Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training Quick Guide

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Sidemount PCB Staging: This is where the diver puts in cylinders with tanks straps, clips, bungee, and special valves (left or right-handed). Sidemount configuration refers to the use of sidemount configurations (bungee loops or buttplate rails), which allows the diver to store stage/deco cylinders against the sides of his/her torso.

Sidemount is not something you'll be doing during cave diving training. Instead, you should look at our CDS Basics Orientation Course.

Sidemount PCB diving is now growing in popularity within the technical diving community for general decompression diving and is becoming an increasingly popular specialty training for recreational diving, with several diver certification agencies offering recreational and technical level sidemount training programs

Students

You may be eligible for certifications from other diving organizations - check with your Tec Sidemount PCB Instructor.

This course (Intro to Tech) introduces recreational divers to the rigors and discipline of technical diving, and is a great preparatory course if you are considering specific technical diver training, such as cave or decompression diving, or are interested in streamlining your equipment configuration for maximum efficiency. Learn about dive planning, physics and physiology, decompression, decompression associated with technical diving, buoyancy control, and side-mount configuration. The NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration (NTEC) training is also part of the NAUI Intro to Tech course.

Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training Quick Guide
Students
Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training International

Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training International

You should not use sidemount in your cave diver training. Our CDS Basics Orientation class is what you need.

You can enroll in Tec Sidemount PCB Diver courses if you are at least 18 years of age and have logged at least 30 dives. You should also hold a PADI Enriched Diver certification.

Twinset

If you will not be using sidemount during your cave diver training, what you should be looking at is our CDS Basics Orientation course.

The shift from sidemounting to backmounted doubles has been one of the biggest changes in equipment cave divers have seen since the turn of the century. A large number of cave divers sidemount. Additionally, there may be more sidemount cave divers than open-circuit backmount cave divers.

Certification Requirements
Certification Requirements

You can immediately get the PADI Sidemount PB Diver manual and the Tec Sidemount PB Diver manual from your local PADI Dive Shop. You'll only need Chapters Two through Three if you are a recreational sidemount diver. If not, you can read the whole manual.

Certification cards: We issue these only when earned. Simply taking part in a course does not guarantee certification. For cave courses, certification cards from multiple training agencies may be available. C-cards generally cost around $30 each, depending on agency. Your instructor can tell you more.

Technical Sidemount Scuba Dive Training Requirements

Make sure you understand what you're buying: Prices include instruction as well as eLearning fees. Remember that eLearning fees can run anywhere from $140 - $280. For example, a $640 course offered by us may be equivalent to a $500 course provided you pay separately for elearning.

Sidemount PCB Diving developed from cave diving in the early decades. Lamar Hires, an explorer, was the first to use multiple tanks to reach places where back mounted divers were unable to. As the sport developed, sidemount PCB diving has become one the fastest growing segments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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).

You must be a PADI Open Water Diver to enroll in the PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver course, but you must also be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver to become a PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver. Have at least 30 dives under your belt.

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.