Sidemount Decompression Procedures Diver teaches staged decompression to 45 m / 150 ft while wearing independent cylinders at your hips. TDI Decompression Procedures trains planned deco dives with gas switches, SMB deployment and team protocols; sidemount adds valve access and cylinder management complexity you must execute while holding stops. You are committing to schedules you cannot ignore on the way home.
Combined TDI programmes may integrate Sidemount, Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures with eight dives minimum when prerequisites are met. RAID and IANTD mirror similar outcomes with their own standards documents. Deco obligation changes the stakes: you cannot simply ascend to the surface if something goes wrong. Instructors drill that mindset until it feels routine. That is the point. Long hangs in UK quarries build real tolerance for cold stops early, which is useful even if it is not glamorous.
Arrive with solid technical sidemount skills and nitrox foundation. Leave a comment when you book with logbook depth range and prior deco experience if any.
Sidemount Decompression Procedures is assessed through continuous instructor evaluation on planning and in-water execution. TDI includes a written examination for Decompression Procedures.
Quick answers about this qualification. For anything else, use live chat or browse bookable activities below.
Find activitiesIt qualifies you to conduct planned staged decompression dives in sidemount configuration, typically to 45 m / 150 ft on TDI pathways, with appropriate decompression gases and team procedures.
It merges configuration skill with decompression obligation, not just deeper no-stop diving.
Advanced Diver or equivalent, 25 logged dives for TDI, plus competent sidemount skills. Advanced nitrox training is expected on most integrated pathways.
Leave a comment when you book with certification history and deepest recent dives for centre review.
TDI Decompression Procedures requires four open water dives with two deeper than 30 m. Combined sidemount, Advanced Nitrox and Deco programmes may require eight dives total.
Centres add dives when skills need polish. That is normal on first deco courses.
Typically two to four days of theory, workshops and open water dives. Cold UK quarries and boat logistics often extend the calendar.
Build spare days after your last training dive for surface intervals before flying.
Some centres teach sidemount and decompression together, but starting both at once increases task loading sharply.
Technical Sidemount Diver first is the smoother route for most divers.
Bottom gas within your certification plus nitrox or oxygen decompression mixes as taught. TDI permits enriched air and oxygen deco gases within your trained limits.
Helium bottom mixes belong on helitrox or trimix courses, not standard deco procedures alone.
TDI Decompression Procedures includes a written examination you must satisfy alongside in-water performance. Planning exercises reinforce the theory.
Complete eLearning before arrival when offered so wet days focus on stops and switches.
Gas planning and stop discipline are similar; sidemount changes how you manage valves, stages and buoyancy shift as cylinders drain.
Pick the configuration you will actually dive after certification. Cross-training later is possible with time and coaching.
Progress toward Sidemount Helitrox, Helitrox Diver on twins, or Sidemount Trimix after logged deco experience.
Build shallow repetitive deco dives before chasing maximum depth on every outing.
Multi-gas computer, wet notes, reliable mask and exposure suit for long stops. Centres rent sidemount harnesses and stage cylinders on many listings.
Confirm stage bottle count included in the course fee when you compare prices.
adventuro lists technical centres teaching sidemount decompression under TDI, RAID and IANTD. Compare boat access, gas blending on site and minimum logbook rules.
Leave a comment when you book with your deco and sidemount background so the centre confirms you meet entry standards.
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