Cave Diver Instructor Courses

Purpose

The GUE Cave Instructor Training Course (ITC) is designed to teach instructor candidates how to effectively communicate relevant course information for the Cave 1 course in a safe, usable, and positive manner.

Prerequisites

  1. Must meet GUE instructor candidate general prerequisites as outlined in section 3.6.2 and 3.6.7
  2. Must have passed GUE Fundamentals, GUE Tech 1, and GUE Cave 2
  3. Must have proof of at least 300 logged dives, with 100 cave dives beyond Cave 2 certification or their equivalent. Training dives are not included.
  4. Must have completed teaching outlines as assigned by GUE instructor trainer

Duration

The GUE Cave instructor training course (ITC) is structured around a minimum five-day period. This time period may be extended if all prerequisites or program requirements have not been met to the training director’s satisfaction.

Program Limits

  1. General training limits as outlined in section 1.4
  2. Instructor candidate-to-IT ratios are not to exceed 3:1
  3. Gas consumption: 1/3 of double cylinders for cave penetration
  4. Maximum depth: 100 feet/30 meters
  5. Minimum of 20 feet/6 meters of visibility to commence training cave dive
  6. Minimum of 80 cubic feet/2250 liters of gas to commence training cave dive

Program Content

The GUE Cave ITC is a comprehensive training program conducted by a GUE instructor trainer. This program is conducted over a minimum of seven days and is designed to prepare an instructor candidate for a GUE instructor evaluation, which is conducted at a later date as per section 3.6.7.

Required Training Materials

  1. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
  2. Beyond the Daylight Zone: The Fundamentals of Cave Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, Panos Alexakos, and Todd Kincaid, GUE, 2003, High Springs, Florida.
  3. Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.

Academic Topics

  1. GUE organization, limits of training, and course completion requirements
  2. Conservation
  3. Review of GUE standards and procedures
  4. Demonstrate full capacity with all topics contained within GUE Cave 1 diver training

Land Drills and Topics

  1. Reel and guideline use in standard operating procedures
  2. Team order and protocols
  3. Use of safety spools/reels
  4. Reel and guideline use in emergency procedures, including touch contact and gas-sharing techniques
  5. Lost-diver procedures
  6. Lost-guideline procedures
  7. Basic navigation skills
  8. Visual referencing skills
  9. Demonstrate a complete understanding of all topics contained within the GUE Cave 1 curriculum

Required Dive Skills and Drills

Each Cave ITC candidate must be able to perform or demonstrate:
  1. At least three prepared classroom presentations
  2. At least one impromptu classroom presentation
  3. At least one prepared line-drill session
  4. At least three impromptu Cave 1 simulated training dives
  5. At least one simulated in-water emergency/rescue scenario
  6. Any cave-diving skill at a demonstration level when asked by the ITC staff
  7. A safe, effective, and personable approach to teaching
  8. An understanding of GUE standards and procedures
  9. A respect for the conservation of the environment
  10. Proper in-water positioning to give appropriate care for, and control of, their students
  11. An awareness of each student’s ability level
  12. Demonstrate capacity with all required dive skills and drills

Equipment Requirements

Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment:
  1. Tanks/Cylinders: Students are required to use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual-outlet isolator manifold, which allows the use of two first-stages. All dives must start with a minimum of 80 cubic feet/2250 liters of gas.
  2. Regulators: Two first-stages, each supplying a single second-stage. One of the second-stages must be on a 7-foot/2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).
  3. Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap attached to the lower end of this platform and looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding up a diver’s back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be placed in line with a diver’s right collarbone, the third should be placed in line with the diver’s left collarbone, the fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while scootering or towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver’s arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the placement of reserve lights. The system should retain a minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.
  4. Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver’s buoyancy compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or “bungee” of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell. In addition, diver lift should not exceed 80 lbs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.
  5. At least one time/depth-measuring device
  6. Decompression tables
  7. Mask and fins: Mask should be low-volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
  8. At least one cutting device
  9. Wet Notes
  10. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
  11. One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters of line
  12. One primary light: A primary light should be minimalist in design; its power source should consist of a rechargeable battery pack residing in a canister, powering an external light head via a light cord. Primary lights should produce the equivalent output of 50-watt halogen/ 0-watt HID lighting or greater.
  13. Two reserve lights: Reserve lights should be non-rechargeable with a minimum of protrusions and a single attachment at its rear. The light should be activated by twisting the front bezel toward the body and deactivated by turning it away from the body.
  14. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
  15. At least six line markers, of which at least three should be directional (line arrows) and three non-directional
  16. Divers breathing Helium mixtures and utilizing a dry suit must have a separate (from the back gas) dry suit inflation source, such as an argon/air bottle. Divers may not inflate the dry suit from the back gas.

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE’s equipment requirement remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives. Participants are responsible for providing all equipment or for making provisions to secure all necessary equipment before the start of the course. In general, it is better for the student to learn while using his or her own equipment. However, students should exercise caution before purchasing new equipment to avoid acquiring substandard equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases. Information about recommended equipment can be obtained from the equipment considerations section of GUE’s Web site.

Progressing from Cave 1 Instructor to Cave 2 Instructor

In addition to the general requirements specified in section 3.6.8, prospective GUE Cave 2 instructors must also fulfill the following prerequisites before they are eligible to become qualified GUE Cave 2 instructors:
  1. Must meet GUE instructor candidate general prerequisites as outlined in section 3.6.2
  2. Must have proof of at least 400 logged dives with 150 cave dives beyond Cave 2 certification or equivalent. Training dives are not included.
  3. Must have passed GUE Fundamentals, GUE Cave 2, and GUE Tech 1 Diver.
  4. Must have experience in high-flow systems and systems that require decompression.
  5. Must meet all upgrade requirements outlined in section 3.6.8.

Progressing from Cave 2 Instructor to Cave 3 Instructor

In addition to the general requirements specified in section 3.6.8, prospective GUE Cave 3 instructors must also fulfill the following prerequisites before they are eligible to become qualified GUE Cave 3 instructors:
  1. Must meet GUE instructor candidate general prerequisites as outlined in section 3.6.2
  2. Must have proof of at least 700 logged dives with 300 cave dives beyond Cave 2 certification or equivalent. Training dives are not included.
  3. Must have passed GUE Fundamentals, GUE Cave 3, and GUE Tech 2
  4. Must meet all upgrade requirements outlined in section 3.6.8


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