While I still haven’t perfected this art, I am proud that after 20 Sidemount divers I can call myself a Sidemount Diver. It is the most comfortable way of diving!
Mentality: Technical diving is still fun. It's just as much about seeing cool objects, like sport diving. However, technical divers see sights that are longer, deeper, or hidden from sport divers. Technical divers are still a fun and focused group, but they also stay on the right track. There are still plenty of jokes, and there are many laughs. However, dive planning must be executed with seriousness. You are always at risk when you dive, even if you have the right skills and practice.
Television, magazines and stories from friends - no matter what source, the idea of exploring the underwater world is captivating and thrilling. What can we do to keep exploring the underwater world? What is technical diving exactly?
Academics – The academic portions of a technical course are very similar to any other scuba class. Students will do some self study and bring the new knowledge to a discussion with their instructor. The dive planning aspects for a technical course are significantly extended from what most individuals are used to but a vital part of executing a successful dive. In overhead and decompression diving, the gas management portions of the planning discussion will take longer than most divers are used to. They even utilize a computer program to calculate their gas volumes and reserves required for the dive.
If you don't want to dive locally but still wish to support your local dive shop you can complete eLearning coursework and training in your home country. To request a referral to your local PADI Dive Center, please contact us.
I will admit my Sidemount Diver course was probably one of the most challenging courses I have ever done. Mind you, this was mainly because my trusted dive center in Koh Tao, Big Blue Tech, and my instructor Fiona included a lot more skills and dives as part of my course than required. While always making sure that my task load was manageable we practiced skills over and over again and included things like mask removable, tank removable underwater, SMB deployment, out of air drills, and many more all while staying (or at least trying to) in perfect trim.
Although we can teach the SDI course if specifically requested, by default we offer the TDI one. It is possible to take this as a standalone program; however, our students generally combine this with our Apprentice Cave Diver course.
SDI/TDIIncludes 2 open water divesMinimum 18 years, 15 years with parental consentMust have an SDI Open Water Diver or the equivalent
Sidemount divers typically use two tanks, but you can use just one tank (I was taught it's called "monkey") or more than two tanks to do deco dives.
My first pool sessions were difficult. I felt like an open-water diver once more, strapped into twin tanks and trying valve drills. The Tec 40 and 45 courses were difficult at first, but I soon found that new skills became natural and I enjoyed the course. The joy of Tec diving lies in taking your diving skills, buoyancy, and awareness to the next level. The feeling of knowing that you are capable of handling life-threatening situations at depth and without needing to descend to the surface (dues to decompression requirements) can be quite satisfying. It's satisfying to execute your dive plans with military precision.
The advantages of Sidemount diving are an additional independent air source as you are diving with two tanks each with a first stage, SPG, and regulator. This makes it a lot safer and gives little air-hogs like myself a whole lot more air. I also found diving with Sidemount to be incredibly comfortable because you can easily don tanks on the surface and there is no pressure on your back.
Mindfulness - Technical diving can still be fun. Technical diving is all about seeing cool things. However, technical divers can see more than sport divers and are able to see deeper, further, and in places that are not visible to sport divers. Technical divers can still be fun, but they are also very focused. While jokes are still allowed, there is no denying that laughter can be had. However, it is important to be serious about dive planning and execution. There are risks to diving. Those risks increase if you don't plan well, practice your skills and execute properly.
Continue your Tec Sidemount Diver training and you'll be able to learn additional skills for tec diving in sidemount.
Sidemount can provide a number of benefits for any diver, but is especially well suited for cave diving. (It was, after all, cave divers who invented sidemount.) Among these benefits:
5-6 days
Rebreather training classes are typically 5-6 days long, but can be longer depending on a variety of factors such as the training agency, your local conditions, your instructor, and your ability to meet the class standards.
- Increased Bottom Time A Closed Circuit diver is not concerned with running out of gas because they are only limited by decompression. This can also be reduced by selecting an oxygen partial pressure that provides the diver with virtually limitless bottom times in 60 feet or less of water.
The depth range of oxygen rebreathers (simple closed circuit) is limited to approximately 6 m, beyond which the risk of acute oxygen toxicity rises to unacceptable levels very quickly.