International Training, which is the parent organization of Technical Diving International / Scuba Diving International, offers both TDI (Sidemount PCB Diver) versions. Both courses can be used in the same way. Both courses use the exact same learning materials (which, obviously, we also wrote). What is the difference between these two learning materials?
I appreciate your work greatly. I started sidemounting using your online videos, completed the speciality course on it, and just finished UTD cave 1. Your videos have made a huge difference in my life, so I owe you a big hat. Keep creating great content.
Hi Steve, I really enjoyed your Sidemount PCB Essentials course in Gozo! Have probably never spend my money on anything better. It made so much fun and I enjoyed every single minute of it. Seeing your dedication and experience is simply amazing. You pay attention to the smallest details and you are always striving to improve things even further. I also love your enthusiasm to capture... read moreHi Steve, I really enjoyed your Sidemount PCB Essentials course in Gozo! Have probably never spend my money on anything better. It made so much fun and I enjoyed every single minute of it. Seeing your dedication and experience is simply amazing. You pay attention to the smallest details and you are always striving to improve things even further. I also love your enthusiasm to capture all those details, new equipment, new methods, hints etc. with the camera to be able to include them in upcoming videos to the benefit of everyone. Speaking of your online training videos I must say that they are a class of its own. They definitely get you well-prepared for the things you need to know during the in-water training and I think that exactly this concept is the key to the steep learning curve because the time underwater can be used efficiently. Thank you so much for everything Steve! Cheers, Nils read less
Not all certifications may be accepted by other dive training organizations. Ask your Tec Sidemount PCB instructor.
We do not issue certification cards unless they are earned. The mere fact that you have taken part in a training course does not make you certified. There may be multiple certification agencies that offer certification cards for cave courses. C-cards typically cost around $30 per card depending on their agency. You can ask your instructor more.
Know what you’re getting: Prices include instruction and eLearning fees. Bear in mind, the cost of eLearning, by itself, can be worth anywhere from $140 to $280 or more. Thus, a $640 course from us may actually cost the same as a $500 course from someone else if you have to pay for elearning separately.
Easy to travel with, flexible, no steel or aluminium back plates, light weight, easy to adjust, easy to get into in and out of the water, perfect for disabled divers, divers with back problems and female divers that are small but want extra in water time, longer in water time as you can carry 2 cylinders at the same time, safer as you will have redundant gas supply.
Sidemount diving is allowed after successful completion of the course. As long as these limits are met, graduates can engage in sidemount dive activities without supervision.
Computer-assisted instruction is an integral part almost all of the courses we teach. The Why? The simple answer is that eLearning allows students to get in the water faster and spend more time there. This is why we include any applicable eLearning program -- typically a $140 value -- in all our courses at no extra cost. This is equivalent to an extra day's in-water training. This is what it's worth. Priceless.
Your online videos are amazing. I know you understand this. They have helped me to set up my sidemount much easier. I also found it much easier to diagnose and fix student problems. That's why I want to say thank you.
You may be eligible to register in a Tecsidemount PCB Diver course if your age is at least 18 and you have logged at most 30 dives. A PADI Enriched air Diver certification is a must.
Sidemount PCB staging - This is where the diver will set up cylinders with tank straps and bungee. This is when a diver uses a sidemount configuration (bungee loops, butt-plate rails, and/or bungee) to store stage/deco/cylinders in a compact manner against his torso.
The benefits of sidemount diving will be explained and you'll also learn how to install a tec-sidemount harness. This training includes four open water dives and one confined water. You will have two tanks to start with and two tanks to add, possibly six.
Thank you for your great work, it is a huge help for everyone getting into the Sidemount PCB world. I recently did a cave sidemount crossover course with Natalie Gibb in Mexico and could join her Training well prepared due to your online resource.
2-3 hours
Even with small cylinders, you can usually dive for 2-3 hours (rebreathers typically have two 2/3l cylinders or one 3/5l cylinder).
What exactly is the Tec 40 Course? Your first step into technical diving is the PADI Tec 40 course. It is a fundamental level of decompression diving that allows you to dive with gas redundancy, higher Enriched Air mixes of up to 50%, decompression on EANX 50% for conservatism, and up to 10 minutes of decompression.
from 130 to 148 feet
Those who are already decompression certified can immediately qualify for rebreather decompression dives. Individual training agencies set depth limits ranging from 130 to 148 feet (40 to 45 meters).