It takes passion, experience, and training to become a technical dive instructor. Technical diving comes with additional risks, so it's not worth taking on if you don't have the right combination.
International Training, which is the parent organization for Technical Diving International / Scuba Diving International, offers both the SDI version and TDI versions their Sidemount Diver course. Both courses can be used in the same way. Both courses use the exact same learning materials (which, obviously, we wrote). What's the difference then?
Also, diving sidemount start to be wildly spread across the world even for an open water dive. Why? Because diving sidemount is extremely comfortable and easy to learn.
Backmounted doubles were created in response to problems with single orifice and backmounted independences. Independents consist of two cylinders, each with its own regulator. The diver could only use one cylinder if a first stage failed. Single orifice duals consisted of two cylinders linked by a valve. One regulator was used for the first stage. The gas would not be released if the first stage failed due to a failure of one orifice doubles. Both of these problems have been eliminated by today's isolated manifold duplicates. Each cylinder is capable of being worked separately, but the diver can use one regulator to allow him or her to inhale gas directly from both cylinders. This type of doubles is usually held together using metal bands. Additionally, the valves are linked by an isolation manifold which allows the two to be separated as needed. Backmounted doubles diving looks similar to regular single cylinder backmounts, but it has a profile that is vertically identical.
Although I don't know how to do this yet, I am happy to say that I am a Sidemount diver. It is my favorite way to dive and it has been 20 of my best dives!
While most Sidemount divers use two tanks as a standard, you can also just use one tank (I was told it’s called ‘monkey’) or more than two tanks for deco dives.
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver GoMy first pool sessions were difficult. I felt like an open-water diver once more, strapped into twin tanks and trying valve drills. The Tec 40 and 45 courses were difficult at first, but I soon found that new skills became natural and I enjoyed the course. The joy of Tec diving lies in taking your diving skills, buoyancy, and awareness to the next level. The feeling of knowing that you are capable of handling life-threatening situations at depth and without needing to descend to the surface (dues to decompression requirements) can be quite satisfying. It's satisfying to execute your dive plans with military precision.
The Sidemount dive setup is slightly different from the backmount, as is the equipment.
Technical divers are able to explore wrecks and reefs at depths that are below the recreational limit of 30 m/130 ft. Specialized training allows them to explore underwater caves, and other places that are beyond the reach of recreational diving.
2 first stage regulator, 2 second stage regulator, exposure suit with side pockets, BCD sidemount, SMB, cutting tool, diving spool, Jet fins, mask and another spare mask, technical diving equipments, 1 long hose (2.10m - 7ft), hogarthian or cave harness.
Each PADI Specialty you complete gets you one step closer to earning the elite Master Scuba Diver™ rating.
JavaScript is the basis of our contact form. You will need to activate JavaScript on your browser in order to fill out our contact forms.
Technical diving (also known as tec diving or tech diving) is non-professional scuba diving that exceeds the agency-specified limits of recreational diving.
The depth range of oxygen rebreathers (simple closed circuit) is limited to approximately 6 m, beyond which the risk of acute oxygen toxicity rises to unacceptable levels very quickly.
To begin a technical diving course, you must have completed the following prerequisites: a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certificate or equivalent, a PADI Enriched Air Diver certificate or equivalent, and a PADI Deep Diver certificate or proof of at least 10 dives to 30 metres/100 feet.