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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How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver LifeYou must be at least a level of fitness and health to dive. You may need to have written permission from your physician if you have chronic health issues, take certain medications or are recovering from recent surgery.
There are three parts to certification: knowledge development, skill practice and open water dives. You can complete all three parts locally, on holiday, or split between the two.
Interested in becoming a Sidemount diver? You have come to the right place as this post is all about the nitty-gritty of what is involved!
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.
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.
Sidemount diving is a great option, especially for those who are already tec divers. You will need to learn how to adjust your rig, how you can enter the water with it (yes, it is different, but it is more relaxed).
Even though the gear choice is important, the entry-level tech diver can learn to streamline their equipment to minimize drag and dangling items. This optimizes the profile of the diver's equipment for optimal propulsion and awareness.
SDI/TDIIncludes 2 open water divesMinimum 18 years, 15 years with parental consentMust have an SDI Open Water Diver or the equivalent
Sidemount diving originated in cave diving, but it has made its way to recreational and non-overhead diving in recent years. You will now wear your tanks side-by-side, instead of having one or two tanks attached to your back. You can attach the tanks to your Sidemount BCD using clips or bungee cords. This allows for extreme flexibility. This flexibility was initially what allowed cave divers to remove their tanks underwater in order to fit into narrow spaces and make their profile smaller.
Technical divers explore reefs and wrecks at depths below the 40 meter/130-foot recreational limit. With specialized training, they can explore underwater caves and other places well beyond the reach of mainstream recreational diving.
Additionally, sidemount diving has become wildly popular even for open water diving. Why? It is because sidemount diving can be very relaxing and simple to learn.
The popularity of sidemount diving continues to grow, even when it is open-water. Why? Sidemount diving is very simple and comfortable.
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.