Club
Cave Diving Group (CDG)
Non-commercial club founded in 1946 by Graham Balcombe and the representative body for cave divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, organised in four regional sections. Membership is via a section; trainees are mentored to Qualified Diver status.
Official website ↗ Contact page ↗
A listing is not an endorsement. We do not rate or rank providers. Check an instructor's current status with their training agency, and ask about ratios, teaching sites and conditions before booking.
Cave and cavern courses
CDG Trainee scheme (Open Water, Overhead and Exploration phases), Qualified Diver test
Regions served
Somerset (Mendip), South Wales, Derbyshire, North of England
As stated on the provider's own website on 2026-10-14. Services and prices change; confirm directly.
Training affiliations
| Organisation | How we know |
|---|---|
| British Caving Association | Stated on the provider's website · page ↗ |
Where they dive
Kingsdale system (Keld Head)
Cave system
Wookey Hole
Cave system
Keld Head
Resurgence
King Pot
Cave entrance
Sources:
[1] Cave Diving Group ↗[2] Cave Diving Group ↗[3] Cave Diving Group ↗[4] Cave Diving Group ↗
· checked 2026-10-14
Every fact on this page, with its source (4)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The CDG was founded in 1946 by Graham Balcombe, is a constituent body of the British Caving Association, and its members are insured through the BCA scheme. | Verified | [1] |
| The CDG has four regional sections: Somerset, Welsh, Derbyshire and Northern, coordinated by a Central Committee. | Verified | [1] [4] |
| Trainees progress through Open Water, Overhead and Exploration phases and become Qualified Divers after an experience record, a practical test by a Section Examiner and a written exam; trainees have five years to qualify. | Verified | [2] [3] |
| Applicants must be over 18, physically fit, not have epilepsy, hold a scuba qualification equivalent to CMAS One Star (or demonstrate it), and be endorsed by two Qualified Divers; joining is through a regional section. | Verified | [2] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction