."

You can find other information for Cave 1 here such as course limits, requirements, academics topics, etc.

Cave 2 is here

All other GUE courses here

-Kyle
 
Cave 1 and Cave 2 are generally taught over five days. Cave 1, which is roughly equivalent to cavern and Intro, can be done like this because a Fundies tech pass is a prerequisite, meaning that issues of buoyancy, trim, propulsion, emergency drills, communication and team cohesiveness have already been dealt with, and the class can start with cave-specific skills like line running.
 
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