Open Water Tech Sidemount

What will you learn?

Topics

• Gas matching procedures to include dissimilar volumes.
• Gas management utilizing independent cylinders.
• Psychological considerations.
• Equipment considerations.
• Proper communication.
• Problem solving.
  • Gas-sharing.
  • Gas hemorrhages.
  • Light failure.
  • Loss of visibility.
  • Entanglement.
  • Self rescue.
• Tight spaces.
• Conservation.
• Difficult water entries.
• S-Drills; specific to sidemount.

Pre-dive drills

• Use START before every dive *START is an acronym for S-drill (Out of Gas drill and Bubble Check), Team (buddy equipment checks), Air (gas matching), Route (entry/exit and planned path underwater, Tables (depth, duration, waypoints and schedule).
• Stress analysis and mitigation.

Water skills:

• Demonstrate various propulsion techniques: frog kick, modified frog kick, modified flutter kick, backwards kick, helicopter turns, and hand pulling if appropriate for the environment.
• Demonstrate adequate buoyancy control; ability to hover at fixed position in water column without moving hands or feet.
• Demonstrate adequate trim; ability to maintain proper position during the descent, bottom and ascent portion of the dive.
• Demonstrate the ability to perform the following exercises while maintaining trim and buoyancy in the water column:
  • Unclipping and attaching sidemount cylinders.
  • Perform gas switches with and without a mask.

Included throughout the course:

• Private instructor.
• Classroom sessions.
• Transport to the cenotes or boat from the shop.
• Single, CCR, Sidemount and Doubles tanks.
• Weights.
• EAN 32 fills.
• Certification card.
• Water and snacks.

Not included:

• Cenote entrance fee (x day between US$ 10 15).
• Diving gear
• Manual or elearning.
• Nitrox or Helium mixtures.
• Lunch.
• Diving insurance.

Servicios Adicionales

• Equipment rental and/or sale
• Diving gear
  • Rental US$ 5 each x day (Wetsuit, Mask, Boots, Fins)
• GASES Example
  • EAN 50, 80 CUF. US$ 21 por tanque
  • O2 100% 13 CUF. US$ 25 por tanque
  • Trimix 21/35 80 CUF. US$ 85 por tanque
• Cave Equipment
  • Sidemount Harness (Rental US$ 20 x day).
  • Sidemount Regulator Set (Rental US$ 25 x day).
  • Twinset Wing / Backplate (Rental US$ 20 x day).
  • Twinset Regulator Set (Rental US$ 25 x day).
  • Stage Regulator and Rig ( US$ 15 x day).
  • Cave Primary Light (US$ 20 x day).
  • Backup Light (US$ 5 usd x day).
• Scrubber
  • EAC Cartridge US$ 85 (4-5 hours scrubber approx.)
  • Sofnolime 8 – 12 US$ 12 x lb.

Important Information:

Plan carfully your trip to minimize your enviromental impact, please avoid sunscreen / mosquito repellent or other skin products for all water activities. Whenever possible, choose rechargable batteries and aviod to carring things like disposable razors, plastic bags, plastic water bottels, etc. We are in a very fragil and pristine enviroment and is our responsability to keep it that way.

We will do our best to improve your skills and knowledge, also we will set the best training plan according to the skills and experience of each diver to help them to succeed in the course but consider sometimes we need extra days to achieve the goals with a classroom or water sessions and we apply extra rate if is necessary. We strongly recommend to the students plan at least two extra days just in case.

Notes:

Please bring change of clothes & towels for cenote training days.

All courses are available in English or Spanish.