Know what you are getting: Prices include instruction, eLearning fees, and other costs. You should also consider that eLearning costs can vary from $140 to $280. In other words, a course that costs $640 may actually be cheaper than a $500 course you purchase from us if you are required to pay for the elearning separately.
Steve/Vas, your instructor series is phenomenal. Please let me be the first to say you are correct in what you say. One can teach themselves how to SM just by watching the videos as I have done. However, I did compromise/sacrifice my learning curve without one of you (SM essentials instructor). It took me almost one year to get pretty good with AL80s. I then... read moreSteve/Vas, your instructor series is phenomenal. Please let me be the first to say you are correct in what you say. One can teach themselves how to SM just by watching the videos as I have done. However, I did compromise/sacrifice my learning curve without one of you (SM essentials instructor). It took me almost one year to get pretty good with AL80s. I then took the first level of tech diving a year after that and told my tech instructor I was doing it in SM configuration. I had to tell him I taught myself which he responded with “you most likely will have to take a SM workshop with me depending on how I do on dive one”. After the first dive he said “there is no reason for you to take a class with me”. So your online training is spot on but if I had it to do all over again I would see your guy Joe Seda first. I will, in the future, take the course with him so I can be the best I can be. Regards Tony read less
Steve, your Sidemount PCB Essentials course was great! I have probably never spent my money on anything more. It was so much fun, and I loved every minute of it. Your dedication and experience are amazing. Your attention to detail is amazing and you're always trying to improve. Your enthusiasm for capturing... read moreHi Steve! I enjoyed your Sidemount PCB Essentials course at Gozo! I have never spent my money on anything more. It was so much fun, and I loved every minute of it. Your dedication and experience are amazing. Your attention to detail is amazing and you're always trying to improve. Your enthusiasm to capture every detail, whether it be new equipment or hints, is what I love. These details can be captured with the camera so that they can be included in future videos. Your online training videos are an excellent resource. These videos will prepare you for in-water training. I believe that this is the key to the steep learning curve. Because you can use your time underwater efficiently, it's possible to be well-prepared. Steve, thank you so much! Nils, Cheers!
Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in sidemount diving activities without direct supervision, provided the following limits are adhered to:
Technical diving is a multi-tank sport. Sidemount PCB is a popular way to set up multiple cylinders for technical dive. The Tec Sidemount PCB Diver course will allow you to enter the world of tec dive and then apply the knowledge to other TecRec courses. This course may be integrated with the Tec 40 or Tec 45 courses by your instructor.
Steve, thank you for the Sidemount PCB Essentials Course in Gozo. I've never spent more money on something better. It was great fun. I enjoyed every second of it. It is amazing to see your passion and experience. Your attention to details is remarkable and you never stop trying to improve. I also enjoyed... Continue reading Steve! I thoroughly enjoyed your Sidemount PCB Essentials Course in Gozo. I've never spent more money on anything. It was great fun. I loved every second of it. It is amazing to see your passion and experience. You are meticulous and pay attention to every detail. I love your passion to capture details, new equipment and hints. You can use the camera to capture them and include them in future videos. I have to say that your online training videos are exceptional. They will get you prepared for what you will need during in-water training. This concept I believe is key to the steep learning curve, as you can make the most of your time underwater. Steve, thanks so much! Nils read more
Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training And CertificationSteve/Vas your instructor series are amazing. I will be the first to admit that you are right in everything you have said. Watching the videos can help anyone learn SM. I had to sacrifice my learning curve and compromise without a SM essentials instructor. It took me almost a year to become proficient with AL80s. I was then able to... read mehrSteve/Vas. Your series of instructors is simply amazing. I am sure you are right. Watching the videos can help anyone learn SM. Without you, my learning curve was compromised/sacrificed. It took me almost a year to become proficient in AL80s. My tech instructor told me that I was doing tech diving in SM configuration. I had to admit that I was a certified instructor. He replied by saying "You most likely will have a SM workshop with us depending on my performance on dive one". After my first dive, he told me that there was no reason not to take a class. Although your online training is great, I would still go to Joe Seda for the class if it were over. I will take his course in the future so that I can be my best. Regards Tony read less
Your instructor series, Steve/Vas is amazing. Let me be the first one to tell you that you are absolutely correct. You can learn SM by simply watching the videos, as I did. But, I had to compromise/sacrifice some of my learning curves without you (SM essentials instructor). To get proficient with AL80s, it took me nearly a year. Then, I... read moreSteve/Vas. Your instructor series is amazing. Let me be the first one to tell you that you are right in everything you have said. You can learn SM by simply watching the videos, as I did. But, I had to compromise/sacrifice some of my learning curves without you (SM essentials instructor). To get proficient with AL80s, it took me nearly a year. The first level of tech diving was taken by me a year later. I told my instructor that I was using SM configuration. He was shocked that I did not teach myself. I told him, and he replied with "You most likely will need to take a SM workshop together depending on how well I do on dive one". He said that there was no reason to have you take a class after the first dive. Your online training is excellent, but I'd rather see Joe Seda if it was all over again. I will continue to learn from him in the future. Regards Tony read less
As your goal in taking this course is to learn the basic set up and operation of the equipment you will use as part of your cave and/or tech diver training, you will need that same equipment for this course. This includes:
Thank you for this wonderful online course. I have had only a handful of experiences with other instructors in my diving 'career'. However, I can honestly state that I have never seen such an informative, detailed and practical explanation about how to become better scuba divers. As I was trying to get my SMB .... photo, my buoyancy control was very poor. This is why I found your online course so helpful. I had only a handful of experiences with other instructors over my scuba diving 'career'. However, I can honestly state that I have never received such practical, useful, and thorough explanations about how I could become a better scuba diver. I had difficulty controlling my buoyancy when I tried to shoot the SMB. My instructor advised me on how to increase my buoyancy. He simply suggested practicing. He seemed to have good buoyancy control. However, he didn’t explain how weighting and breathing are important. Your videos were very eye-opening. And, of course, every single one of my dive buddies didn’t understand why I wanted the sidemount. Even though I am a highly recommended instructor, they still question me about why I would dive sm. What is its purpose? Most cave divers use it. I am glad I chose to sm. It's an entirely new world. It is a different world. Although no one really taught or tested me on SM, there are many times that I dive with friends and they compliment my trim. Your videos helped me learn everything. I learned how to set up my equipment, enter and exit water, and solve any problems. I hope that we can meet and do a training together. I want other divers to improve their skills and be more competent. I'm sure there are many other excellent instructors and divers, but I believe that your contribution is vital and essential to the success of the scuba diving profession. I appreciate your kindness! Regards, Csaba read less
One of the most important innovations in the equipment cave divers now use is the move from backmounted to sidemount doubles. While a large number of cave divers now sidemount their equipment, it is possible that there are many more open-circuit sidemount cavers than backmount.
Steve, just saw the new chapters to your online course. These are really great. They're especially helpful when you are reviewing videos or searching for specific parts of a movie. As soon as I saw them, I was able to start using them. Timo, cheers!
Get the PADI Sidemount PCB Diver and Tec Sidemount PCB Diver Manual from your local PADI Dive Shop and start studying immediately. If you have a recreational sidemount diver certification, you'll focus on Chapters Two and Three, if not, you'll read the entire manual.
Blue Label Diving can offer Sidemount PCB Diving Courses in all levels from SSI to TDI to PADI in Phuket Thailand. From recreational side mount diving with two tanks, to advanced technical sidemounting within overhead environments, and even instructor-level sidemounting. You may not want to dive backmount again once you've learned side mount diving.
The PADI Rebreather/Advanced Rebreather Diver courses take four days to complete. The course fee is $1250, which includes books and rental.
What exactly is the Tec 40 Course? Your first step into technical diving is the PADI Tec 40 course. It is a fundamental level of decompression diving that allows you to dive with gas redundancy, higher Enriched Air mixes of up to 50%, decompression on EANX 50% for conservatism, and up to 10 minutes of decompression.
Tec divers can visit reefs and wrecks at depths well below the recreational limit of 40 meters/130 feet. They can explore underwater caves and other locations far beyond the reach of mainstream sport diving with specialized training.