THE INSTRUCTOR
If you are looking for cave education, we are proud to offer highly specialized cave training with the safety as our primary concern. We offer private services only, in a relaxed atmosphere, while focusing on each student's specific needs.
Alessandro Reato, "Alex", has been a diver since 1993 and PADI Open Water Instructor since 1997.
He has worked as a diving instructor in many places: Italy, Mexico, Zanzibar, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Egypt and the Maldives, accumulating thousands of dives.
His first contact with caves was in 1998 and he became a Cave Diver in 2002 in the Mexican caves.
Since 2005 he resides in Mexico. In 2007 he became a IANTD certified Cavern Instructor, and in 2008 IANTD certified Cave Diving Instructor. He is principally involved in teaching and guiding in the Cave Systems of the Riviera Maya. Alex also works with the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey exploring and taking survey data of the caves.
Alex is one of the very few Survey and Cartography Instructor in the area who published maps of underwater caves and he received awards for his work. This allows him to teach with much more insight and a practical approach to surveying.
Alex's statistics:
Dives: 6100+ Dives in overhead environment: 3100+ Sidemount dives: 1400+
Longest dive time: 322 minutes (no deco) Longest distance from the closest exit autonomously: 6715 ft/2047 m
Discovery of new cave passages: 41 miles+/66 km+ Cartographed caves: 19 km+ (three maps)
IANTD CAVERN TO CAVE
Cave Training can be split into three different levels or it can be done all at once.
The training is very demanding and students have to be very determined to conclude it satisfactorily.
The training can be performed either with classic double tank back mounted or with sidemount equipment. In both cases a previous targeted training is required.
Please note, elevated prerequisites are required in order to reduce the high level of stress given by the overhead environment:
- Minimum Logged Dives: 100
-Minimum Certifiication: Advanced Open Water Diver or Equivalent
- Previous Exprerience with Redundant Equipment: IANTD Essential Diver or Equivalent / Sidemount Open Water Diver
-Minimum Age: 18 Years Old
The students must have the following personal equipment:
- Mask and Fins (no split fins)
- Exposure Suit (minimum 5mm suit with a hood)
- Instruments (dive computer and back up)
- Wrist Slate
- Line Cutter or Small Knife
- Navigation Kit (personalized)
The rest of the necessary equipment can be rented but we recommend but we strongly recommend students to have their own:
- Backplate and Wing or Sidemount Rig
- 1 Regulator with Long Hose
- 1 Regulator with Short Hose
- Primary Light (1000 lumens / 4 hours burning time)
- 2 Backup Lights
- Safety Reel
Duration for the courses (extra days might be required depending on a student's performance):
- IANTD Cavern Diver Course - Minimum 3 full days
- IANTD Introductory Cave Diver Course - Minimum 3 full days
- IANTD Cave Diver - Minimum 5 full days
- Combined IANTD Cavern + Introductory Diver Courses - Minumum 5 full days
- Combined IANTD Cavern to Cave Diver - Minimum 8 full days
IANTD CAVERN DIVER COURSE
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 4 cavern dives
Course Main Elements (but not limited to):
- Basic overhead protocols
- Line laying
- Basic safety and emergency procedures
- Team procedures
- Stress management
Within the Limits of:
- Natural daylight
- Short distance from exit (200ft/60m of linear penetration)
- 1/6 gas rule
- No decompression dives
- No restrictions
- No complex navigation
IANTD INTRO CAVE DIVER COURSE
Minimim 3 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 4 cave dives
Prerequisites: Cavern diver certification given by a recognized technical agency
Course Main Elements (but not limited to):
- Basic cave protocols
- Line laying
- Advanced safety and emergency procedures
- Team procedures
- Stress management
Limits are extended to:
- Over the natural daylight
- 1000ft/300m linear penetration
- 1/6 gas rule
- No decompression dives
- No restrictions
- No comlex navigation
IANTD CAVER DIVER COURSE
Minimum 5 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 8 cave dives
Prerequisites: Introductory Cave Diver certification given by a recogranized technical agency
Course Main Elements (but not limited to):
- Advanced cave protocols
- Line laying
- Complex navigation
- Restrictions negotiating
- Advanced safety and emergency procedures
- Team procedures
- Stress management
Limits are extended to:
- Over the natural daylight
- Penetration distance based on the rule of gas
- 1/3 gas rule
Limited decompression dives
ADVANCED CAVE TRAINING
The courses Survey Cave Diver, Cartography Cave Diver and Stage and Multistage Diver Courses are for advanced divers with proven experience in cave diving.
We also offer Cartography Cave Diver Workshop. It includes minimum 3 full days of lectures, confined water session, 3-4 cave dives.
If combined with Survey Cave Diver is based on a minimum of 5 full days.
This course is complementary to the Survey Cave Diver; the topographic plans of the guidelines are a starting point to get detailed maps of underwater caves.The process is based on the use of vector graphics software.The use of side-mount equipment is strongly recommended. There is no IANTD certification for this level of training.
The prerequisites for this course are: be a certified Survey Cave Diver, have 50 logged cave dives, be extremely good on buyoancy, be at least 18 years old.
IANTD TECHNICAL CAVE DIVER COURSE
Minimum 2 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 2 cave dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as Cave Diver
- Must be certified as Advanced Nitrox Diver
- Minimum age of 18 years old
Course Description:
-Natural compliment to Cave Diver Course
- Used for decompression dives
- Can be perfomed with either classic double tanks back mounted or with sidemount equipement
Course Main Elements:
- Accurate dive plans
- Safety procedures
- Cave conservation
IANTD SURVEY CAVE DIVER COURSE
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, confined water session, 3-4 cave dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as Technical Cave Diver
- 50 logged cave dives
- Extreme mastery of buyoancy
- Minimum age of 18 years old
Course Description:
- Techniques and materials necessary for a cave survey and data processing in order to obtain the cave topographic plan in two dimensions
- First step to undertake a mapping project and to carry out exploration dives
- Based on use of Compass software
- The use of sidemount equipement is strongly recommended
IANTD STAGE/MULTISTAGE CAVE DIVER COURSE
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, confined water session, 4 stage cave dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as Technical Cave Diver
- 50 logged cave dives
- Very good mastery of buyoancy
- Minimum age of 18 years old
- Must demonstate a safe attitude
Course Description:
- Techniques and safety procedures to plan and conduct cave dives with the use of stage(s) cylinder(s) in order to extend the penetration over the range of the main gas volume
- Longer dives, more complex navigation and gas management make this course really challenging for cave divers
SIDEMOUNT TRAINING
Side Mount is the "new configuration", suitable for all divers and adaptable to all types of dives; is fully redundant, and its main advantage is the complete self-sufficiency of the diver.
Side Mount made its appearance in the 60's thanks to Mike Boone, an english speleologist, who first used this configuration to overcome flooded portions of caves, gradually replacing the closed-circuit apparatus hitherto used, to the advantages offered by the size and the increasing availability of modern regulators. The dimensions of the cylinders were dependent on the length of the flooded sections of the caves.
It is in the late 70s that Woody Jasper, United States, began to look at this system as the solution to the exploration of smaller underwater caves, where normal equipment did not allow passage.
In recent years, the system has been improved by Steve Bogaerts, who has adapted it to the harshest environments and the most demanding conditions. The sidemount equipment he developed and tested, the Razor system, boasts countless imitations.
The sidemount configuration offers many advantages over traditional equipment:
- Better streamlined, thanks to the cylinders position on the same level of the diver and behind his arms
- Facilitates the task of transporting the equipment out of the water, allowing you to handle a bottle at a time, and without the hassle of the harness, which remains on the diver
- Improves the position of the back, no longer forced by the backplate and the double tank. This also reduces annoying post dive back pain.
- It gives huge advantages in terms of safety: the valves are protected against impact, being under the armpits of the diver; easy visual and manual access to the valves translates into easy solution in case of problems to these or regulators; reduces almost zero the possibility of a total gas failure, since the system consist of independent cylinders.
IANTD OPEN WATER SIDEMOUNT DIVER
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, confined water sessions, 4 dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as IANTD Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent
- 50 logged dives
- Minimum age of 15 years old
Course Description:
- Sidemount equipment and techniques to manage open water dives within the limits of student experience.
- Equipment considerations, gas management, buoyancy and trim control.
-Could be combined with the Essensial Diver for those to take Cave Diver training with sidemount equipment.
If combined with another training, a minimum of 2 training days are required
IANTD TEK OPEN WATER SIDEMOUNT DIVER
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 4 dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as IANTD Advanced EANx Diver
- Must be certified as IANTD Essensial Diver
- 100 logged dives
- Minimum age of 18 years old
Course Description:
- Dedicated to those who already have experience with side-mount configuration
- Advanced techniques, equipment configuration and mindset required for Technical Sidemount diving.
-Proficiently assemble and use Technical Sidemount equipment configuration.
-Techniques to safely conduct decompression dives that warrant the use of Sidemount equipment configuration
IANTD SIDE MOUNT & NO MOUNT DIVER
Minimum 3 full days: lectures, open water sessions, 4 cave dives
Prerequisites:
- Must be certified as IANTD Technical Cave Diver
- Must be certified as IANTD Essensial Diver
- 50 logged sidemount cave dives
- Minimum age of 18 years old
Course Description:
- Dedicated to those divers who have experience in cave diving with sidemount equipment.
- Techniques and procedures needed to pass major restrictions and the knowledge for recalculation of thirds during the dive
- The self-rescue becomes the main component for diving in small size caves
PRICING
For Cave and Technical diving education we charge a flat rate per student per training day:
- 1 student: $240 US per day
- 2 students: $220 US per day each
- 3 students: $200 US per day each
Price includes use and filling of all necessary tanks and weights.
Price does not include:
- Transportation hotel-cenote
- Cenote entrance fees (10 to 20 US dollars)
- Use of diving equipment
- Food and drink
- IANTD card (40 US dollars)
- Manuals (30 to 40 US dollars)
All the courses can be taught in English, Spanish, Italian and Russian languages.
Refer to the table below to calculate the final price depending by the minimum required training days. Extra day(s) might be necessary depending on a student's performance.