The Sidemount setup for diving is slightly different to the backmount setup, and the equipment is also slightly different.
The Sidemount dive setup is slightly different from the backmount, as is the equipment.
I took my first sidemount and technical sidesmount courses. Sidemount diving, like the name implies, requires you to place your tank on your hands. My hands and knuckles were completely covered by cuts at the end. The idea behind sidemount diving is to unclip your tanks and then place them in front you, Superman style. This will streamline your workflow. After making some adjustments to my harness size, the afternoon dive went more smoothly. I was now comfortable unclipping my harness and "Superman-ing” with the tanks. Sidemount gives you an amazing level of freedom, even if you have doubles on your back. Matt put up obstacle courses. We were soon flying through them with tanks in front, barrel-rolling, swimming upside down and tanks at the rear.
Sidemount can provide a number of benefits for any diver, but is especially well suited for cave diving. (It was, after all, cave divers who invented sidemount.) Among these benefits:
Sidemount is not something you'll be doing during cave diving training. Instead, you should look at our CDS Basics Orientation Course.
In addition, your Sidemount rig includes tank bands, clips, and probably some more bungees to stow away your regs nicely. The clips will be connected to your harness and again, their position is important for the position of your tanks.
Computer-aided instruction is an integral part of nearly every course we teach. The Why? is simple: eLearning helps get our students in the water sooner and spend more time there. It’s why we include the cost of any applicable eLearning programs — usually a $140 value — in our courses at no extra charge. This translates directly into an extra day of in-water training. The value of that? Priceless.
Skills (generally speaking) - The introductory technical diver will practice their trimming and buoyancy using new equipment. This builds the foundation for efficient diving. Once the foundation is in place, students can start to practice locomotion and then move on with more advanced skills.
Computer-assisted instruction is an integral part almost every course that we teach. The Why? The answer is simple: eLearning makes it easier for students to get in the water quicker and spend more time there. That's why we offer all applicable eLearning courses -- which are usually $140 worth -- at no extra cost. This means that you will get an extra day of training in the water. How valuable is that? Priceless.
SDI/TDIIncludes 2 Open Water DivesMinimum 18 Years, 15 Years with parental Consent.
Want to share the experience or give the gift of endless adventure? You can now purchase PADI eLearning® and share it with a recipient of your choice! Whether you are purchasing the course as a gift or need to assign the it to family members – it’s super easy.
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.
New gear means new techniques. Diving sidemount, if it's easy, require some new skills (easy to learn).
I'm not certain when or why I decided on Sidemount. As with many of my diving choices, it was likely a case of "oh that looks cool, could prove useful", so I decided to take the Sidemount course. It would be a useful certification that I could build on in the future. Sidemount would allow me to dive in caves, something I always wanted.
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.
Technical diving (also known as tec diving or tech diving) is non-professional scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving.