Cave Diving (Sidemount)

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.

Exploring an indoor environment, such as a cavern or large wreck, is an exciting activity. However, getting traditional diving equipment through the confined spaces of these areas can be a challenge. By improving hydrodynamics with a sidemount configuration, adventurous divers can explore the tightest of spaces. The Extended Range Sidemount program teaches you how to use the sidemount configuration, as well as techniques for using the various stage cylinders effectively during decompression diving with this type of configuration. Upon completion of this program, you will earn SSI's Extended Range Sidemount certification, which will allow you to apply the Sidemount configuration to all other Extended Range programs.

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. Be prepared 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.