Mentality – Technical diving is still fun. It’s all about seeing cool things, just like sport diving, but technical divers see sights longer, deeper, and hidden to the sport diver. While technical divers are still fun-focused they also regular focused. Jokes can still be made, laughs can still be had, but a certain sense of serious must come about when it comes to dive planning and execution. All diving has risks, and those risks are increased if proper planning, skill practice, and execution are not done.
We do not issue certification cards unless they are earned. The mere fact that you have taken part in a training course does not make you certified. There may be multiple certification agencies that offer certification cards for cave courses. C-cards typically cost $30 each depending on the agency. You can ask your instructor more.
One of the big risks for a technical diver is decompression sickness. It occurs when nitrogen gas cannot exit the body thru respiration on ascent as the ambient pressure decreases. Therefore stops have to be executed on ascent in order to avoid a pressure difference too big so nitrogen bubbles can be formed. Buoyancy control is very important to control the stops on ascent and increase efficiency for off-gassing of nitrogen. Another important skill is proper breathing which makes metabolism efficient. Trim, which we call a proper tech diving position such as horizontal with a slight arch in the back, looking forward and knees at a 90 degree angle with fins pointing back. Trim prevents stirring up sediments on the bottom as well as most efficient movement in the water. And of course proper finning techniques to avoid overexertion are mandatory to make a diver achieve maximum performance. Now you might say, we want to have fun when we go diving and not be a machine.
My first courses were technical sidemount, and sidemount. Sidemount diving, which is the name of the course, involves placing your tank into your hands. My hands and knuckles were covered with cuts by the end. It is possible to remove the tanks from the clips and lay them out front of you Superman-style. The afternoon dive went much better after I made some adjustments to our harness. I was now comfortable with my harness, and was 'Superman'-ing with the tanks. Sidemount allows for an extraordinary level of freedom. Matt had set up obstacles courses. Soon we were flying around them, with tanks out front, barrel rolling and even swimming upside-down.
Another scuba diving agency might be of interest to you: PADItec sidemount diving course.
Whatever configuration a diver chooses there is benefits for each and in different situations each configuration has its up or downside.
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Octopus
Do you want to share the experience? PADI eLearning (r) can be purchased online and shared with a person of your choice. You can purchase the course for a gift or assign it to family members. It's easy!
There are three components to certification: skill practice, knowledge development and open water diving. All three parts can be completed locally or on vacation, or you can split them.
Although we can teach the SDI course if specifically requested, by default we offer the TDI one. It is possible to take this as a standalone program; however, our students generally combine this with our Apprentice Cave Diver course.
Mentality: Technical diving is still fun. It's just as much about seeing cool objects, like sport diving. However, technical divers see sights that are longer, deeper, or hidden from sport divers. Technical divers are still a fun and focused group, but they also stay on the right track. There are still plenty of jokes, and there are many laughs. However, dive planning must be executed with seriousness. You are always at risk when you dive, even if you have the right skills and practice.
The SSI technical-sidemount diver course allows you to take extended dives with four+ tanks (cylinders). Technical diving is easy with the technical sidemount course. You can learn to operate multiple cylinders at once. Config your sidemount gear. Learn how to make a tec sidemount harness. Also learn how adjust the sling tanks on your body.
The next day, technical sidemount was underway. This meant adding our deco 50 percent oxygen and 100% oxygen tanks on either end. The tanks will make you appear more prominent underwater. Each side of your waist has a few clips. As your tanks become buoyant from the air you exhale, adjust your tank to the second clip. You want to make your life as simple as possible. In a matter of minutes, your breathing is switched between the tanks. You can breathe easily because the pressure in each tanks is equal. Like all new things, experience is crucial to comfort and enjoyment. The following days I spent deco diving with the sidemount rig. My buddy David Joyce, Evolution co-owner and Trimix instructor, was with me. We went to the Japanese Mogami Japanese Mogami shipwreck at 164 feet. There, I was charmed and enthralled by the remnants of gas masks, uniforms, bones, and other old items we saw.
After successful completion, the Tech Diver Level 1 can be started and allows a diver to dive to 51m using appropriate Trimix gas mixes beyond 30m. It is also possible to start Cave Diving Training after the Fundamental Tech Pass.
The sidemount rig was originally invented for cave diving as it allows the diver to pass thru cracks and restrictions (tiny holes) easier than the classic back mount rig.
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.
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.
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.