Access body
Cave Divers Association of Australia
An Australian membership body that negotiates access to cave-diving sites with landowners, rates sites by category, and runs its own Basic Cave, Cave and Advanced Cave training.
The CDAA describes itself as working for members and landowners to facilitate access to Australian cave-diving sites, and says it has access to more than 50 sites; certified cave divers from elsewhere can apply for a three-month visitor permit [1]. It publishes a quarterly magazine, Guidelines [1].
The CDAA ties training to its own site-rating categories. Its training page defines Cavern sites (fresh water no deeper than 20 m with daylight always visible), Sinkhole sites (deeper than 20 m), Cave sites and Advanced Cave sites [2]. Its course ladder is Basic Cave Diver (for Cavern and Sinkhole sites), Cave Diver and Advanced Cave Diver, with a crossover route for divers certified by other agencies under a CDAA policy [2][3][4][5].
3 courses
Cave-related courses
As published on the organisation's own course or standards pages; the official page is the authority. Similar names elsewhere are not automatically equivalent.
| Course | Prerequisites | Scope and published limits |
|---|---|---|
| CDAA Advanced Cave Diver ↗Advanced cave · checked 2026-10-14 | CDAA Cave or National Committee-approved equivalent; at least 25 unsupervised cave dives totalling 25 hours on twin cylinders, logged no more than three a day, at four or more sites (preferably in two areas). Rebreather divers need unit certification, 50 post-course dives and 25 dives / 25 hours on a rebreather in overhead caves. | Staged cave diving: planning, procedures, self-reliance and problem solving. Seven supervised dives at CDAA-rated Cavern, Cave and Advanced Cave sites. Theory includes restrictions, DPV use, decompression review and mapping; skills include jump reels, lost-line search, restriction and gear-removal exercises, air sharing through restrictions and stage cylinder use.As published: Advanced Cave sites have unlimited penetration distance requiring stage diving, and may include passages at times too small for two divers side by side. |
| CDAA Basic Cave Diver ↗Cavern · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | Advanced Open Water or National Committee-approved equivalent; 50 dives after Open Water totalling 25 hours, including at least two night dives and five dives deeper than 20 m; minimum age 18; diving medical statement (full medical if any contraindication is flagged). Rebreather divers need unit certification plus 30 post-course rebreather dives totalling 30 hours. | The CDAA's entry-level cave certification, covering Cavern and Sinkhole sites in conditions from zero to unlimited visibility. Equivalent of five full days of theory and diving; seven supervised dives (one confined session of 2-3 hours and six training and site dives in CDAA-rated Caverns and Sinkholes). Twin cylinders of at least 3,000 litres combined.As published for the site categories this level covers: maximum linear penetration of 40 m from the surface at Cavern and Sinkhole sites; the CDAA recommends a maximum depth of 40 m on air at Sinkhole sites. |
| CDAA Cave Diver ↗Full cave · checked 2026-10-14 | CDAA Basic Cave, Deep Cavern or Sinkhole Diver (or National Committee-approved equivalent); at least 20 basic cave dives at two or more sites totalling at least 10 hours (open or closed circuit). Rebreather divers need unit certification plus 50 post-course rebreather dives totalling 50 hours. | Six supervised dives at CDAA-rated cavern and cave sites; theory on equipment, silt control, planning, cave decompression, guideline technique, communication, emergency problem solving, conservation, gas consumption, physiology, access protocols and accident analysis.As published for CDAA Cave sites: maximum penetration of one-third of a twin-cylinder gas supply, in passages that are always large enough for two divers to swim side by side and turn together. |
3
Providers stating this affiliation
| Provider | Where | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Water Ascent | Melbourne | Provider's own website |
| Deep Blue Ventures | McCrae, Victoria (Melbourne area) | Provider's own website |
| Diving Adelaide | Marleston (Adelaide) | Provider's own website |
Further reading
Cave diver training stages and terminology
Cavern and cave diving: what is the difference
How to choose a cave instructor or training provider
Keeping skills current: continuing education, currency and mentoring
Specialist areas: sidemount, rebreathers, scooters, surveying and scientific diving
A 10-year estimate of the incidence of decompression illness in a discrete group of recreational cave divers in Australia ↗
CDAA dive sites directory ↗
Every fact on this page, with its source (4)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The CDAA says it works with landowners to facilitate access and has access to more than 50 dive sites in Australia.Self-description as of 2026-10-14. | Verified | [1] |
| Certified cave divers can apply for a three-month CDAA Visitor Diving Permit.Check the CDAA Visitor Permits page for current conditions. | Verified | [1] |
| The CDAA defines a Cavern site as fresh water with a maximum depth of 20 m and daylight always visible, and a Sinkhole site as fresh water deeper than 20 m. | Verified | [2] |
| The CDAA training ladder is Basic Cave Diver, Cave Diver and Advanced Cave Diver, with a crossover route under a CDAA policy.Older CDAA levels such as Deep Cavern and Sinkhole are still accepted as prerequisites for the Cave course. | 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