TS 13093

TS 13093 is a vocational standard for the guide and instructor of cave diving. Cave diving is a specialised discipline in which navigation, entry and exit control, equipment discipline, and dive planning become far more critical than in open-water diving. The focus of this standard is to define the professional role of the person who guides and teaches in this environment.

The role of guidance and instruction in cave diving

This occupation involves more than diving technique alone. In general technical terms, cave diving is shaped by movement through enclosed or partially enclosed underwater spaces, line management, redundant equipment, and continuous attention to environmental conditions. The guide and instructor role is to transfer knowledge, direct practice, and maintain the activity within a disciplined professional framework in such a demanding setting.

The professional scope covered by the standard

The standard explicitly covers the cave diving guide and instructor, so its subject is a specific specialist occupation rather than general diving advice. Vocational standards are commonly used to provide a shared language for tasks, qualifications, and assessment criteria. Here, the document serves as a common framework for describing the professional competence associated with guiding and teaching in cave diving.

• Links guiding and teaching duties within the cave diving context.
• Addresses the professional framework used in closed or restricted underwater environments.
• Highlights the importance of navigation and equipment discipline compared with open-water diving.
• Provides shared terminology for vocational competence and assessment.