BECOME A TDI INSTRUCTOR

info@underthejungle.com

TDI INSTRUCTOR COURSES

Under the Jungle is pleased to offer instructor-level courses for certified cave and technical divers who are interested in the becoming cave and technical diving instructors. We currently offer instructor training courses for:

• Side Mount Diver Instructor
• Cavern Diver Instructor
• Introductory Cave Diver Instructor
• Full Cave Diver Instructor
• Stage Cave Diver Instructor
• DPV Cave Diver Instructor
• Nitrox Instructor
• Intro to Technical Diving Instructor
• Advanced Nitrox Instructor
• Decompression Procedures Instructor
• Extended Range Instructor

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

What could be better than exploring far into a new cave system for the first time, or dropping into the darkness of the deep ocean, curious to find the mysteries that await? Almost nothing! The only thing that comes even close to these first experiences is living them vicariously through your students, watching as they become adept technical divers or enter a cave for the first time.

For passionate, experienced technical divers, the decision to become a technical or cave diving instructor is not made lightly — it’s a big investment of time and energy, and if you want to be any good at it, it’s a lifestyle choice. We have dedicated our lives to inspiring others to appreciate, conserve, and explore the environments we cherish. And we would be just as excited to help you learn to train technical divers as we are to train them ourselves.

MENTORING THROUGH UNDER THE JUNGLE

Our training team is headed by Vincent Rouquette-Cathala, Under the Jungle’s resident TDI Instructor Trainer. He has over 15 years of experience in cave and technical diving and over 10 years of experience as a full time technical and cave diving instructor. He’s the most experienced of our growing team of instructors at the shop, all of whom assist in mentoring our instructor candidates.

As an instructor and mentor Vince continually pushes himself and our team to improve, adapting to the needs of the students and applying what we’ve learned from our extensive cave exploration experience. He draws inspiration from own his mentors, including Pete Measly and Steve Bogaerts, continues to take advanced diving courses, as he believes that being in the shoes of a student on a regular basis is the best way to remain an approachable educator.

CONDENSING YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Teaching technical and cave diving is complex! There is so much information to impart to students in a limited amount of time. Under the Jungle’s instructor candidates will benefit from our teams extensive experience, and we can help student instructors to avoid making the pitfalls and mistakes that we faced when building experience as new technical diving instructors. Teaching the chain of command, developing strong fundamental skills in students, giving clear academic presentations are all core foundations of our instructional philosophy.

An instructor development course is not about becoming certified to issue c-cards, but about becoming qualified to offer solid, quality-oriented courses, and increasing your employability and chances of success in the industry.

CUSTOMIZED COURSES

Depending on your background and experience, they are many different paths to becoming a technical or cave diving instructor. All our instructor training courses are customized to the student. Contact us to discuss your personalized instructor training course.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Email Vince directly at: vince@underthejungle.com or use our contact form.

INSTAGRAM @UNDERTHEJUNGLE

underthejungle

Zoom zoom. And just like that, Pandora turns 10 ye

Zoom zoom. And just like that, Pandora turns 10 years old and 18 km long. @vrc_mexico, @tdidivers, @xdeep_dive_gear , @kissrebreathers

Big beautiful caves! As much as I love squeezing t

Big beautiful caves! As much as I love squeezing through tight wiggly passages, there's something truly awe-inspiring about some of the tall, wide tunnels winding underground in Mexico. It's a cave diver's dream, and I am thankful every day to teach cave diving for a living. What an amazing place!

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Miranda!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb
The model is @mirandajebowman
Lighting with @keldan lights
Training by @tdidivers

Some old favorites from a few years ago with cave

Some old favorites from a few years ago with cave diver Andy Preas at a cenote very near our dive center. Andy swims over a fallen stone drapery covered with delicate dripstone formations.

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Andy) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb
Lighting with @keldan lights
Training by @tdidivers

Spirals of tree roots waver and drift in the flowi

Spirals of tree roots waver and drift in the flowing water. This underwater cave, near Tulum, Mexico, is so shallow that it is filled with forests of tree roots that have forced their way down through the limestone and into the underground river systems of the Riviera Maya. Cave diver Ramon Siliceo illuminates one of my favorite spots on the dive.

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb
Model: @ramonsiliceo
Lighting by @keldan lights
@tdidivers

Cave diver Ramon Siliceo has been our winter inter

Cave diver Ramon Siliceo has been our winter intern this season. He's been assisting courses, helping around the shop, and generally being a delight to have around. He's spent more time helping on courses in training caves than he has diving off the beaten path, and it was fun to take him to one of the prettiest cave lines I know for a photo shoot before he leaves. Well done, Ramon.

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

• Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb
• Lighting by @keldan lights
• Shout out to our training organization @tdidivers that makes all this fun possible!

Something about the start of a cave dive is so mag

Something about the start of a cave dive is so magical: the soft ambient light and the sense of the unknown are irresistible for divers with a sense of adventure. Here, @ramonsiliceo hovers under the calm surface and pretends to swim into the cave (after we spent 4.5 hours shooting). You get the point, though.

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb.
@tdidivers

Continuing my obsession with photographing roots i

Continuing my obsession with photographing roots in Mexican caves -- here is another shot from my dive with @ramonsiliceo this week. Here, he hovers expertly under an archway of tree roots that have forced their way underground to reach the aquifer. No wonder the jungle is so green!

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb.
Lighting by @keldan Lights.
@tdidivers

Maybe it's because I grew up in the desert -- I ha

Maybe it's because I grew up in the desert -- I have always found great beauty in the smooth calcite dunes covering the floors in some of Mexico's shallow cave diving sites. I love the fall-off of the light over their crests and the contrast they provide to the dense clusters of stalactites on the ceiling.

Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle is a @tdidivers training center, and teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

The model is @ramonsiliceo
Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb.
Lighting with @keldan Lights.

Some of my favorite cave dives are incredibly shal

Some of my favorite cave dives are incredibly shallow! @ramonsiliceo and I enjoyed an over 4-hour dive on just 3 cylinders where we spent the majority of our time underground at just 10-12 feet/3-4 meters of depth. In places where there are air domes above the tunnels, the shining surface of the water creates a mirror-like effect.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb, using a ridiculous number of @keldan lights. As always, a friendly shout-out to our training organization @tdidivers for making all this cave diving accessible to our students.
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Along the way to one of the most beautiful (in my

Along the way to one of the most beautiful (in my opinion) cave lines in the Riviera Maya, we passed through a cenote. The sunlight bounced off the surface of the water and made it look like an interface between two worlds. Which I guess it is. @ramonsiliceo and I paused on our return from our 4.5-hour dive to grab a few images in this magical place. I only had one light left. Turns out, you can shoot at 1/15th shutter speed if both the photographer and the model hold still enough. Ramon is a buoyancy beast.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb.
Light with one @keldan light on half power. A friendly shout out to our training organization @tdidivers.
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Cave diver @ramonsiliceo and I wandered off to one

Cave diver @ramonsiliceo and I wandered off to one of my new favorite dives a few days ago to capture some of the beauty of Mexico's caves. Here, he floats in front of a massive tree root, which has forced its way through the limestone bedrock and into the shallow flooded cave. Phenomenal job as a first-time model, Ramon!

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb, using a large number of @keldan Lights. Shout out as always to our training organization that makes all this possible, @tdidivers.

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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Under the Jungle's winter intern, Ramon Siliceo, h

Under the Jungle's winter intern, Ramon Siliceo, has spent the season with us assisting courses and helping out around the shop. It's only fair that he has his turn in front of the camera. We made a nice long dive to a root window that I have been dying to shoot, and he rocked the photo. It's not easy to float 45° head-up in doubles in moderate flow.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb, with a large number of @keldan lights. @tdidivers
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Ramon!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

@tdidivers cave diver Tyler Flynn (@tylerdives) i

@tdidivers cave diver Tyler Flynn (@tylerdives) illuminates underwater cave formations at Cenote Concha, near Tulum, Mexico.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb back-lighting my diver with @keldan Lights

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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Tyler!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Under the Jungle co-owner and @tdidivers instruct

Under the Jungle co-owner and @tdidivers instructor trainer, Vincent Rouquette-cathala (@vrc_mexico) rides a DPV through Otoch Ha, a hyper-decorated cave in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. There's not much that is more fun than scootering through an underwater cave.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb once again lighting up Mexico's caves with an obscene number of @keldan Lights.
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Vince!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Cave diver and cave explorer Arielle Ginsberg (@ar

Cave diver and cave explorer Arielle Ginsberg (@arielleunderwater) was kind enough to model for me at Cenote Taak Bi Ha, a fantastic cave and cavern diving site near Tulum, Mexico. This dive site is accessible to both certified cavern and cave divers and is the starting point for the epic DPV Dive to El Pit. @tdidivers @xdeep_dive_gear

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb using an insane amount of @keldan Lights.

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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Arielle!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

@arya.irmeli swims into the cavern zone at Cenote

@arya.irmeli swims into the cavern zone at Cenote Carwash, a popular training site for fundamental skills, cavern, and cave diving in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Arya is a @tdidivers overhead diving instructor, a tech diving instructor, and a JJ-CCR rebreather instructor with our dive center, Under the Jungle.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb.

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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Arya!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

Jinuk Song (@zephyrhope) floats expertly in front

Jinuk Song (@zephyrhope) floats expertly in front of a stationary backlight in Cenote Concha, a flooded cave near Tulum, Mexico. Jinuk finished his @tdidivers Full Cave Course with Under the Jungle last year, and was back to enjoy some independent cave dives with his buddy Tyler. Well done!

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb lighting the caves up with my @keldan Lights as usualy.
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Jinuk!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

When you just vibe with your cave buddy -- magic h

When you just vibe with your cave buddy -- magic happens. Tyler Flynn (@tylerdives) and Jinuk Song (@zephyrhope) both completed their @tdidivers Cave Diver training with Under the Jungle last year and spent a few weeks independently cave diving all over the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Our shop offers some of the most demanding, lengthy cave training in the area, but when you are confident to hit the caves without a guide immediately after finishing your course, all that effort and work pays off 🙂

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb, lighting the caves with @keldan Lights (as usual).
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Jinuk and Tyler!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

@tylerdives (Tyler Flynn) floats among knobbly sta

@tylerdives (Tyler Flynn) floats among knobbly stalactites in Cenote Concha, one of my favorite cave dives near Tulum, Mexico. Tyler recently completed his @tdidivers Stage Cave Diver course with us and then spent a few weeks with his buddy Jinuk independently cave diving all around the Riviera Maya and Cozumel.

Photo by me, Natalie L Gibb, lighting with @keldan Lights (as usual).
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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this (and maybe even look as good as Tyler!) If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

A tree root appears in a flooded cave, and a cave

A tree root appears in a flooded cave, and a cave diver looks at it gracefully.

Diver. @mermaid_underground
Photographer. Natalie L Gibb

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Want to do this? Our shop, Under the Jungle, teaches everything from technical-style open water courses to sidemount/back mount basics to cave diving specialties, rebreathers, and advanced trimix. We can teach you to do this! If you are already a certified diver, you can experience cenotes on a guided cavern tour, and if you are a cave diver, we'd love to guide you in some of our favorite caves.

@tdidivers @keldan @diveshearwater @divedui @xdeep_dive_gear

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