To make dives beyond 130ft, decompression divers will add Helium to the cylinders. Then they can explore the realm of the uncommon. Their experiences at wrecks and reefs are often less frequent than those of astronauts who visit the moon.
Academics - A technical course's academic portion is very similar to other scuba classes. Students will be required to do self-study and share their new knowledge with their instructor. Although the dive planning requirements for technical courses are more complex than what most people are used to, they are essential in executing a successful dive. The gas management portion of the planning discussion for overhead and decompression diving will take more time than most divers are used. A computer program is used to calculate the gas volumes and reserve required for each dive.
Rentals are available for items such as primary lights and cylinders that can be hard to transport. If you require any of these items, please let us know.
If you are not ready to dive locally, but wish to support your local dive center, you can complete eLearning courses and coursework close to home. You can then travel to complete your training dives. Ask your local PADI Dive Center for a referral.
Dive sidemount has become a popular sport in open waters. While it looks more sleek than having a tank strapped to your back, it doesn't hurt your back.
You will need your standard wetsuit, fins and mask as well as a computer, compass and DSMB.
The next day it was on to technical sidemount, which means adding our deco 50-percent oxygen and 100-percent oxygen tanks on either side. This increases your profile underwater so you must keep the tanks as trim as possible against your body. You have a couple of clips on each side of your waist. As you breathe down your tanks and they become positively buoyant, you adjust your tank position to the second clip position. The aim here is to be as streamlined as possible. Every few minutes you also switch your breathing from one tank to the other. That way the pressure in each tank runs down at roughly the same rate, and if there is a failure with either tank or regulator, you’ll still have gas to breathe. As with all new things, building up experience is key to comfort and enjoyment. I spent the next few days doing deco dives with the sidemount rig, buddied up with Evolution co-owner David Joyce — a hugely experienced Tec diver and Trimix instructor. On one dive we visited the Japanese Mogami wreck down at 164 feet, where I was beguiled by the bits of old gas masks, uniforms and even a few bones we saw.
Sidemount has many benefits, but it is particularly well-suited for cave diving. (It was cave divers who invent sidemount. These benefits include:
Are you interested in becoming a Sidemount diver. This post will explain everything you need to know about becoming a Sidemount diver.
If you will not be using sidemount during your cave diver training, what you should be looking at is our CDS Basics Orientation course.
Do not worry about how it all will come together. A large part of the course teaches you how to set up Sidemount equipment and how to adjust bungees to ensure your tanks are in good shape. Your instructor will be there to help you through it all!
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.
The PADI Training app is available for Android™ and Apple® iOS devices. For an optimal experience, devices should be no more than three models old with the most current OS (operating system).
For dives past 130ft decompression divers blend some Helium into their cylinders and dip into the realm of the rarely seen. The reefs and wrecks they experience are sometimes visited less frequently in a year than astronauts to the moon.
To begin a technical diving course, you must have completed the following prerequisites: a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certificate or equivalent, a PADI Enriched Air Diver certificate or equivalent, and a PADI Deep Diver certificate or proof of at least 10 dives to 30 metres/100 feet.
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.
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).