I just have this enlightening experience with your online course. I had few experiences with other instructors in my scuba 'career', but I can honestly say that I never saw such a useful, deep, and practical explanations about how to become a better scuba diver. When I did my PADI AOW training, I was struggling with buoyancy control as I tried to shoot my SMB.... read moreI just have this enlightening experience with your online course. I had few experiences with other instructors in my scuba 'career', but I can honestly say that I never saw such a useful, deep, and practical explanations about how to become a better scuba diver. When I did my PADI AOW training, I was struggling with buoyancy control as I tried to shoot my SMB. I asked my instructor how to improve my buoyancy. He said just practice. He had a good buoyancy control surely, but didn't explain to me about the importance of proper weighting, breath control, etc. Your videos were eye opener. Not to mention that every one of my dive buddy didn't really understand why I wanted to dive sidemount. Even now highly recommended instructors ask me why I dive sm. What is the use of it? Mostly cave divers do it. I am very happy that I did choose sm. It is a different world. Nobody really taught me or checked how I do SM, but many times I dive with others, they mention how good my trim is. I learned everything from your videos, how to setup my equipment, enter or exit water, or solve problems, etc. I hope we can meet sometimes and can have a training together, because I want to improve and help others to become much better, quality divers. I am sure that there many excellent divers and instructors out there, but I am sure that your contribution to the scuba diving society is huge and very important. Thank you for that! Regards, Csaba read less
You can immediately get the PADI Sidemount PB Diver manual and the Tec Sidemount PB Diver manual from your local PADI Dive Shop. You'll only need Chapters Two through Three if you are a recreational sidemount diver. If not, you can read the whole manual.
I've never tried sidemounting before, but I learned a lot from his online video training and I knew Steve was the man for me to learn it. I was correct! It was truly a life changing week! Sidemount PCB Essentials far exceeded my expectations. Steve is an excellent teacher who has patience and spends a lot... read moreI had never tried sidemount but I learned from his online video that Steve was the ideal man to teach me how to do it. I was not wrong. It was truly a life changing week! Sidemount PCB Essentials far exceeded my expectations. Steve is a wonderful teacher. His patience is amazing and he puts in a lot time and effort with his students. Everything is well planned and executed with great care. It was both memorable and rewarding. Sidemount PCB Essentials Course was a transformative experience for me. In such a short time, I saw a change in my awareness and skill level below water that I didn't expect. Everything is in its right place, from the harness setup to the weight amount and location, through the cylinder trim to your balance in the pool. This will make you feel calm, confident, and allow you to experience sidemount set-ups that are true... without any back pain. This course was both challenging and very enjoyable. Each day begins with a planning session. We end the day with a video review of what we did in the water. It was a tedious process to drain the cylinders before we could go into the water. This is why our learning curve has been so steep. Everything was handled in a calm and secure environment, yet with remarkable professionalism. Steve's course is worth it. Steve will assist you in achieving more than you could ever imagine if Sidemount PCB is your passion. read less
Sidemount PCB offers many benefits to any diver, but it's especially useful for cave diving. (It was actually cave divers that invented sidemount. These are just some of the benefits.
Trimix II provides you with the skills and knowledge needed to minimize the risks of utilizing helium-based trimix breathing gas mixtures for dives to 300 fsw+ requiring staged-decompression and utilizing EANx mixtures and/or oxygen during decompression.
If you're a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 30 logged dives, you qualify to enroll in a Tec Sidemount PCB Diver course. It's recommended that you also have a PADI Enriched Air Diver certification.
A single specialty rating can be earned by obtaining the SDI Sidemount PCB Diver Certification to complete the SDI Advanced Diver Development programme.
The course will require the same equipment, as you will need it for your technical diving and cave training. This includes:
You can rent items like primary lights and cylinders, which may be difficult to carry. Please let us know if you need these.
Computer-assisted instruction is an integral part almost all of the courses we teach. The Why? The simple answer is that eLearning allows students to get in the water faster and spend more time there. This is why we include any applicable eLearning program -- typically a $140 value -- in all our courses at no extra cost. This is equivalent to an extra day's in-water training. This is what it's worth. Priceless.
Hi Steve, I just saw the new chapters you are adding into your online courses. Really like them. Especially helpful, when reviewing videos and searching for just a part in a video. I starting using them as soon as I noticed them. Cheers, Timo
Although I know that you are aware of this, I appreciate your videos online. I've used them to make my sidemount setup much easier. As an instructor, I was able to quickly diagnose student problems and help them. Thank you so much.
Steve, Your Sidemount PCB Essentials class in Gozo was a great experience! I doubt that I will ever spend more money on something else. It was so much fun. It's amazing to see the dedication and your experience. You are attentive to every detail and always looking to improve. Read moreHi Steve! Your Sidemount PCB Essentials class in Gozo was great. I can't think of anything better. It was so much fun. Your passion and knowledge are truly amazing. You pay attention even to the smallest details, and are constantly striving for improvement. I love your passion for capturing all the details, new equipment, and tips. to include them in future videos. I am very impressed with your online training videos. These videos prepare you for the in-water training. And I think this is what makes the steep learning curve so manageable underwater. Steve, I am so grateful for all your help. Nils, Cheers
Sidemount PCB Diving was developed in the early days of cave diving. It was pioneered in this way by Lamar Hires, who used multiple tanks in a compact and streamlined manner to reach places back mounted divers couldn't. The technique has grown to be one of the most popular in our sport.
According to experts, approximately 40% of technical divers enroll in additional education and training programs. This yields a reasonable estimate of approximately 160,000 active technical divers worldwide.
PADI Adventure Diver is a subset of PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. Have you ever considered trying your hand at digital underwater photography, fish identification, or dry suit diving? During this program, you can participate in a variety of scuba adventures.
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.