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.
My first courses were technical sidemount, and sidemount. Sidemount diving, which is the name of the course, involves placing your tank into your hands. My hands and knuckles were covered with cuts by the end. It is possible to remove the tanks from the clips and lay them out front of you Superman-style. The afternoon dive went much better after I made some adjustments to our harness. I was now comfortable with my harness, and was 'Superman'-ing with the tanks. Sidemount allows for an extraordinary level of freedom. Matt had set up obstacles courses. Soon we were flying around them, with tanks out front, barrel rolling and even swimming upside-down.
Each PADI Specialty you take will help you get closer to becoming a Master Scuba Diver(tm).
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.
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.
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 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.
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SDI/TDIIncludes 2 Open Water DivesMinimum 18 Years, 15 Years with parental Consent.
- 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.
To register for the PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver course, you must first: You must be a PADI Open Water Diver, but you must also be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver to become a PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver. Have at least 30 dives under your belt.
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.