Conducting Practical Skills Sidemount

S-drill/Pre-dive safety check

On the surface the drill should be conducted as follows:

  • Check that the 210 cm long low-pressure hose to the second stage from the right cylinder is free and goes behind the drysuit hose, to ensure possibility for proper gas sharing. While doing this put the short low-pressure second stage from you left cylinder in your mouth to check for operation. At least one other team member should verify the deployment. Check that the longhose does not prevent you from being able to turn your head in both directions.
  • Check that all valves are fully open. This is done by team members on each other. The drysuit inflation tank should be controlled as well if used.
  • Bubble check should be conducted by the diver as a part of the s-drill. Valves and first stages are immersed under the water surface so that it becomes easier to see if any bubbles originate from the valves or the first stages. If any gas leaks are discovered, they must be fixed before continuing the dive. A dive must never start with loss of gas that leaks out. If drysuit inflation bottle is used it should also be checked for leakage.
  • Check that all second stages are water-tight. Breath in all second stages under the water surface to be sure they do not deliver any water. During this check, the secondary second stage hanging in the necklace around the neck must also be verified. When extra tanks for bottom gas or decompression gas are used they should also be checked. This can be done in the boat/before the dive by inhaling hard through the second stages mounted on the tanks not pressurized with closed valves.
  • Turn your light on before the descent to make sure that light communication is possible.
  • S-drill/safety check in high sea can be conducted at the depth of 6-9 meters without adding to the bottom time. The procedures are the same as on the surface, but the checks are done in horizontal trim with clear reference (e.g. descent line or other). The team must have very good contact with the reference – a dive aborted because of the lost reference is not acceptable.

Hand signals

The students should be trained in understanding and using the standardized hand signals in the right way at the right time.

  • Connected thumb and index finger for OK sign, both as a question and as an answer
  • Thumb up to abort the dive or to change depth during the ascent/decompression
  • Flickering palm of the hand to signal a problem
  • Vertical palm of the hand to signal the team to stop
  • Horizontal palm of the hand doing a circular movement to maintain current depth
  • Index finger pointed upwards and doing a circular movement to turn the dive according to the plan
  • Hand doing back-and-forth movement across the throat to indicate out-of-gas/share gas
  • To show time or amount 1-5, the palm of the hand should point outwards and finger point upwards
  • To show time or amount 6-10, the palm of the hand should point inwards and fingers to the side
  • When dealing with gas-related issues or skills pointing with hand indicates which cylinder

Valve drill / gas shut down

To pass the Extended Basic Skills course, students are required to perform a valve drill in less than three minutes and not ascending or descending more than one meter or changing direction in the water.

To pass the Technical Diver and Wreck Diver course, students are required to perform a valve drill in less than two minutes and not ascending or descending more than half a meter or changing direction in the water.

To pass the Extended Range Technical Diver course, students are required to perform a valve drill in less than one minute and not ascending or descending more than half a meter or changing direction in the water.

 

  • Close the left primary tank valve with your left hand. While doing so sweep with right hand across side of head to confirm regulator in use
  • Breathe the primary second stage empty while unclipping the second stage from the D-ring if not in use
  • Change to the secondary second stage
  • Open the left primary tank valve
  • Close the right tank valve with the right hand while locating the secondary second stage with your left hand
  • Breathe the secondary second stage empty
  • Change to the primary second stage
  • Open the left primary tank valve
  • Check that all valves are fully open

Procedures for handling a free flowing primary regulator

To pass the Extended Basic Skills course, students are required to perform a free flowing primary regulator drill in less than one minute and not ascending or descending more than one meter or changing direction in the water.

To pass the course levels higher than the Extended Basic Skills course, students are required to perform a free flowing primary regulator drill in less than thirty seconds and not ascending or descending more than half a meter or changing direction in the water.

  • Sweep with right hand across side of head to confirm regulator in use while signalling the team
  • Close appropriate tank while locating other second stage
  • Breathe the second stage empty
  • Switch regulator
  • If the free flow was the primary second stage, clip it onto the right chest D-ring

After approximately one minute an attempt should be made to open the primary right tank valve to see if the free flow stopped. If that is the case, the diver should change back to the primary second stage and make the team aware of that.

Procedures for handling a free flowing wing inflator

To pass the Extended Basic Skills course, students are required to perform a free flowing wing inflator drill in less than one minute and not ascending or descending more than one meter or changing direction in the water.

To pass the course levels higher than the Extended Basic Skills course, students are required to perform a free flowing wing inflator drill in less than thirty seconds and not ascending or descending more than half a meter or changing direction in the water.

  • Locate the dump valve on the wing with your left hand while signalling the team
  • Close the left primary tank valve with your left hand
  • Unattach the low-pressure hose from the wing inflator
  • Open the left primary right valve with your left hand

The student should not switch second stage during this skill.

To pass this skill the student must complete this skill with both primary and secondary regulator in mouth.

Procedures for handling low-on-gas situations

  • Signal about the problem to the team
  • Swim to the closest team member signalling “out-of-gas”
  • The gas donor sweeps his right hand to confirm regulator
  • If the donor has the left second stage in his mouth he grips the hose right next to the second stage with the palm of the hand pointed towards the face. If the donor has the right second stage in his mouth he unclips or use the breakaway to donate the left second stage
  • The out-of-gas diver accepts the second stage, empties it of water and starts to breath
  • The divers should now be facing each other
  • Check that the team did not lose references such as the line or the depth
  • If the team consists of three divers, the third diver should assist the others if needed
  • The donor’s 210 cm long low pressure hose should now be deployed fully
  • The out-of-gas diver clips his primary second stage onto the right chest D-ring
  • Since the dive now should be aborted, the diver who already is facing in the right direction keeps his position and the other diver positions him/herself so that the out-of-gas diver is in front or to the right of the gas donor
  • The deployed longhose should run straight without any coiling. If coils are detected, they should be fixed by the out-of-gas diver before continuing
  • Check that the team is gathered together and is ready to move