I'm not certain when or why I decided on Sidemount. As with many of my diving choices, it was likely a case of "oh that looks cool, could prove useful", so I decided to take the Sidemount course. It would be a useful certification that I could build on in the future. Sidemount would allow me to dive in caves, something I always wanted.
Decompression divers can use all sorts of oxygen mixtures to extend their time looking at reefs and wrecks on the sea floor. While the sport diver may only have two 15-minute bottom time dives at 100ft, the decompression diver is able to cruise for up 60 minutes. This allows them to get the most bang possible.
Technical diving is on the rise and Girls That Scuba HQ was quick to notice it! There were many questions to be answered and nerves to overcome so we decided to seek out Theresia, an Asian tech instructor. She is currently working at Blue Marlin Gili T, Lombok. She provided an introduction course in twin sets, and allowed us to dive into technical diving. Here's her lesson:
So what are you waiting? Find a TDI instructor near you today: https://www.tdisdi.com/search/?area=instructors
I will admit my Sidemount Diver course was probably one of the most challenging courses I have ever done. Mind you, this was mainly because my trusted dive center in Koh Tao, Big Blue Tech, and my instructor Fiona included a lot more skills and dives as part of my course than required. While always making sure that my task load was manageable we practiced skills over and over again and included things like mask removable, tank removable underwater, SMB deployment, out of air drills, and many more all while staying (or at least trying to) in perfect trim.
This course will teach you how to set up and operate the equipment that you will use in your training as a cave diver or tech diver. This includes:
Decompression divers employ oxygen mixtures of all kinds to extend their time looking at wrecks and reefs on the ocean floor. While the sport diver may get two 15 minute bottom time dives at 100ft the decompression diver can cruise around for 60 minutes or more, getting the most bang for their buck.
Next, it was time to do technical sidemount. This involves adding our deco 50-percent and 100-percent oxygen tanks on each side. You will have a higher profile underwater, so it is important to keep the tanks as close to your body as possible. There are two clips at each side of the waist. You adjust the tank position by inhaling down your tanks. This is where simplicity is key. You also need to switch between tanks every few minutes. This ensures that the pressure in each tank is at the same level, so even if one tank or regulator fails, there will still be gas for you to breathe. Building up experience is the key to comfort, enjoyment and success with new technologies. The next few days were spent doing sidemount dives, budding up with Evolution coowner David Joyce, a highly experienced Tec diver and Trimix instructor. One dive took us to the Japanese Mogami Wreck at 164 feet. I was captivated by the old gas masks, uniforms, and bones that we found.
There are three parts of certification: knowledge, skill practice, and open water diving. You can either complete them all locally, while on holiday, or divide them.
A Twinset diver will always be able to access to both tanks from one single regulator as long as the manifold, or the connection between both tanks is open. To carry a twinset for a smaller person might be a challenge on land. It is quite heavy and sidemounted tanks can be carried individually which sometimes makes it easier to access remote areas or steep slopes to access the water.
Being a technical diver requires a lot of training, experience, and passion. The added risks of technical diving are not worth the risk if any one of these is missing.
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.
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.