Recreational Sidemount
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SDI/TDIIncludes 2 Open Water DivesMinimum 18 Years, 15 Years with parental Consent.
Tech diving is gaining popularity. We were so excited to see it here at Girls that ScubaHQ! There were a lot of questions, and we were nervous so we headed to Theresia Geller, a Blue Marlin instructor in Gili T. Lombok. She taught us the basics of twin sets and introduced us to technical diving. Here's what she taught:
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.
If you're a Tec diver and want to do sidemount diving, it's important to know how to set up your new rig, adjust it, enter the water with it, and much more.
Your Sidemount BCD harness is made up of a bladder, sliding D-rings and bungee cords. Your tank position and trim will depend on their fit. Your instructor may spend a lot of time getting them right.
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SDI/TDIIncludes 2 Open Water DivesMinimum 18 Years, 15 Years with parental Consent.
Decompression divers may add Helium into their cylinders to make deep dives over 130ft. Sometimes they are less likely to visit wrecks or reefs than astronauts to reach the moon every year.
Gear - While the gear remains the same, divers taking an introductory tech class, such as Sidemount, Intro to Tech or CCR air diluent, will notice some configuration differences. Instead of two second stages on one cylindrical, they're divided between two with a separate initial stage for each. The gas planning becomes a more in-depth process, and the harnesses appear to have more chrome.
Sidemount diving originated in cave diving, but it has made its way to recreational and non-overhead diving in recent years. You will now wear your tanks side-by-side, instead of having one or two tanks attached to your back. You can attach the tanks to your Sidemount BCD using clips or bungee cords. This allows for extreme flexibility. This flexibility was initially what allowed cave divers to remove their tanks underwater in order to fit into narrow spaces and make their profile smaller.
Share the experience with others or give the gift to endless adventure! PADI eLearning(r), now available for purchase, can be shared with a recipient of choice. It doesn't matter whether you purchase the course to gift or to assign to family members, it is super simple.
If sidemount will not be used during your cave diver training, then you should take our CDS Basics Orientation program.
Items such as cylinders and primary lights, which my be difficult to travel with, are available for rental. Be sure to alert us if you will need any of these.
If you're not ready to try diving locally, but want to support your local dive shop, you can complete eLearning and coursework near home, then complete your training dives while traveling. Contact your local PADI Dive Center to ask about a referral.
Technical diving was something I didn't initially like to do. I clearly remember chuckling at the Tec divers that I saw and wondering why anyone would want more equipment underwater. The feeling of being close to nature and the freedom it can give you is something I love. Tom was an inspiring teacher and it seemed right to try, as I was working at a dive shop that offered Tec courses.
Technical diving (also known as tec diving or tech diving) is non-professional scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving.
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).
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.