What is the UIS?

The Union Internationale de Spéléologie (International Union of Speleology) is an international commission created to “encourage and facilitate the systematic collection and responsible use of cave, karst and related data on an international basis.”

For more information, visit the official UIS website.

UIS Cave Symbols

The UIS has assembled a list of symbols to be used by its members in an effort to create an international standard. The complete list has so far been translated into 12 different languages and can be viewed here.

To view the complete, Official UIS Cave Symbols list, download the PDF here:

A Quick Summary for Divers

Due to the time constraints and other environmental challenges that divers are faced with when mapping, there are really only a handful of symbols that are commonly used on underwater cave maps.

The following table highlights only the symbols or features frequently used by divers:

The UIS states that cartographers can add symbols based on their needs for a specific project. As there are no official symbols for guideline depth or restrictions, I’ve added these to the table as they highlight necessary information to divers.