Cave Divers Association of Australia

Its formation occurred after a series of diving fatalities in waterfilled caves and sinkholes in the Mount Gambier region between 1969 and 1973 and in parallel to a Government of South Australia inquiry into these deaths.

The CDAA's major achievement has been the dramatic reduction of fatalities via the introduction of a site rating scheme and an associated testing system which was brought in during the mid-1970s.

While its major area of operation is in the Limestone Coast region of SA, it administers and supports cave diving activity in other parts of Australia including the Nullarbor Plain and Wellington, New South Wales.

Its purpose is concerned with fostering ‘the development, advancement, promotion, mapping, education, exploration, conservation, safety and research of underwater caves and related features.’ As dive sites are on either controlled Government or private property, one of the CDAA's key functions is to liaise with landowners to organise access for its members to enter and dive.

[5] Immediately following the multiple fatality in The Shaft on 28 May 1973, Des Corcoran, the SA Deputy Premier, announced the appointment of a committee to ‘investigate safety precautions for Scuba Divers in Fresh water Sinkholes and Underwater Caves’ and which consisted of three government officers – L.D.

The fifth recommendation suggested measures such as the licensing of instructors, an access permit system and the use of patrol officers to manage sites.

[6] In April 1974, the SA Government announced that it would proceed with the recommendations of the committee including the creation of an advisory body.

[7] On 11 July 1973, after giving evidence to the Committee, a group of divers from the Lower South East, other parts of SA, Victoria and New South Wales met in Mount Gambier to agree to form the Cave Divers Association of Australia.

[9] Its formation is attributed to a desire amongst divers to have a ‘unified voice’ in order to defend cave diving and to demonstrate to both the landowners and the public a willingness and an ability to regulate their own affairs to achieve safer cave diving practice.

[11] In 1974, the newly formed CDAA devised a testing system that was intended to gain the confidence of the owners of the land on which most popular sinkholes and caves sites were located.

The CDAA does recognise training provided by other organisations that is comparable to its own and will permit access via the following avenues.

[30] The sites rated by the CDAA are located in the Limestone Coast region of SA, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia.