Sidemount Speciality

Why do this course..?

Benefits for the recreational diver are;

• This course acts as a great "intro to technical diving" course.
• It is an easy start to diving with more than one cylinder.
• Course stays within the recreational diving limits.
• Only additional sidemounting skills are learn't, so no mask swims and other advanced tec skills are left for further technical courses (see course skills list below).
• Also see benefits to the technical diver as some apply to the recreational diver.

Benefits for the technical diver are;

• Enables access to dive sites that taking a backmounted twinset is either difficult or impossible.
• Your cylinders are put on and taken off in water so no more straining your back and body.
• A system that offers a "true" redundant and independent air source (without carrying additional cylinders).
• Having the cylinders at your side enables betters trim and buoyancy control (than with a twinset).
• Now means easy access to your cylinder valves should a problem arise (fixes the can not reach behind the head problem).
• Same equipment is used during more advanced advanced technical training e.g. "wreck penetration" and cave diving in "restrictions".
• Having this specialty enables you to take further training using sidemount equipment.

Skills learn't during this course;

• Don and doff their sidemount cylinders whilst in the water.
• Conduct a buoyancy check at the surface.
• Demonstrate equipment matching exercise and dive plan review (prior to descent).
• Donor and receiver to an out of air diver.
• Switch regulators to keep gas balanced in their independent cylinders.
• Neutral buoyancy swimming using various finning techniques (frog, modified flutter and shuffle kick).
• Demonstrate helicopter turn (while maintaining neutral buoyancy).
• Demonstrate static neutral buoyancy for 1 minute.
• Valve shutdowns exercise combined with gas switches (safety drill).
• Demonstrate removal and replacement of all non-life support equipment whilst underwater.
• Demonstrate sidemount cylinder band failure procedures whilst underwater.
• Simulate a regulator free flow and breathe from regulator using (valve fluttering).
• Maintain the correct trim of the sidemount cylinders (especially when buoyant).
• Sidemount bungee failure, replace with spare.
• Demonstrate SMB deployment and maintain a safety stop for 3 minutes.