Sidemount is not something you'll be doing during cave diving training. Instead, you should look at our CDS Basics Orientation Course.
Each PADI Specialty you complete gets you one step closer to earning the elite Master Scuba Diver™ rating.
I took my first sidemount and technical sidesmount courses. Sidemount diving, like the name implies, requires you to place your tank on your hands. My hands and knuckles were completely covered by cuts at the end. The idea behind sidemount diving is to unclip your tanks and then place them in front you, Superman style. This will streamline your workflow. After making some adjustments to my harness size, the afternoon dive went more smoothly. I was now comfortable unclipping my harness and "Superman-ing” with the tanks. Sidemount gives you an amazing level of freedom, even if you have doubles on your back. Matt put up obstacle courses. We were soon flying through them with tanks in front, barrel-rolling, swimming upside down and tanks at the rear.
Your Sidemount rig also includes clips and tank bands. These clips will attach to your harness. Again, their location is crucial for the positioning of your tanks.
Technical divers explore reefs and wrecks at depths below the 40 meter/130-foot recreational limit. With specialized training, they can explore underwater caves and other places well beyond the reach of mainstream recreational diving.
The Sidemount dive setup is slightly different from the backmount, as is the equipment.
I arrived just two months ago on Malapascua Island in Philippines. There, I will learn how to become a Tec diver instructor. Since 2012, I've been a Bali recreational instructor. I am eager to improve my diving skills and expand my knowledge. Sidemount PCB was the place where my first experience of technical diving was. Tom West, PADI course director and instructor-trainer for Tec, made me a Certified Tec-50 Diver.
You should not use sidemount in your cave diver training. Our CDS Basics Orientation class is what you need.
Sidemount and technical sidemount were my first courses. Sidemount diving is, as its name implies, where you place your tank in front of you. By the end of the session, my hands were covered with cuts. You can remove the tanks from their clips and place them in front of yourself, Superman-style, to streamline your life. The afternoon dive went much smoother after some adjustments to the harness. I was now comfortable unclipping the harness and 'Superman-ing" with the tanks. Sidemount is a great way to have more freedom than having two people on your back. Matt created obstacle courses, and soon we were flying around them with tanks at our fronts, barrel-rolling, and swimming upside down.
If you worry now about how this will all come together, don’t – a big part of the course is learning how to set up your Sidemount equipment as well as to measure and adjust bungees and clips to make sure your tanks are in trim next to your legs. And of course, your instructor will help you with all of it!
The Sidemount Diver Specialty course dive may count toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
It takes passion, experience, and training to become a technical dive instructor. Technical diving comes with additional risks, so it's not worth taking on if you don't have the right combination.
You will need your standard wetsuit, fins and mask as well as a computer, compass and DSMB.
The next day was technical sidemount. This means that we added our deco 50 and 100 percent oxygen tanks on either side. This can increase your profile underwater. It is important that you keep your tanks as small as possible. The clips can be found on each side. As your tanks become buoyant, you will adjust your tank position to fit the second clip. Here, the goal is to be as efficient as possible. Each few minutes, you switch your breathing between the tanks. By doing this, the pressure in each of the tanks will decrease at roughly the exact same rate. In the event that a tank or regulator fails you will still be able to breathe. It is important to gain experience with any new thing. I spent the next few nights doing deco dives with the sidemount rig. I was buddied with Evolution coowner David Joyce who is a very experienced Tec diver as well as a Trimix instructor. One dive saw us visit the Japanese Mogami Japanese Mogami sank at 164 feet. It was here that I was seduced by old gas masks and uniforms as well as a few bones.
Technical diving (also known as tec diving or tech diving) is non-professional scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving.