I'm not sure when or why I chose to take my Sidemount course. It was, as with many of my diving decisions. I think it was a case where I thought, "Oh, that looks cool. Could be useful. I'm going for it!" I knew Sidemount would be useful and something I could continue to use and improve on. Sidemount certification would be useful for me if I ever wanted to cave dive.
Your Sidemount rig also includes clips and tank bands. These clips will attach to your harness. Again, their location is crucial for the positioning of your tanks.
Sidemount Diver was, I must admit, one of the most difficult courses I have ever taken. My instructor Fiona and Big Blue Tech in Koh Tao were able to include a lot more skills as well as dives into my course. We practiced many skills, including mask removal, tank deployment underwater, out-of-air drills and SMB deployment. All the while keeping my trim.
And of course, the book of Verna Van Schaik ‘Fatally Flawed – The Quest to be Deepest’, the one woman who succeeded to break the female world record in depth in Bushman’s hole in South Africa and how she god there.
Sidemount rigs were originally designed for cave diving. They allow the diver to easily pass through cracks and restrictions (tiny holes), much faster than traditional back mount rigs.
I just arrived on Malapascua Island (Philippines) and will soon be working my path to becoming a Tec instructor. I've been working as a recreational instructor at Bali for the past two-years and would love to grow my professional experience. Sidemount PCB gave me my first taste in technical diving. Tom West was the PADI course director, and Tec instructor-trainer. He made me into a PADI Tec-50 diver.
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.
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.
I arrived just two months ago on Malapascua Island in Philippines. There, I will learn how to become a Tec diver instructor. Since 2012, I've been a Bali recreational instructor. I am eager to improve my diving skills and expand my knowledge. Sidemount PCB was the place where my first experience of technical diving was. Tom West, PADI course director and instructor-trainer for Tec, made me a Certified Tec-50 Diver.
Nowadays diving sidemount became popular even in open water as you get more streamlined than having a tank on your back, it is not hurting your back, and you can get a lot of fun as it is extremely comfortable to dive sidemount.
Computer-aided instruction is an integral aspect of almost all courses we teach. The Why? The simple answer is that eLearning allows students to get in the water faster and spend more time there. This is why we include any applicable eLearning program -- typically a $140 value -- in all our courses at no extra cost. This is equivalent to an additional day's in-water training. This is what it's worth. Priceless.
Academics – The academic portions of a technical course are very similar to any other scuba class. Students will do some self study and bring the new knowledge to a discussion with their instructor. The dive planning aspects for a technical course are significantly extended from what most individuals are used to but a vital part of executing a successful dive. In overhead and decompression diving, the gas management portions of the planning discussion will take longer than most divers are used to. They even utilize a computer program to calculate their gas volumes and reserves required for the dive.
Continue your Tec Sidemount Diver training and you'll be able to learn additional skills for tec diving in sidemount.
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.
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.