You will also learn how to use Sidemount regulators. Usually, you will have one regulator on a long hose as well as one regulator on a short hose with a necklace. Unlike your normal regs, Sidemount regs are also marked so you can easily distinguish which tank you are breathing from. During my training, this included a swivel joint for my short hose regulator. In addition, you will have 2 SPGs – one for each first stage.
Sidemount divers generally use two tanks. But you can use one tank, (I was told it's called monkey), or two tanks for deco dives.
The next day, technical sidemount was underway. This meant adding our deco 50 percent oxygen and 100% oxygen tanks on either end. The tanks will make you appear more prominent underwater. Each side of your waist has a few clips. As your tanks become buoyant from the air you exhale, adjust your tank to the second clip. You want to make your life as simple as possible. In a matter of minutes, your breathing is switched between the tanks. You can breathe easily because the pressure in each tanks is equal. Like all new things, experience is crucial to comfort and enjoyment. The following days I spent deco diving with the sidemount rig. My buddy David Joyce, Evolution co-owner and Trimix instructor, was with me. We went to the Japanese Mogami Japanese Mogami shipwreck at 164 feet. There, I was charmed and enthralled by the remnants of gas masks, uniforms, bones, and other old items we saw.
Technical diving is fun, but not for those who want to dive deeper. Cave and decompression diving carry a greater risk. Dive planning and training are key to reducing this risk. These divers are held to a higher standard. To become a skilled diver, it will take practice. It is not possible to replace the time spent in water, no matter how much research you do. Divers will see that minimum standards are often exceeded by instructors during training courses. Technical training teaches diver redundancy. This allows problems to be solved at 1500ft in a cave, and then an exit can be made to the surface. Although it sounds scary and complicated, this is an essential aspect of diving in such an environment. Technical training is challenging, but also fun. The diver will have a golden ticket that opens up new areas of the world.
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.
You may also be interested in the PADI tec Sidemount Diving Course.
How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver PositionDifferent depths require the use of different gas mixes. The maximum partial pressure of oxygen a diver wants to dive at is 1.4 which is reached on air at 56m. Due to the water pressure the pressure of each individual gas increases and therefore we need to use appropriate mixes if we choose to go deeper. In general, the more oxygen a gas mix has the less deep we can go. A tech diver will use low oxygen mixes at depth and high oxygen mixes coming up shallower to off-gas Nitrogen faster and decrease the mandatory decompression time overall.
Sidemount diving can be fun, especially if your are a tec diver. Learn how to adjust your rig and how to get in the water with it.
Gear - While all gear is identical, divers in their introductory tech classes (Intro To Tech, Sidemount and CCR Air diluent), will notice some fundamental differences in their configurations. Instead of being split into 2 stages on a single cylinder, the second stages are divided up between two with a separate stage on each. Gas planning becomes more complex and the harnesses are more chrome.
Sidemount Diver Specialty can count towards Advanced Open Water Diver certification. Talk to your instructor about earning credit.
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.
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.
Despite the gear choice the entry level tech diver will be taught to streamline their equipment to prevent dangling items and drag. This ensures a maximized profile for efficient propulsion and awareness.
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).