A way to further develop your sidemounting skills. Develop skills to safely enter the wrecks overhead environment (more safety with side mount equipment). Gain access to areas you can not safely get into with a twinset (backmount equipment). Wreck penetration dives interest you and you have no interest in taking a cave diving course. The only PADI TecRec advanced wreck sidemount course.What do I need to start?
Below is a list of the equipment you require for this course, I may be able to provide the equipment for you. If you have your own I can help you customise it to get the most from it and the course. The major piece you are unlikely to have is the Sidemount Harness and BCD system this can be provided for you during your course. Please visit my equipment page for details on the sidemount equipment available currently (see here):- Mask, Fins & Suitable Exposure Protection (including hood and gloves)
- 2 Single Cylinders (minimum size 10 liters or 70cf)
- 1 Stage Cylinder with suitable Regulators
- 2 Primary Regulators and 1st Stages
- 1.5 to 2m long regulator hose (recommend Miflex)
- Sidemount Harness & Tec BCD (dual bladder BCD required if using a wetsuit)
- Dive Tables, Depth Guage & x2 Dive Timers (or Dive Computers)
- Divers Tool or Knife
- Slate with Pencil
- Two Surface Signaling Devices (whistle & SMB or signal mirror)
- 1 Suitable Primary Reel (100m)
- 1 Suitable Safety Reel (30 or 50m)
- SMB & Lift Bag
- Compass
- Backup Mask
- 1 Primary Light (burn time must last dive duration)
- 2 Backup Lights
- 2 Line Cutting Devices
- Helmet for light mounting (recommended)
- Multi Pouch Or Pocket
- Redundancy Equipment (spare bungee, 2 double ended bolt snaps, cable ties and mouthpiece)
What will I do?
Skills learn't during this course:- Setup their sidemount equipment so it is suitable for overhead diving.
- Equipment matching exercise (on surface).
- Safety drill with another team member (S-Drill).
- Staging techniques for cylinders outside wreck.
- Keep their gas balanced in their independent cylinders (maintaining trim and 1/3 of gas).
- Line course following maintaining team contact.
- Removal and replacement of mask while maintaining contact with the guideline.
- Suitable finning techniques for diving in an overhead environment.
- Correct hand and light signals.
- Valve shutdowns exercise whilst maintaining contact with the guideline.
- Sidemount partial and full cylinder removal techniques for entering restrictions.
- Air Share to an out of air diver in confined space.
- Simulate a failed free flowing regulator and use valve fluttering technique.
- Lay line suitable for wreck penetration (including required tie offs)
- Line course following while air sharing whilst in a restriction (touch communication).
- Line course following without mask (using touch communication).
- Line course following without mask while air sharing (using touch communication).
- Suitable search techniques to find the guideline or a team member when contact is lost (include silt out procedures).
- Primary light failure and back up light deployment.
How long will it take?
Course duration - 4/5 days with classroom, practical workshops, training dive & 6 wreck penetration dives.Day 1 - Classroom theory, equipment workshop, surface line laying skills and drills.
Day 2 - Skills training dive (includes video demonstrations of skills).
Day 3 - Wreck penetration dives 1 & 2. (various skills from training dive to be repeated during all dives)
Day 4 - Wreck penetration dives 3 & 4.
Day 5 - Wreck penetration dives 5 & 6.
Please note: A 5 day program is recommended if you like either a more relaxed training program or just more time to develop and practice skills. It may be possible to do this over 4 days, depending on divers skills level using sidemount equipment configuration.
All courses are performance based not based on time. On a 4 day schedule you will start at 8am till approx 6pm (9 hours training with 1 hours break), on a 5 day schedule we may have a more relaxed time frame 9am till 4pm (7 hours with 1 hour break). The schedule is flexible and can be customised before each course start.
What will I need?
You need to be; DSAT Tec 50 Diver, PADI Wreck Diver Specialty (or equivalent rating), Open Water Sidemount Diver - twin cylinder (or equivalent rating), 5 logged dives in sidemount and minimum 18 years old.Where can I go from here?
You can safely conduct wreck penetration dives within your certification and personal diving limits. After this course you will feel very comfortable continuing onto a cave diving course, as many of the skills and drills you have learned during this course are the same used in cave training.
