NSS-CDS Cave Instructor Crossover

About the Course

The process of becoming a full NSS-CDS Cave Instructor is difficult and requires considerable time and effort. This is why many instructor candidates choose to get their Full Cave Instructor rating from another recognized agency first, then cross over to NSS-CDS.

NSS-CDS Cave Instructor crossovers require candidates to teach all the land- and in-water skills of the NSS-CDS Apprentice Cave Diver course under direct Instructor Trainer/Evaluator supervision. This ideally involves actual students recruited by the instructor candidate.
Candidates are responsible for ensuring their evaluators are compensated for their time and expenses.
To pass the evaluation, candidates must teach all skills successfully.

Prerequisites

Candidates must hold the equivalent of NSS-CDS Cave Instructor certification from a diver training organization recognized by NSS-CDS. The prerequisites for such recognition include:

An instructor training and certification process similar to that of the NSS-CDS.
Final Cave Instructor certification is awarded only after candidates have been evaluated by at least two different Instructor Trainers/Evaluators.

Crossover candidates must have:

Taught at the Full Cave Instructor level for at least one year.
Conducted at least three cave diver courses resulting in the certification of at least five students.
Passed the NSS-CDS Standards and Procedures exam.

Time Frames

For new cave instructors, among the biggest roadblocks to crossing over over to the NSS-CDS is the fact you must be a Full Cave Instructor with your previous agency for at least a year. This is why we encourage our instructor candidates to work on getting both agency ratings concurrently. Doing so may help them get their CDS rating sooner.

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