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.
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 most significant innovations in equipment cave divers have seen since the beginning of this century has been the transition from backmounted to sidemount doubles. Many cave divers now sidemount. There may even be more open-circuit sidemount cave divers that backmount cave divers.
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.
To get started on Sidemount diving you don’t need more than an Open Water Diver. Mind you, it obviously helps to have good buoyancy and trim and you should be able to set up and handle your equipment comfortably by yourself. Sidemount diving will add a whole new dimension when it comes to equipment setup and skills.
Sidemount diving is a form of sidemount diving that originated in cave diving but has been incorporated into recreational and non-overhead diving over the years. Simply put, your tanks will be worn on your side instead of being attached to your back. The tanks attach to a Sidemount BCD with clips or bungee chords, allowing for maximum flexibility. It was this flexibility that cave divers used to be able to lift their tanks from the bottom underwater, making it easier to pass through tight spaces.
Decompression divers employ oxygen mixtures of all kinds to extend their time looking at wrecks and reefs on the ocean floor. While the sport diver may get two 15 minute bottom time dives at 100ft the decompression diver can cruise around for 60 minutes or more, getting the most bang for their buck.
Don't worry if you are worried about how everything will fit together. You will learn how to set up your Sidemount equipment. Also, how to measure and adjust your bungees and clips so your tanks stay in line next to your legs. Your instructor will guide you through all this!
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.
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.
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.