Find the line.
Hold your setpoint.

Sidemount, cave and rebreather training in North Florida with Mehdi Zinetti, a sidemount specialist: zero ego, a lot of patience, and one slightly unhinged tiki monster. Technical diving was never meant to be a secret club.

Open Water Sidemount

Two cylinders on your sides instead of one on your back. A safe, supervised introduction to sidemount within recreational limits, and the best first step if caves are where you're headed.

Book sidemount

Five steps from daylight to full cave.

Every step can be done on open circuit or on the loop. Minimum age 18 (15 with parental consent). You move at the pace your skills set, not the calendar.

01 2+ days

Basic Fundamentals

Buoyancy, trim and propulsion: the three pillars everything else stands on. CCR divers take CCR Tech Fundamentals.

You need: Open Water (CCR version: AOW + CCR Mod 1)

02 2+ days

Cavern

Your first time under the ceiling, inside the light zone. Trim, line following and emergency drills.

You need: AOW, 25 dives, Fundamentals

03 2+ days

Intro to Cave

Past daylight for the first time. Limited penetration on the main line, at a conservative pace.

You need: Cavern, Fundamentals

04 2+ days

Apprentice Cave

Real cave skills with limited penetration. The last stop before full cave.

You need: Intro to Cave, Fundamentals

05 2+ days (4 from Intro)

Full Cave / CCR Cave

The full ticket, on open circuit or on the loop. CCR Cave asks for the highest level of skill.

You need: Intro or Apprentice Cave, Advanced Nitrox

Also on the menu: Technical & Overhead Sidemount Technical Rebreather crossovers Dual Rebreather

Quiet, long, and no bubbles on the ceiling.

Rebreathers and caves were made for each other. Start with CCR Tech Fundamentals, cross over to a new unit, or go all the way to a dual rebreather configuration for long range and deep penetration.

Not sure which unit is yours? Book a Try-Dive day and test a few before you buy.

Deeper, longer, and on the loop.

Advanced Nitrox and ART (Advanced Recreational Trimix) are usually taken together in 4 days, but each can be done on its own. Both include planned decompression stops.

OPEN CIRCUIT 2 days

Advanced Nitrox

Nitrox for the bottom and up to 100% oxygen for your stops. Your first planned decompression dives.

Depth: to 45 m / 150 ft
You need: EANx and Deep Diver (Deep can be done alongside), 30 logged dives

OPEN CIRCUIT 2 days

ART: Advanced Recreational Trimix

Helium in the bottom mix for a clearer head at depth, with planned decompression on up to 100% oxygen.

Depth: to 45 m / 150 ft
You need: EANx and Deep Diver (Deep can be done alongside), 30 logged dives

ON THE LOOP 5 days min

CCR Normoxic Trimix

Take your rebreather deeper with helium in the loop, on the KISS Sidewinder or Divesoft Liberty Sidemount.

Depth: to 60 m / 200 ft
You need: IANTD Rebreather Diver, 50 CCR dives and 50 hours (25 on your unit)

Get in touch

I'm Mehdi Zinetti.

I was born in Paris and spent fifteen years in restaurants, from kitchen porter to running a group of French restaurants in Sydney and London. Then a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia put a regulator in my mouth, and that was the end of the restaurant career.

After dive centers in Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, I moved to London in 2015 to run Aquanaut Scuba, and co-founded Tec Monsters there in 2016 with one idea: technical diving should be open to anyone willing to put in the work. Cold UK water, flooded mines and deep wreck penetrations taught me the fundamentals the hard way; mentors like Phil Short and Ian France taught me the rest. Later I led technical divers through the Japanese wrecks of Chuuk Lagoon as tec instructor and cruise director on the Truk Master.

Today I teach out of Marianna, Florida, at Cave Adventurers, mentored by Edd Sorenson. I'm an IANTD Instructor Trainer, a PSAI and TDI Cave and CCR Instructor, and a CCR instructor on the KISS Sidewinder and Divesoft Liberty Sidemount. Sidemount is my speciality, on open circuit and on the loop.

I'm also part of North Florida's cave rescue and body recovery community.

Home is Florida. The caves are everywhere.

Before you get wet.

What do I need before starting cave training?

Open Water to start Fundamentals. Cavern needs Advanced Open Water, 25 logged dives and Fundamentals. Each step after that builds on the one before.

How long does it take to become a full cave diver?

Each course is 2 days minimum, so 4 days or more from Intro to Cave to Full Cave. You move at the pace your skills set, not the calendar.

Can I do cave training in sidemount?

Yes. Sidemount is my speciality, and every course on the cave path can be done in sidemount.

Can I do cave training on a rebreather?

Yes. Every step can be done on open circuit or CCR. I teach on the KISS Sidewinder and the Divesoft Liberty Sidemount.

I've never dived sidemount. Where do I start?

Open Water Sidemount: 2 days, Open Water certification required.

Can I rent equipment?

Yes, rental equipment is available. Tell me what you have when you book and I'll let you know what you'll need.

Which agencies do you certify through?

IANTD, PSAI and TDI.

Where do you teach?

Marianna, North Florida, year-round. The cenotes of Mexico and caves in France by arrangement.

Is there a minimum age?

18, or 15 with parental consent.

Tell me where you are. I'll lay the line from here.

Every diver starts somewhere different, so every course starts with a chat. Send your details and I'll reply with dates, prices and a plan.

Or email me directly: caveadventurerstraining@gmail.com