My wife and I got our CMAS Cave II/Cave Diver certifications through the Mexico office with German Yanez. CMAS Cave I/Cavern Diver is equivalent to most organizations' Cavern classes but is uniqe in having a 50m/165ft penetration+depth limit (most organizations are either 40m/130ft or 60m/200ft) with all dives occurring above 20m/66ft of depth. We essentially passed out of this course with a previous PADI Cavern certification and a breif skills evaluation dive.
Cave II/Cave Diver takes you a step further than a standard Intro class and teaches progressive penetration and navigational decisions - basically puts you at the Apprentice level for most organizations with a max depth of 30m/100ft. Similar to NAUI Cave I, but without published navigational decision limits other than progressivity in order to build skills and abilities.
Cave III/Full Cave Diver finishes up the CMAS cave offerings with a regiment that dumps you out well above the qualifications of a standard Full Cave certification from other agencies: A minimum of eight cave dives are performed in a minimum of four different cave systems. Participants will perform and participate in line gaps/jumps, circuits, traverses, "Y’s and T’s", decompression procedures, restrictions, and low visibility situations, sump- and post-sump diving and the use of stage tanks (up to 2). These dives are intended to bring together all aspects and facets of preceding training and experience. All limitations of the previous levels of training are withdrawn. Upon successful completion, the candidate will be qualified as a CMAS Cave Diver III (Full Cave Diver).
The CMAS Cave Diving program is an excellent tool, second to none in the hands of a capable overhead instructor. Training material selection is left up to the instructor as CMAS does not have any required literature other than the defined training and skills standards.
Trey