How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Master

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Padi

There are many great readings about technical diving. Some are stories of personal experiences and adventures in technical diving that are definitely worth reading. Some of the greatest books for sure are:

For dives deeper than 56m gas mixes called Trimix are used. In order to reduce narcosis and reduce the toxic effects of Nitrogen and Oxygen, Helium is added which has no negative effect on our body to very deep depth. There are additional risks with helium but those start at depths of around 180m. In history tests have been executed with different noble gasses, however they all turned out to be toxic for the human body, so helium was the only one adequate for diving. One other gas that has no effect on the human body is Hydrogen but due to its high risk of fire and explosion in contact with oxygen, the blending of it is very difficult if not almost impossible with the techniques we use currently.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Company —

New gear means new techniques. Scuba diving sidemount is easy if you have the right skills.

Divers must maintain a minimum level fitness and health. Some conditions such as chronic illness, recent surgery or medication may make it necessary to obtain written permission before you can dive.

Diving Instructors

I can't recall when or why it was that I decided to take the Sidemount course. Like most of my diving decisions it was just a matter of "oh, that looks cool", and I was willing to give it a try. Sidemount would have been a valuable certification that I could use for future training. Sidemount certification would also be helpful if I wanted to go cave diving.

If you are interested in the SDI course, we will teach it. By default, however we also offer the TDI. You can take this course as a standalone, however our students often combine it with our Apprentice Cave Diver program.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Master
Diving Instructors
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Representative

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Representative

We can offer the SDI course if requested. However, we only offer the TDI course by default. This can be taken as a stand-alone program, but our students usually combine it with the Apprentice Cave Diver course.

A Twinset diver will always be able to access to both tanks from one single regulator as long as the manifold, or the connection between both tanks is open. To carry a twinset for a smaller person might be a challenge on land. It is quite heavy and sidemounted tanks can be carried individually which sometimes makes it easier to access remote areas or steep slopes to access the water.

Why do cave divers use rebreathers

There is a wide variety of equipment that is used by technical divers the biggest impact on the decision is the environment a diver is exposed to. Many cave divers prefer to use Sidemount which means, independent single tanks are mount to the side of the divers’ body and attached by clips on a D-Ring on the waist band on the harness and on the shoulder. This allows the diver to detach and don tanks to fit thru tiny restrictions and have a lower overall profile to go to places unreachable for divers who chose backmount. During multiple trips, additional tanks can be placed in a cave or a wreck to allow the diver deeper penetration dives and to pick up tanks when leaving the cave or wreck.

Sidemount cylinder mounting was first used for cave diving. It has since become more popular in technical diving. They take the dual cylinders apart, one for each, and place them on either side. The diver can't breathe from either cylinder if the regulator fails, but this allows for easier access to valves. Sidemount diving gives the diver an increased horizontal profile and a smaller vertical profile.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Magazine
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Magazine

While technical diving is still for fun they aren’t for people wanting to go deeper, just because. There is a higher risk associated with cave and decompression diving. This risk is mitigated, in part, by thorough dive planning and training. As such, divers doing these dives are held towards a higher standard. It will take practice to become a technical diver. No amount of research and reading can supplement that in water time. Divers will notice that the minimum standards are often exceeded during training courses and individual technical instructors often do this. Technical training teaches a diver redundancy so that problems can be successfully solved 1500ft inside a flooded cave and an exit to the surface can be executed. While that sounds complex and scary it’s a necessary aspect of diving in that environment. Technical training is not only challenging but it’s fun and at the end of it the diver has a golden ticket to see parts of the world that are totally closed off to other people.

Skills (general): The introductory tech diver will practice the use of new equipment to trim and control buoyancy. This helps to build the foundation for efficient diving. Once you have a solid foundation, you can start practicing locomotion or move on to more advanced skills.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver In Tree

You should not use sidemount in your cave diver training. Our CDS Basics Orientation class is what you need.

After successful completion, the Tech Diver Level 1 can be started and allows a diver to dive to 51m using appropriate Trimix gas mixes beyond 30m. It is also possible to start Cave Diving Training after the Fundamental Tech Pass.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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.