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Sidemount diving stems from the cave diving world but has also found its way into the recreational, non-overhead diving world in recent years.Simply put: instead of wearing one or two tanks mounted on your back, you will wear your tanks on your side. The tanks are attached to a Sidemount BCD with clips and/or bungee cords allowing for great flexibility. Initially, it was this flexibility that allowed cave divers to take their tanks off underwater to fit through narrow spaces as well as making their overall profile smaller.
Each PADI Specialty that you complete will bring you closer to the Master Scuba Diver(tm).
Although I have not yet mastered the art of Sidemount diving, I am proud to be a Sidemount diver.
I was a bit numb after my initial pool sessions. I was strapped into the twin tanks, trying to conduct valve drills. But, the Tec 40-45 and 50 courses helped me to feel more comfortable and my skills began to improve. By the end of the course, I was enjoying myself. It's about taking your diving skills, buoyancy and awareness up to the next level. This is what Tec diving offers. This is a great feeling. Knowing you're capable in managing life-threatening emergency situations at depth without the need to ascend to the surface (dues decompression requirements), is an amazing feeling. It's very satisfying to execute your dive program with military precision.
There is a wide variety of equipment that is used by technical divers the biggest impact on the decision is the environment a diver is exposed to. Many cave divers prefer to use Sidemount which means, independent single tanks are mount to the side of the divers’ body and attached by clips on a D-Ring on the waist band on the harness and on the shoulder. This allows the diver to detach and don tanks to fit thru tiny restrictions and have a lower overall profile to go to places unreachable for divers who chose backmount. During multiple trips, additional tanks can be placed in a cave or a wreck to allow the diver deeper penetration dives and to pick up tanks when leaving the cave or wreck.
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Octopus AttackTo dive beyond 130ft, decompression divers should add some Helium to their cylinders. This will allow them to enter the realm of the seldom seen. Sometimes, the reefs and wrecks they visit are visited less often per year than astronauts to orbit the moon.
Academics - Technical courses have similar academic requirements to other classes. Students will conduct some self-study and present their findings to their instructor. A technical course requires that you plan your dives in advance. This is a crucial step to ensure a safe and successful dive. The gas management discussion in overhead and deep diving is more complex than what most divers are used too. A computer program can be used to calculate gas volumes and reserves.
SDI/TDIIncludes 2 open water divesMinimum 18 years, 15 years with parental consentMust have an SDI Open Water Diver or the equivalent
Are you interested to become a Sidemount divers? This is the place for you!
You might also be interested to take this scuba dive course offered by PADI tec sidemount.
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.
New gear means new techniques. If you are able to dive sidemount, it is easy to acquire new skills.
So what are you waiting? Find a TDI instructor near you today: https://www.tdisdi.com/search/?area=instructors
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).