Divers must maintain a minimum level fitness and health. Some conditions such as chronic illness, recent surgery or medication may make it necessary to obtain written permission before you can dive.
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.
At first I was not interested in technical diving. I vividly remember chuckling at the Tec divers who I saw and wondering what made them want to take more equipment. I love the sense that you can be close to nature while feeling free and connected. Tom was a well-respected teacher. I felt it only right to give him a try as I was working in a dive shop offering Tec courses.
Our SSI technical diving sidemount diver course will allow you to use up to four tanks (cylinders), and make extended dives. The technical sidemount dive course is a great way of getting into technical diving. This will allow you to safely handle multiple cylinders in a single dive. Additionally, you will learn how to configure your sidemount gear as well as how to set up a tec sidemount harness.
PADI Training apps are available for Android(tm), Apple(r), and iOS devices. The best experience is achieved by devices no older than three models with the latest OS (operating System).
Scuba sidemount diving is very popular, even in open sea.
I just arrived on Malapascua Island, Philippines. I will be working my way up to become a Tec diving instructor over the next two-months. Since the past two years, I have been a recreational instructor in Bali. Now I want to increase my professional diving experience. Sidemount PCB was where I got my first taste of technical diving. Tom West, Tec instructor-trainer and course director at PADI, made me a Tec-50 diver.
Sidemount Diver Specialty dives may count toward Advanced Open Water Diver certification. Ask an instructor.
I’ve just arrived on Malapascua Island in the Philippines, where over the next two months I’ll work my way up to becoming a Tec diving instructor. I’ve been a recreational instructor in Bali for the last two years and want to expand my experience and professional dive résumé. My first taste of technical diving was at Sidemount PCB, where PADI course director and Tec instructor-trainer Tom West molded me into a Tec-50 diver.
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 worry now about how this will all come together, don’t – a big part of the course is learning how to set up your Sidemount equipment as well as to measure and adjust bungees and clips to make sure your tanks are in trim next to your legs. And of course, your instructor will help you with all of it!
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.
Next, it was time to do technical sidemount. This involves adding our deco 50-percent and 100-percent oxygen tanks on each side. You will have a higher profile underwater, so it is important to keep the tanks as close to your body as possible. There are two clips at each side of the waist. You adjust the tank position by inhaling down your tanks. This is where simplicity is key. You also need to switch between tanks every few minutes. This ensures that the pressure in each tank is at the same level, so even if one tank or regulator fails, there will still be gas for you to breathe. Building up experience is the key to comfort, enjoyment and success with new technologies. The next few days were spent doing sidemount dives, budding up with Evolution coowner David Joyce, a highly experienced Tec diver and Trimix instructor. One dive took us to the Japanese Mogami Wreck at 164 feet. I was captivated by the old gas masks, uniforms, and bones that we found.
Sidemount regulators will also be covered. You will usually have one regulator for a long hose and one for a shorter hose with a necklace. Sidemount regs are marked, so that you can identify which tank you are using. This included a swivel joint to allow me to regulate my short hose. You will also receive 2 SPGs, one for each stage.
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.
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.
- Increased Bottom Time A Closed Circuit diver is not concerned with running out of gas because they are only limited by decompression. This can also be reduced by selecting an oxygen partial pressure that provides the diver with virtually limitless bottom times in 60 feet or less of water.