Training agency
Global Underwater Explorers
International
5 cave courses
GUE
A US 501(c)(3) nonprofit diving organisation that trains recreational, technical and cave divers using its own defined equipment configurations and supports exploration and conservation projects.
Global Underwater Explorers describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that combines diver training with support for exploration, conservation and scientific projects [1]. GUE publishes excerpts of its General Training Standards, Policies, and Procedures for each course, which makes its cave course limits unusually easy to check [2][3].
GUE's cave track starts only after its Technical Fundamentals course. Cave 1 covers limited-penetration cave diving with one permanent intersection allowed and no decompression; Cave 2 adds complex navigation, stage cylinders and decompression [2][3]. Specialities that build on Cave 2 include DPV Cave, Underwater Cave Survey and CCR Cave [4][5][6]. GUE runs an online instructor locator [1].
5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GUE Closed-Circuit Rebreather Cave Diver ↗Rebreather (CCR) cave · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | Minimum age 18; GUE CCR Technical Diver Level 1 on the configuration being certified; GUE Cave Diver Level 2; at least 50 non-training CCR-T1 dives (logbook verified); at least 25 non-training Cave 2 dives; must own the GUE-approved rebreather type; drysuit experience if applicable. | Use of a closed-circuit rebreather in caves: overhead-specific CCR risks, bailout gas for bottom and decompression phases, off-board gas, semi-closed mode, full-bailout exits and zero-visibility exits using the head-up display. Normally four days, at least five dive sessions, 32 hours of instruction including at least ten hours of dive time.As published in Standards v10.4: ratio no more than 3:1; maximum depth 30 m; no more than 30 minutes of unadjusted decompression as planned in GUE DecoPlanner; sufficient bailout gas at all times to exit from maximum penetration. |
| GUE Diver Propulsion Vehicle Cave ↗Scooter (DPV) cave · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | Minimum age 18; GUE Cave Diver Level 2; GUE DPV 1; at least 50 non-training Cave 2 dives after Cave 2; at least 25 non-training DPV 1 dives after DPV 1; drysuit experience if applicable. | Scooter use in caves, including multiple DPVs and stage cylinders, trigger-time planning, speed matching, towing a diver or a failed DPV, runaway DPV control, laying and retrieving line from a scooter, and moving equipment through restrictive areas with care for the cave. Normally five days, at least five dives and 40 hours of instruction.As published in Standards v10.4: in-water ratio no more than 2:1; maximum depth 30 m; minimum 4,000 litres of gas to start a training dive. |
| GUE Cave Diver Level 2 ↗Full cave · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | Minimum age 18; GUE Cave Diver Level 1; at least 25 non-training Cave 1 dives after Cave 1 certification, 15 of them in natural overhead environments; drysuit experience if applicable. | Extended penetration, advanced navigation with jump spools (gaps, jumps, circuits, traverses), restrictions, basic survey techniques, decompression, and use of bottom and decompression stage cylinders. Normally six days, at least ten Cave 2 dives in at least three different cave systems and at least 48 hours of instruction.As published in Standards v10.4: in-water ratio no more than 3:1; maximum one-third of total gas for cave penetration; maximum depth 30 m; minimum 4,000 litres of gas to start a training dive; no DPVs. |
| GUE Cave Diver Level 1 ↗Intro cave · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | GUE general training prerequisites plus: minimum age 18 (minors need documented guardian consent sent to GUE HQ); GUE Technical Fundamentals; at least 100 non-training dives after autonomous diver certification; drysuit experience if a drysuit is used (25 non-training drysuit dives, or 15 after GUE Drysuit Primer). GUE's course page also lists non-smoker and physician authorisation for some medications or conditions. | Principles, skills and knowledge for limited-penetration cave diving: environmental awareness, dive planning, teamwork, stress management, navigation, conservation, standard and emergency procedures. Normally six days, at least 12 dives (10 of them cave dives in at least three different cave systems) and at least 48 hours of instruction. Rescue Primer or equivalent must be completed before certification.As published in Standards v10.4: in-water ratio no more than 3 students per instructor; maximum one-third of two-thirds of the total gas supply may be used for penetration; maximum depth 30 m; minimum 2,800 litres of gas to start a dive; no prolonged single-file passages (about 3 m or more); no complex navigation (jumps, traverses, circuits) but navigation past one permanent intersection is allowed; gaps may be navigated; no-stop dives only; no DPVs, exploration or stage cylinders. |
| GUE Underwater Cave Survey ↗Survey project · min. age 18 · checked 2026-10-14 | Minimum age 18; GUE Cave Diver Level 2; at least 25 non-training Cave 2 dives after Cave 2; GUE DPV Cave if the course uses scooters; drysuit experience if applicable. | Introduces experienced cave divers to team-based survey data collection, the stick map, sketching underwater details, data archiving and plotting, and cartography, preparing them to assist a coordinated cave project. Normally five days, at least ten diving hours and 40 hours of instruction.As published in Standards v10.4: in-water ratio no more than 2:1; maximum depth 30 m; maximum one-third of total gas for penetration; all survey tasks completed before reaching penetration gas limits; minimum 4,000 litres of gas to start a training dive. |
4
Providers stating this affiliation
| Provider | Where | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| The Cave To Be | Gramat | Provider's own website |
| MJ Cave – Molnár János Cave Dive Center | Frankel Leó u. 48, Budapest | Provider's own website |
| DIR-Mexico / Zero Gravity | Puerto Aventuras | Provider's own website |
| Dive Outpost | Live Oak (near Luraville) | Provider's own website |
Further reading
Breathing Gases in Cave Diving: Why Every Cylinder Is Analysed and Labelled
A conceptual guide to the gases cave divers breathe (air, nitrox, helium mixtures, oxygen), why each cylinder is...
Cave diver training stages and terminology
Most agencies move divers from cavern to an introductory or limited cave level and then to full cave, before...
Cavern and cave diving: what is the difference
Cavern diving stays in the daylight-lit entrance area of a cave; cave diving goes beyond it. Agencies define the...
Communication and Documentation Underwater: Light, Hands, Touch, Cameras and Their Limits
How cave divers communicate without speech, using light signals, hand signals, touch contact and written notes, how...
Diver Propulsion Vehicles in Caves: Uses, Risks and Training
Scooters let cave divers travel much further, but distance multiplies the consequences of any failure. This article...
Equipment Configurations for Cave Diving: Backmount, Sidemount and Streamlining
Why cave divers care so much about how their equipment is arranged: redundancy, access to gas, team compatibility,...
Exposure Protection in Cave Water: Wetsuits, Drysuits and Heated Undergarments
How divers lose heat in water, why long cave dives make thermal protection a planning issue even in mild water, and...
How to choose a cave instructor or training provider
Questions to ask before booking cave training: which standard applies, whether the instructor is currently...
Keeping skills current: continuing education, currency and mentoring
Most cave cards never expire, but agencies build currency into their limits and progression rules: dive within...
Lighting in Cave Diving: Primary Lights, Backups and Redundancy
Why cave divers carry several independent lights, what a burn-time or beam rating actually describes, and how light...
Navigation and Survey Instruments: Compasses, Depth and Time, Slates and Electronic Survey Devices
What cave divers use to record depth and time, take bearings and write notes, how underwater cave surveys turn those...
Rebreathers in Caves: How They Differ, the Bailout Concept and What Training Involves
Closed-circuit rebreathers let cave divers stay longer on far less gas, but they add failure modes that open-circuit...
Reels, Spools, Guidelines and Line Markers: What They Are For
The continuous guideline is the cave diver's route home. This article explains reels and spools, what guidelines are...
Specialist areas: sidemount, rebreathers, scooters, surveying and scientific diving
What cave specialities involve, what agencies require before them, and the limits they publish. Nearly all assume...
GUE General Training Standards, Policies, and Procedures, Version 10.4 ↗
GUE's full public standards, including Appendix A (base, sidemount and rebreather equipment...
Sources:
[1] Global Underwater Explorers ↗[2] Global Underwater Explorers ↗[3] Global Underwater Explorers ↗[4] Global Underwater Explorers ↗[5] Global Underwater Explorers ↗[6] Global Underwater Explorers ↗
· checked 2026-10-14
Every fact on this page, with its source (3)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GUE states that it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation. | Verified | [1] |
| GUE Cave 1 requires GUE Technical Fundamentals; Cave 2 requires Cave 1; DPV Cave, Underwater Cave Survey and CCR Cave each require Cave 2.Standards version 10.4 excerpts. | Verified | [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] |
| GUE provides an online instructor search.https://www.gue.com/diver-training/gue-instructors | Verified | [1] |
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