Cave Diving (Sidemount)

As a Nitrox Diver, you'll be able to increase your bottom times and safety margins and reduce surface intervals, so you can spend more time diving and less time waiting. In this program you will learn new skills and increase your dive knowledge. In addition, you will learn how to plan and safely dive with enriched air mixtures of up to 40% oxygen. Upon completion, you'll earn your SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 32% or 40% certification.

In this sidemount diving course, you will learn everything you need to dive with a one or two tank sidemount to a maximum depth of 30 meters or to your certification depth, whichever is greater. Sidemount diving is a very common practice among many wreck, mine and cave divers, but the advantages for more recreational divers are now being discovered. By not carrying a heavy tank on your back, you will feel more comfortable in the water and see your hydrodynamics and horizontal trim position improve effortlessly. By using less energy, you can reduce your air consumption, so you can make better use of your dive time. By improving buoyancy control, valve access and redundancy, sidemount diving offers you more safety and peace of mind. This is the best sidemount diving course to discover and enjoy the attractive advantages of this style of diving. You will learn all the skills and knowledge you need to dive safely and comfortably with a sidemount equipment configuration of one or two tanks.

The SSI Cavern Diving (Extended Range) course introduces you to the fascinating world of cavern diving. You will learn to explore covered spaces safely, always within the area illuminated by sunlight and without losing the reference of the exit. You will be able to dive up to 30 meters deep, using specific protocols, adapted equipment and techniques of displacement in more technical environments. It is the ideal entry point if you are attracted to cenotes, caves and subway structures.

In the SSI Full Cave Diving program you will learn advanced navigation techniques and how to manage a traverse, a jump, a bifurcation and a hole in a cave system. Advanced cave dives require a high technical level and will take you to incredible dive sites around the world. Get ready to dive the deepest caverns in the world and learn the procedures to follow if a line is lost, a diver is misplaced or if you are short of gas. The Full Cave Diving program is SSI's highest level of indoor environment certification and provides all the tools necessary to explore underwater caverns around the world with a total XR dive system with sidemount, bibottle or rebreather.

The Divemaster program is the first step on an exciting journey. Earn the respect of your dive buddies and become an ambassador for diving by taking the Divemaster program. All you need to get started is 40 logged/verified dives and certifications in Deep Diving, Navigation, Night & Limited Visibility or at least 5 logged/verified dives of experience in each area plus Diver Stress & Rescue. You will receive the Dive Guide certification upon successful completion of the Divemaster program. When your interest is to turn your passion into a profession by guiding certified divers, teaching Ecology programs, assisting instructors or even becoming an instructor yourself, your next step is the Divemaster upgrade with a minimum of 60 logged/verified dives. Upgrade to Divemaster immediately or at any time thereafter by studying the Science of Diving materials on your own and passing the Digital Final Exam that makes you an SSI professional. There are thousands of job opportunities worldwide for the next generation of highly qualified divers.

The SSI Extended Range Trimix training program is the core program that all other open-circuit programs build on. This program is the start of your exciting journey to become an accomplished tech diver. Using either a sidemount or twinset configuration, this program prepares you to plan and conduct trimix decompression dives to a maximum depth of 45 meters. You will learn the techniques and procedures for using trimix breathing gases and nitrox mixtures of up to 100% oxygen for decompression. You will earn the SSI Extended Range Trimix diver certification after completing this program and gain new tech diver knowledge.

Exploring overhead environments like caves and wrecks is an exciting endeavor. However, squeezing traditional dive equipment into the tight spaces found within these areas can be challenging. Improving your diver trim and streamlining by using a sidemount configuration allows you to explore more constricted places than ever before. The Extended Range Sidemount program trains you to dive in a sidemount configuration, and the techniques required to use multiple stage cylinders carried for decompression diving efficiently and effectively. You will earn the SSI Extended Range Sidemount certification after completing this program and can then apply that configuration to all other extended range programs.