TDI Cave Sidemount Diver

TDI Cave Sidemount Diver

This course is designed to teach certified cave divers how to safely utilize side-mounted primary
cylinders as an alternative to the traditional back-mounted configuration.

Qualifications of Graduates:

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in sidemount cave diving
activities without direct supervision so long as the following limits are adhered to:

• Penetration is limited to the (1/3) air rule
• Forty (40) msw / one hundred thirty (130) fsw maximum depth.
• Safety and decompression stops as appropriate or necessary.
• Maintain a continuous guideline.
• Proper cave diving equipment is used.
• Planned dives do not exceed diver’s current certification level.

Course prerequisites:

• Be a minimum age of eighteen (18).
• Have a minimum certification of TDI Full Cave Diver or equivalent.

Course Structure and Duration:

Open Water Execution

• Three (3) cave dives are required with a minimum accumulated bottom time of ninety (90)
  minutes.

Course Structure

• TDI allows instructors to structure courses according to the number of students participating
  and their skill level.

Duration

• The suggested number of classroom and briefing hours is four (4).
• Course must be taught over a minimum of two (2) days.

Equipment:

The following material is required:

• Instructors may use any text or materials that they feel help present these topics.

The following equipment is required for each student:

•  Dual cylinders, volume appropriate for planned dive, and student gas consumption.
• Two independent first and second stage regulators each with a submersible pressure gauge.
• Buoyancy compensator with power inflator appropriate for sidemount configuration.
• Exposure suit adequate for diving environment.
• Mask and fins.
• Two (2) line cutting devices.
• Three (3) battery powered lights – one (1) primary and two (2) back-ups, each with a burn
  time suitable for the planned dive time.
• Safety reel with a recommended minimum of thirty meters / one hundred (100) feet of
  guideline.
• One (1) primary cave-diving reel per team with length appropriate for intended dive.
• Dive computer and additional depth and timing device (backup computer recommended).
• A minimum of three (3) directional markers.
• A minimum of three (3) non-directional markers.
• Appropriate number of jump and gap reels containing an appropriate amount of guideline.

Required Skill Performance and Graduation Requirements

The following land drills must be covered during this course:

• Land drills may be performed at the instructor’s discretion.

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

The student must perform the following in-water skills during cave dives:

• Demonstrate no-silting 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:
  A. Unclipping and attaching sidemount cylinders.
  B. Perform gas switches with and without a mask.
• Demonstrate the ability to safely manage gas in independent cylinders.
• Demonstrate conservation, awareness, and back referencing techniques

Pricing: