Your Sidemount BCD is a harness with a bladder and a somewhat intricate system of sliding D-rings, bungee cords, and clips. Their position and fit are crucial for your tank position and trim later in the water and your instructor will probably spend quite a bit of time to get them just right.
The Sidemount diver's setup is slightly different than the backmount.
An Open Water Diver is all you need to get started in Sidemount diving. It is important to have good buoyancy, trim, and be able set up your equipment and manage it yourself. Sidemount diving can bring a new dimension to your equipment setup and skills.
Although I have not yet mastered the art of Sidemount diving, I am proud to be a Sidemount diver.
Be aware of what you're paying: All prices include instruction and eLearning. The cost of eLearning by itself can range from $140 to $280. A $640 course purchased from us may cost you the same as $500 from someone else, if you need to pay for elearning separately.
Sidemount divers typically use two tanks, but you can use just one tank (I was taught it's called "monkey") or more than two tanks to do deco dives.
The technical sidemount was completed the next day. This involved adding our 50-percent oxygen tank and 100 percent oxygen tanks to either side. This will increase your profile underwater. You must ensure that the tanks are as slim as possible. A couple of clips are located on either side of your waist. When your tanks become positively buoyant and you inhale, adjust the clip to match your tank position. It is important to keep your breathing as smooth as possible. Your breathing will change from one tank to another every few minutes. The pressure in each tank will drop at approximately the same rate. If a regulator or tank fails, you will still have gas to breath. Comfort and enjoyment can only be achieved by gaining experience. I spent the next few day doing deco dives using the sidemount rig with Evolution co-owner David Joyce, a Trimix instructor and Tec diver. We visited the Japanese Mogami wreck at 164ft, where I was charmed by the pieces of old gas masks and uniforms.
Mentality - Technical diving still has its fun side. It's about seeing cool stuff, just as sport diving. But technical divers see things longer, deeper and more hidden than the sport diver. Although technical divers are still fun-focused, they are also regularly focused. There are still jokes to be made and laughs can be had. But, diving planning and execution must be done with a sense of seriousness. Divers are exposed to risks.
When or why I decided to do my Sidemount course I don’t remember. As with most of my diving decisions, it was probably a case of – oh that looks cool, could be useful, I’m going to try it!I knew that Sidemount was going to be a useful certification and something that I could use in the future and build on. I also knew that I eventually wanted to do some proper cave diving and that a Sidemount certification would come in handy for that.
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.
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.
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.
Do not worry about how it all will come together. A large part of the course teaches you how to set up Sidemount equipment and how to adjust bungees to ensure your tanks are in good shape. Your instructor will be there to help you through it all!
You can share the adventure or give the gift that never ends! PADI eLearning(r), which you can purchase and send to any recipient of your choosing, is now available! It doesn't matter if you want to give the course as a gift, or if you need to assign it to your family members.
To register for the PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver course, you must first: You must be a PADI Open Water Diver, but you must also be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver to become a PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver. Have at least 30 dives under your belt.