Rebreathers allow for greater diving ability by eliminating large cylinders. Instead, they recycle the gas exhaled by divers, scrub the CO2 and inject small amounts of gas. This can greatly increase the time it takes to dive, especially if you are doing deeper dives. Rebreathers can either be sidemounted or back, and their profile is determined by the configuration.
Sidemount rigs were initially designed for cave diving. It allows divers to pass through small cracks and restrictions (tiny hole) much more easily than the traditional back mount rig.
Sidemount cylinder mounting was originally developed for cave diving, and has become more common in technical diving. The sidemount cylinder mounting allows you to separate the dual cylinders with one stage per cylinder and mount them on either the left or right side of your body. Although this doesn't allow for the diver to breath from any cylinder in the case of a regulator malfunction, it does make it easier to access valves. Sidemount diving allows the diver to have a wider horizontal profile but a narrower vertical one.
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 Diver Specialty can count towards Advanced Open Water Diver certification. Talk to your instructor about earning credit.
I don't know why or when I made the decision to take the Sidemount course. As with most of my diving decisions this was an easy decision. Sidemount certification would help me do proper cave diving, which I knew I wanted.
Consider continuing on to Tec Sidemount Diver course in which you’ll learn additional skills specific to tec diving in sidemount, such as staging and switching deco cylinders.
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I arrived just two months ago on Malapascua Island in Philippines. There, I will learn how to become a Tec diver instructor. Since 2012, I've been a Bali recreational instructor. I am eager to improve my diving skills and expand my knowledge. Sidemount PCB was the place where my first experience of technical diving was. Tom West, PADI course director and instructor-trainer for Tec, made me a Certified Tec-50 Diver.
With most agencies you can choose between recreational Sidemount and technical Sidemount. The prerequisites for example with SDI and TDI are the same but the tec Sidemount course will add more skills. It will also ask more of you in terms of mastering them – perfect trim and keeping still and leveled during your skills is a must!
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).
Certificate cards: These are issued only to those who have earned them. Certification is not guaranteed by simply taking part in a course. Multiple training agencies might offer certification cards for cave courses. C-cards usually cost about $30, depending on which agency you choose. Talk to your instructor for details.
Skills (general) – The introductory tech diver will practice their trim and buoyancy with the new equipment configuration. This builds the foundation of efficient diving. Once the foundation is there the student can practice locomotion and move on to more advanced skill practice.
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.
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).
Have a PADI Deep Specialty Instructor certification or have completed a PADI Deep Specialty Instructor course. Have at least 100 logged dives, including at least 20 enriched air dives, 25 dives deeper than 18 meters/60 feet, and 15 dives deeper than 30 meters/100 feet. You can become a Tec 45 diver.
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.