You don't need to worry about how all this will work. The course includes learning how to set-up your Sidemount equipment, as well as how to measure and adjust clips and bungees so that your tanks are in perfect trim. You will have your instructor to assist you in all aspects.
In general Sidemount is more task loading for a diver as the pressure in each tank needs to be balanced in order to have enough gas for an out of air diver and to be balanced on each side.
If you want some diving classes alternative and lessons or want to know what's best next for your education, take a look at the three options below.
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.
Technical diving is a combination of passion, training, and experience. Technical diving is not for those who lack any of these three.
Sidemount divers tend to use two tanks. You can, however, use just one tank (I believe it's called the'monkey'), or use more than two tanks when doing deco dives.
Backmounted doubles came into use in part because of the problems with backmounted independents and single orifice doubles, neither of which are as common in modern diving. Independents are two cylinders strapped to one’s back with independent regulators on each one. If a 1st stage was to fail the diver was down to one cylinder. Single orifice doubles were two cylinders linked together with a valve, and one 1st stage regulator. If a first stage failed on a single orifice doubles set all the gas would be lost. The isolated manifold doubles used today eliminate both of those problems. Each cylinder can be worked independently, but the diver can also breathe gas from both cylinders out of one regulator. This form of doubles is typically held together with metal bands and the valves are linked with an isolation manifold, allowing the two to be separate if needed. Backmounted doubles diving is similar to regular single cylinder backmount, offering a profile that is vertically the same.
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Three parts are required to become certified: knowledge development, skill practise and open water diving. You can choose to do each part locally, on holiday or alternate between them.
Continue your Tec Sidemount Diver training and you'll be able to learn additional skills for tec diving in sidemount.
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Many agencies offer the option to choose between technical Sidemount and recreational Sidemount. For example, SDI and TDI have the same prerequisites but the tec Course will require you to have more skills. They will require more skill to master the course - you must be precise in trimming your hair and staying level while performing your skills.
New gear means new techniques. If you are able to dive sidemount, it is easy to acquire new skills.
You will need the same equipment as the course to learn how to operate and set up the equipment you'll use for your tech diving training. This includes:
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.
- Increased Bottom Time A Closed Circuit diver is not concerned with running out of gas because they are only limited by decompression. This can also be reduced by selecting an oxygen partial pressure that provides the diver with virtually limitless bottom times in 60 feet or less of water.
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).