Tec Sidemount Diving Phuket - PADI & TDI Courses

Tec Sidemount Course Options

The TDI Sidemount course and the PADI Tec Sidemount course are both excellent options for learning to dive with sidemount equipment while also learning all the basic skills essential for further technical diving courses, such as for decompression diving.

However, there are a few differences between the courses both in prerequisites and also skill performance requirements.

It's also worth noting that it doesn't really matter if you're already SDI, TDI or PADI certified, so long as you meet the requirements to start either of the courses - an SDI diver could take the PADI course or a PADI diver could take the TDI course - what really matters the most is meeting the performance requirements.

TDI Sidemount Course

Duration: 1 Day class/pool + 2 Days boat
Price: 23,900 Baht (Tech Dive Asia)
Course dives: 6 (minimum 3)
Minimum Requirements:
• Age 18
• SDI Open Water Diver / equivalent
Doctor's certificate required if medical issues

PADI Tec Sidemount Course

Duration: 1 Day class/pool + 2 Days boat
Price: 21,900 Baht (Love Diving Phuket)
Course dives: 6 (minimum 5)
Minimum Requirements:
• Age 18
• PADI Advanced Open Water / equivalent
• 30 open water dives logged
Doctor's certificate required for PADI Tec courses

TDI & PADI Tec Sidemount Course Skills

Core Skills Include:

• Tec Sidemount Equipment Preparation
• Detailed dive planning
• Predive checks / procedures
• Entries & exits in sidemount gear
• Surface buoyancy & weight checks
• Safety drills & visual checks
• Regulator recovery & exchange
• Mask removal, replacement & clearing
• Hovering & refining buoyancy / trim
• Using multiple finning techniques
• Managing multiple tanks & gases
• Valve shutdown procedures/drills
• Out of gas / gas sharing procedures
• DSMB deployment
• DSMB & controlled free ascents
• Good buoyancy & trim throughout
• Problem management & procedures
• Buddy/team awareness & communication
• Switching of gases (for simulated deco) is required in PADI Tec Sidemount. Gas switching in TDI Sidemount is required to be done both with & without a mask.

Please Note:
All dives are no-decompression / no-stop dives. Additional training is required for actual decompression diving.

TDI Sidemount Course Difference

The inclusion of an extra cylinder (for deco / staging) is optional, however I would always include this and the skills required to use it, for a more complete technical diving experience.

Keeping in mind that this course may be the first time diving in sidemount, the single additional cylinder isn't too task loading, when introduced progressively, and is excellent preparation for going onto the TDI Advanced Nitrox and / or Decompression Procedures courses.

Introducing a 2nd deco cylinder would naturally occur duirng a TDI Extended Range course, after having gained more tec sidemount experience on the previous courses.

PADI Tec Sidemount Course Difference

The inclusion and use of 2 extra cylinders (for deco / staging) is mandatory, along with the skills required to use them.

Although skill development progressively works towards diving with and using a minimum of 4 cylinders it is quite task loading and more physically demanding, sometimes requiring an additional day of diving to meet performance requirements.

Although being able to manage 4 cylinders is great preparation for a future PADI Tec 50 course, after learning to dive on sidemount, probably the next technical diving course would be PADI Tec 40, where only 1 deco cylinder may be required.

After that, the PADI Tec 45 course also requires only 1 deco cyclinder - a 2nd deco cylinder not being required until the PADI Tec 50 course, having previously gained much more tec sidemount diving experience.