Do I need a cavern cert to do a guided Mexican cenote dive?

[Dive-aholic]

Actually, I belive it is 4:1. And the guide must be full cave and use full cave gear, all divers must have lights, etc.
My wife and I have not done a cavern course (we'd like to, but doing so in Colorado is problematic). We've done 2 tanks in Chac Mool, 2 in Dos Ojos, 1 in Angelita, 1 in Tajma Ha and 1 in Grand Cenote. We enjoyed them enormously, and certainly never felt unsafe. We do have fairly good bouyancy and trim, and dive with a guide we know very well. (Alvaro from AlwaysDiving.com - we have about 50 dives with him.)

With as many cenote dives as you've done, why haven't you just completed a cavern course?? You say it's problematic, but yet you list 7 cavern dives and state you've done 50 dives with your guide. Find an instructor and complete your cavern course during your next trip to Mexico!

Does anybody know which agency offers the most comprehensive cavern cert? I would like to learn as much as possible from the course.

The agencies all have essentially the same standards for the cavern course. I teach through 4 agencies (NACD, NSS-CDS, IANTD, and TDI) and my cavern course is the same regardless of what card I am going to process. The only difference is the student manual and course exam, and those are all pretty similar, too. I recommend one of the cave diving agencies - NACD or NSS-CDS. They both have fairly strict standards to become an instructor. Avoid the recreational agencies as there are no internships or instructor exams required by most of them.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

With as many cenote dives as you've done, why haven't you just completed a cavern course?? You say it's problematic, but yet you list 7 cavern dives and state you've done 50 dives with your guide. Find an instructor and complete your cavern course during your next trip to Mexico!

It is problematic. Colorado is not exactly one of the worlds diving hotspots. And I'm reluctant to spend too much of our vacation time in class. We're AOW now, and the vast majority of our dives are open water reef dives, with a few easy wreck dives (like the C-55 & C-58 off Cancun). On our next trip to Mexico, I plan to do my rescue diver. I think that's a good thing to have for ALL diving, and a good thing to have before getting cavern certified.
At this point, I have to say I don't even know how many dives are required for a cavern certification, or how much classroom time. Frankly, I'd be inclined to learn to dive doubles first, and go straight from Cavern to Intro.

Until then, I'll stick to the limited guided cenote tours. I learn something new every dive, and I can't help but think it will make the actual courses that much easier.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Your money would be better spent completing the rescue class closer to home and the cavern class in Mexico - 2 days, 4 dives - less time than a good rescue class takes.

 

[halocline]

I totally agree with taking the cavern class in Mexico. I did mine with German Yanez, and had a great experience. It's funny, on the cavern tours I'd done before I was never asked anything about my certification, never showed a card, etc....although I was referred by a friend of German's to him.

Personally, I think a good way to do it would be to go on a tour or two with whomever you're going to take the course with, then do the course, then spend a couple more days practicing in the cavern zones. Once you get the cenote bug, it's pretty tough to stay away from them. A good recommendation for you to do at home would be to get some training and experience in doubles, with a hogarthian set up. I did a lot of OW class divemastering in 10-15ft of water hovering in doubles before I took the cavern class, which I did in doubles. You can certainly do the course in a single tank (its the usual way) but if you're planning on going to the next level, getting comfortable with trim/buoyancy/propulsion in doubles is a necessary prerequisite, and its something you can easily practice at home; the shallower, the better.

 

[TSandM]

Because of some issues, a bunch of the instructors and guides in Quintana Roo got together and formed a voluntary association that offers a training class for guides. It also has rules, which include the 4:1 ratio, lights for everyone, and guide to be at least an OW instructor, Full Cave, and dive in cave gear. There is no government regulation of cavern tours, and these rules are, as I said, voluntary. I guess for a while almost everyone followed them, but as the tours have become more popular and more profitable, there are guides who don't follow them. It is VERY VERY important to make sure your guide does.

Fundamentals is probably the best class you could take in OW to prepare for diving caverns. It introduces the diver to the concept of pinpoint buoyancy and trim, and non-silting propulsion, as well as light communication and working as a team. My cavern instructor was really very happy with the skills and competencies we brought into the class (although sometimes he didn't know what to do with us!) and it allowed me to focus on the cave-specific learning, which had to do with staying oriented in total darkness.

I don't know whether to say I agree with you, or I empathize with you, but it was an internet video that gave me the cave bug in the first place, too. I can't wait to get back -- eight more days!

 

[dl348]

The intro course is a single tank program and the diver can dive to a maximum of 1/3 of their gas pressure. Basic cave is a double tank program and the diver can dive to 1/6 of their gas pressure.

The IANTD Intro. to Cave class is EITHER a single tank or double tank program. If you take the class in doubles, IANTD will actually print "Trained in Doubles" on the c-card.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Some good advice in this thread. Thank you for all the replies. I think I will get cavern certified. Even if I don't strictly need it, I will no doubt learn a lot which is always good.

Does anybody know which agency offers the most comprehensive cavern cert? I would like to learn as much as possible from the course.

(Incidentally, this was the video that first got me interested in the Cenotes: YouTube - Cave diving reveals secret world - Earth - The Power of the Planet - BBC)

I like this decision. Everyone facing this decision at some point in their diving life needs to consider one thing...something COULD happen to your guide during the dive...then the definition of "need" changes rather abruptly, and at a time when you can least afford for that definition to change.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The intro course is a single tank program and the diver can dive to a maximum of 1/3 of their gas pressure. Basic cave is a double tank program and the diver can dive to 1/6 of their gas pressure.

The IANTD Intro. to Cave class is EITHER a single tank or double tank program. If you take the class in doubles, IANTD will actually print "Trained in Doubles" on the c-card.

Jim is well aware of that being that he is an IANTD IT. He was referring to the NSS-CDS programs.

 

[dl348]

Yes, I knew he was referring to the CDS programs....i only typed that because some people following this topic may not have.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I should have been more clear. Thanks Rob & dl348 for clarifying...