How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Carrier

Scuba Equipment

Divers who decompression dive use oxygen mixtures of every kind to prolong their time on the seafloor looking for wrecks and corals. The sport diver might only get two dives at 100ft, but a decompression diver can cruise for up to 60 minutes and still get the best bang for their buck.

Sidemount rigs were initially designed for cave diving. It allows divers to pass through small cracks and restrictions (tiny hole) much more easily than the traditional back mount rig.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Carrier

Nitrox Diver —

The Sidemount diving setup is a little different from the setup when diving backmount and so is the equipment.

The popularity of sidemount diving continues to grow, even when it is open-water. Why? Sidemount diving is very simple and comfortable.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Drawing

By allowing divers to exhale gas, the rebreather can extend their diving capabilities. The rebreather will then recycle the gas and inject the required amount of gas into the cylinder. This can dramatically increase the dive time when compared to using double the size and weight cylinders, especially for deeper dives. You can have rebreathers back- or sidemounted. The profile they create will depend on their configuration.

It was difficult to get into the pool for my first session. I felt like an open water diver, securing myself in twin tanks and conducting valve drills. As we went through the Tec 40, 45, and 50 courses, I found new skills and was enjoying the course. The best part about Tec diving is the ability to improve your buoyancy, awareness and dive skills. It's quite an experience to know that you can manage life-threatening emergencies at depth without having to go to the surface due to decompression requirements. It's also satisfying to execute your dive plan with military precision.

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Drawing
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Youtube Video

How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Youtube Video

Initial pool sessions were hard. I felt like an openwater diver again, strapped in to the twin tanks trying to conduct valve drills. However, as we moved through the Tec 40 to 45 and 50 courses, our skills improved and we were able to enjoy the course. The most satisfying part of Tec diving is taking your skills, buoyancy, knowledge and awareness to the next stage. It is quite exciting to be able to manage life-threatening emergencies at deep water without having to climb to the surface (due decompression requirements). It's gratifying to execute your dive plan in military precision.

You can rent items like primary lights and cylinders, which may be difficult to carry. Please let us know if you need these.

Cave Divers

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

Sidemount cylinder mounting was originally developed for cave diving, and has become more common in technical diving. The sidemount cylinder mounting allows you to separate the dual cylinders with one stage per cylinder and mount them on either the left or right side of your body. Although this doesn't allow for the diver to breath from any cylinder in the case of a regulator malfunction, it does make it easier to access valves. Sidemount diving allows the diver to have a wider horizontal profile but a narrower vertical one.

How do you become a rebreather diver
How do you become a rebreather diver

Sidemount also has clips and tanks bands. The clips will be attached to your harness. Once again, their positions are important for the location of your tanks.

International Training, the parent organisation for Technical Diving International / Scuba Diving International (TDI), offers both SDI (and TDI) versions of their Sidemount Diver courses. Both courses are very similar. Both courses share the same learning materials (which were written by us). What is the difference?

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Frequently Asked Questions

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.