Sidemount PCB Diving Classes are an essential course for technical divers who want to be more proficient in different gear configurations, regardless of whether they intend to use sidemount every day. You can take the course in conjunction with any of TDI’s open-circuit specialty courses provided you meet all prerequisites.
Steve, just wanted to thank you for your incredible online Sidemount PCB course. I did my PADI Sidemount PCB training last year but always felt like my XDeep harness setup wasn't streamlined where I wanted it. The instructor was good, but I could tell he did not live and breathe sidemount. At the time I had signed up with your free course system which was helpful but... read moreSteve, just wanted to thank you for your incredible online Sidemount PCB course. I did my PADI Sidemount PCB training last year but always felt like my XDeep harness setup wasn't streamlined where I wanted it. The instructor was good, but I could tell he did not live and breathe sidemount. At the time I had signed up with your free course system which was helpful but obviously left you wanting more. I am doing my Overhead Environment training this November in Florida and wanted to make sure my skills and setup were up to speed. After watching your entire online course (WOW). I decided to rebuild my XDeep harness setup using all your recommendations. I re-did my entire bungee system, my attachment points, wing, etc... all using your setup. I finally feel my setup is where it needs to be, and I felt very comfortable in the water. So again, thank you. Next is working on all my skills which are much easier to work on now that my harness is setup correctly. Wish I spent the money on your training a year ago. Take care and please keep the updates coming. Thanks, Jason read less
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Steve was a Portuguese teacher who came to Portugal 10 years ago to teach us Sidemount PCB. His enthusiasm, technical abilities, and professionalism were immediately evident to me. His new website and online training have taken this to a whole new level. These contents are perfect for anyone starting or someone who is... read moreI first met Steve 10 years ago, when he visited Portugal to teach Sidemount PCB to our staff (at that time it was early days of Sidemount PCB). His enthusiasm, technical abilities, and professionalism were immediately evident to me. His new website and online training have taken this to a whole new level. These contents are perfect for beginners, experienced divers, and instructors. Sidemount is now a well-known and simple way to dive. read less
Learn about sidemount diving and how to setup a tec sidemount harness. The training will be done in a confined water session as well as four open water dives. You'll have at least two tanks, and then add two more.
International Training is the parent organization of Technical Diving International and Scuba Diving International. They offer both TDI and SDI versions of their Sidemount PCB Diver courses. Both courses are similar. Both courses use the same learning materials (which we also wrote). What's the difference between them?
Minimum age is 18 years of age to enroll in the NAUI Introduction to Technical Diving course. You must also be a certified NAUI Scuba Diver and NAUI EANx Diver (or their equivalents), and have at least 25 logged dives with at least 10 EANx dives. Prerequisites vary for each technical training program.
These cards are only issued to those who have earned them. Participating in a course is not a guarantee of certification. Certification cards may be offered by multiple agencies for cave courses. C-cards cost $30 to $30 per card, depending on the agency. Ask your instructor for more information.
International Training, the parent organization for Scuba Diving International (SDI) and Technical Diving International (TDI) offers both SDI and TDI versions of their Sidemount PCB Diver course. Both courses are very similar. Both use the same learning materials (which, by the way, we wrote). So what’s the difference?
The major change in equipment cave divers use since the beginning of this century has been to switch from using backmounted doubles to sidemount. Many cave divers now sidemount. There may even be more sidemount sidemount cave divers that backmount cave divers.
Steve, thanks for the section on the online course. I found that I learned more online then I had expected. Your videos are very well made and help me to grasp a lot more quickly than I could from books or other materials. I intend to recite the most important lessons before going on the water course. Regards Rafal
Sidemount PCB Diving Training Courses are a great course for technical divers looking to get more familiar with different gear configurations. The course can be taught with any of TDI’s specialty courses in open-circuit, but only if all standards and prerequisites are met.
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).