Who is this course is for:
- The certified diver looking to use a sidemount cylinder instead of the standard back mount unit.
Course prerequisites:
- Open Water Diver or equivalent
- Minimum age 15.
What you can expect to learn:
The Sidemount Diver Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:
- Gas management utilizing independent cylinders
- Equipment considerations
- Cylinder options
- Regulator options
- Buoyancy compensator device (BCD)/harness options
- Proper weighting
- Equipment configurations
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Gas-sharing
- Gas hemorrhages
- Water entries
- S-Drills (specific to sidemount)
Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:
- Dive planning
- Test and check all equipment (depth gauges, bottom timers/watches and computers)
- Familiarization with area
- Descend to planed depth and not exceed any pre-planned limits
- Demonstrate the ability to safely manage gas in independent cylinders
- Monitor depth/time/air consumption, figure all times on slate
- Demonstrate ability to control buoyancy
- Attaching sidemount cylinders while
- Out of water
- On surface standing on bottom
- On surface in water to deep to stand
- At depth
- Perform gas switches
- Perform safety stops
What’s in it for you?
Upon successful completion of this course, Students may engage in sidemount diving activities without direct supervision, provided the following limits are adhered to:
- Safety stops as appropriate
- Planned dives do not exceed diver’s current certification level
Also get credit for your first Sidemount Dive as an Adventure dive towards your PADI Advanced Open Water Course
Sidemount Diver minimum requirements:
- Perform all land drills and open water dive requirements safely and efficiently
- Demonstrate mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
- Log all dives
How does the course run:
Package 1 (highly recommended)
- Day 1 - Equipment workshops, theory, surface drills and confined dive.
- Day 2 - Theory, skills training dive 1, 2 and 3.
- Day 3 - Open water dives 1 and 2 (skills assessments)
Package 2
- Day 1 - Theory, surface drills, skills training dive 1, 2 and 3.
- Day 2 - Open water dives 1 and 2 (skills assessments)
