Overhead divers who have been trained in overhead diving are entitled to cave passages created over millions of year of water erosion. These passages can stretch thousands of yards from the entrance. They offer tranquility and beauty that is unmatched by the amazing time they took to form.
Skills (generally speaking) - The introductory technical diver will practice their trimming and buoyancy using new equipment. This builds the foundation for efficient diving. Once the foundation is in place, students can start to practice locomotion and then move on with more advanced skills.
Mentality - Technical diving still has its fun side. It's about seeing cool stuff, just as sport diving. But technical divers see things longer, deeper and more hidden than the sport diver. Although technical divers are still fun-focused, they are also regularly focused. There are still jokes to be made and laughs can be had. But, diving planning and execution must be done with a sense of seriousness. Divers are exposed to risks.
Decompression divers can use all sorts of oxygen mixtures to extend their time looking at reefs and wrecks on the sea floor. While the sport diver may only have two 15-minute bottom time dives at 100ft, the decompression diver is able to cruise for up 60 minutes. This allows them to get the most bang possible.
Sidemount diving stems from the cave diving world but has also found its way into the recreational, non-overhead diving world in recent years.Simply put: instead of wearing one or two tanks mounted on your back, you will wear your tanks on your side. The tanks are attached to a Sidemount BCD with clips and/or bungee cords allowing for great flexibility. Initially, it was this flexibility that allowed cave divers to take their tanks off underwater to fit through narrow spaces as well as making their overall profile smaller.
The initial pool sessions were tough; I felt like an open-water diver again, strapped into the twin tanks and trying to conduct valve drills. But as we progressed through the Tec 40, 45 and 50 courses, new skills started to come naturally, and by the end of the course I was enjoying myself. The satisfaction in Tec diving comes from taking your dive skills, buoyancy and awareness to the next level. Knowing that you’re capable of managing life-threatening emergencies at depth, and without the option to ascend straight to the surface (due to decompression requirements) is quite a buzz. And it’s satisfying to execute your dive plan with military precision.
Sidemount diving provides an independent air source. Two tanks are used, each with their own regulators and first stage, SPG. This makes it much safer and gives little air-hogs (like me) a lot more oxygen. Sidemount's tanks can be easily accessed from the surface. There is no pressure on the back.
You can rent items like primary lights and cylinders, which may be difficult to carry. Please let us know if you need these.
Although I'm still learning, Sidemount diving is something I feel confident in. I have done 20 Sidemount dives and I can proudly say I'm a Sidemount diver.
There are three parts to certification. Knowledge development, skill practice and open-water diving. You can do all three on your own, or take a break to complete one of them.
Technical divers search for wrecks and reefs in depths below the recreational limit (40 m/130 ft). These divers have the ability to dive into underwater caves and other areas not accessible by regular recreational diving.
Sidemount diving has become very popular in open water. It is more comfortable than having a tank on the back and allows you to have more fun.
There are three parts of certification: knowledge, skill practice, and open water diving. You can either complete them all locally, while on holiday, or divide them.
While I still haven’t perfected this art, I am proud that after 20 Sidemount divers I can call myself a Sidemount Diver. It is the most comfortable way of diving!
from 170 to 350 feet
While conventional scuba diving has a recommended maximum depth of 130 feet, technical divers may work at depths ranging from 170 feet to 350 feet, and sometimes even deeper.