Club
Cave Diving Group
A British non-commercial cave diving club founded in 1946 that trains members through volunteer mentoring in regional sections; it is the representative body for cave divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Cave Diving Group was founded in 1946 by Graham Balcombe and describes itself as the world's oldest continuously operating cave diving organisation [1]. It is the representative body for cave divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a constituent body of the British Caving Association, and is organised in four regional sections (Somerset, Welsh, Derbyshire and Northern) under a Central Committee [1]. Its publications include newsletters, training material, exploration reports and regional sump indexes [1].
The CDG is not a commercial training agency. Trainees join with existing caving and diving experience and are mentored by volunteers through open water, overhead and exploration phases, presenting a record of caving and cave diving, a practical test before a Section Examiner and a written exam; Qualified Diver status is granted only when a majority of the section's Qualified Divers agree [3]. The CDG says the route usually takes at least 12 months and often several years, and that it offers no fast-track qualification [1][3].
1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CDG Qualified Diver ↗Other · checked 2026-10-14 | Trainees join the Cave Diving Group with existing skill and experience in both caving and diving; training is organised through a regional section. | A mentored, non-commercial route through open water, overhead and exploration phases (the last including surveying, underwater digging and extended-range techniques). Candidates present a record of caving and cave diving covering sump travel, exploration, vertical access and decompression use or simulation, pass a practical test before a Section Examiner and a written exam (navigation, physiology, first aid, equipment, decompression, tables), and are qualified only when a majority of the section's Qualified Divers agree.The CDG page publishes no depth or penetration limits by grade. The route usually takes at least 12 months and often several years. |
Further reading
Cave diver training stages and terminology
Emergency resources and their limits
Equipment Configurations for Cave Diving: Backmount, Sidemount and Streamlining
How to choose a cave instructor or training provider
Keeping skills current: continuing education, currency and mentoring
Cave Diving Group Manual ↗
Deep anaesthesia: The Thailand cave rescue and its implications for management of the unconscious diver underwater ↗
Somerset Sump Index 2008 ↗
The Darkness Beckons ↗
The Log of the Wookey Hole Exploration Expedition ↗
The Rescue (2021) ↗
Wookey Hole: 75 Years of Exploration ↗
Every fact on this page, with its source (7)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The CDG describes itself as active since 1946. | Verified | [1] |
| The BCRC states that UK cave rescue is supported by national caving organisations including the Cave Diving Group. | Verified | [3] |
| CDG members supported the 2018 Tham Luang rescue, during which former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan died.The CDG page deliberately does not single out individual divers. | Verified | [5] |
| The CDG was founded in 1946 by Graham Balcombe. | Verified | [2] |
| The CDG is the representative body for cave divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a constituent body of the British Caving Association. | Verified | [2] |
| CDG training runs through open water, overhead and exploration phases with volunteer mentors, and Qualified Diver status is granted by a vote of the section's Qualified Divers. | Verified | [4] |
| The CDG says its qualification route usually takes at least 12 months and often several years. | Verified | [4] |
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