Sidemount Diving Course: ELEARNING & Dives
$139.95 for RAID or SDI eLearning & $550.00 for class & 2 dives. Classroom is intensive and the SDI 2 dive crash course is not recommended; unless seeing if sidemount is for you. I own an array of rigs to “try”; but I highly advise we discuss buying your own; each rig must be fit to your body, or it won’t dive right.
TDI 4 dives $800.00. Prerequisite of kicking techniques class. Extra charge for fitting and assembling online bought rigs; I have a list of local dealers I support. Sidemount is gear intensive and without allowing proper classroom time in advance, 2 days is not enough. 2 days is already a crash course. I recommend more days, charged at $300/day each additional.
There are so many reasons why Sidemount is the way to go. Whether your interests lie in cave diving, technical diving, or you just want a redundant air source, Sidemount diving is the next biggest thing to hit scuba.
I’ve studied with some of the best sidemount innovators on the planet in both Fl and Mexican cave countries. I’ve spent time learning the best ways to trim out steel tanks and how to adapt rigs to keep Al tanks trim as the buoyancy characteristics change during a dive. I’ll show you different ways to route hoses and SPGs and help you personalize your style. There are many choices in sidemount as long as you stay trim and streamlined.
In my class we cover using both steel and Al tanks and discuss the benefits of each. I have studied the “Why’s and How’s” of the SMS 75 with the creator of the rig. I have also studied the and dove X Deep with the creator of that rig. I use both of these units on various rebreathers, off boats, in caves, one-mounting, and multi-stage. There is a clean way to sling bottles, with careful consideration to each unique rig. Not all rigs were meant to work well with Als, and some can’t float steels. Let’s find the right tool developed for your job.
Books:
Study your life support system. On top of the RAID or SDI/TDI materials (cheaper through me than online; I include c card fees), TDI version s/m students are required to read both Jill Heinerth/Brian Kakuk’s book (found online) as well as the PSAI book (I have in stock, from Cave Adventurers). I will not book water day until you put in the time do some reading to prep for a classroom session.