We offer high quality training in technical diving and cave diving in Playa del Carmen, all the Riviera Maya and in Yucatan, Mexico.
We strive to provide the best learning experience. The objective is to achieve the highest level and learn from each moment. Then by using what you learn you will improve your performance and the safety of your diving.
There is a minimum days required by standards for technical and cave diving training, but be aware that you will personnaly need to meet the diving standards.
All training is based on skills mastering. We do our best to share our experience and knowledge with you and ensure the efficiency of your training but technical or cave diving certification is not garanteed.
The Razor Side Mount Course allows you to experience the freedom and flexibility of diving Side Mount at its best.
The Razor Side Mount System was designed by expert divers and explorers Steve Bogaerts and HP Hartmann.
Many years of experience and many hours of side mount cave diving and exploration have led to the development of the Razor Side Mount System. And along with it appeared the necessity of developping a course program to be taught by experienced instructors comitted to high quality standards.
During the course you will learn proper adjustment of the harness, cylinder configuration, regulator configuration, proper weighting and weight distribution for the best trim, regulator switches with one hand, different propulsion techniques, equipment failures handling (bungee, bolt snap, tank clamps, bat wing, regulators, etc.) as well as other general sidemount skills adapted to the use of the Razor system.
Train with the best using years of experience shared with you through the Razor Side Mount course
But be aware… Once you go Side Mount, you never go back!!
Prerequisite:
Certified Advanced Open Water Diver
25 logged dives beyond training dives
Course has to be in your own Razor Side Mount System complete as some the skills are specific to the equipment
Course Duration:
4 days
6 dives
Why Razor? and why a Razor Side Mount course?
RAZOR SIDE MOUNT SYSTEM 2.5
When Steve Bogaerts and HP Hartmann come together to design from scratch a full set of gears and make it evolve to what it is today you can expect something really efficient and of high quality! And it really is!
Many years of experience and many hours of Side Mount Cave diving have led to the Razor Side Mount System and further on to the Razor Side Mount Course program.
And today we are really proud to be part of the team of Razor Instructors (Géraldine Solignac, Razor Side Mount Instructor) and to be able to share that knowledge with you and share as well all the fun that goes with it.
What you will learn?
Proper adjustment of the harness
Cylinder configuration
Regulator configuration
Proper weighting, weight distribution for the best trim
Regulator switches with two hands and one hand
Different propulsion techniques
Equipement failures (bungee, bolt snap, tank clamps, wing, regulator…)
Out of Air procedures
Why is the Razor Side Mount Course a bit longer than other Side Mount courses?
Because this is how long it takes to get a new side mount diver to master the skills the way they will be used your entire diver career and your Razor harness and wing will take all those steps with you.
You’ve been enjoying your diving and training, and you liked learning about diving? and now you want to go further? Here are the different courses that will follow…
Start with the basics of tec diving. Learn dive planning, new water skills, gear configuration and improve streamlining, buoyancy and propulsion techniques. If you are planning to go on with your Tec diving in Backmount configuration this course is a must to set the right bases.
Do you want to explore your first step to technical diving and with two tanks. This course is ideal for you to get familiar with the side mount configuration. If you are already a Tec diver you will apply your skills to Side Mount. And if have decided that Side Mount is your configuration for your Tec diving this course will set the base.
The Razor Side Mount course goes further than the basic Side Mount course. It covers all the basics for tech and cave diving and will be a great fundation for the following tech course. The Razor harness will follow you throughout your technical diving career.
A first approach to technical diving and the use of mixtures. And for those already Nitrox certified diver it is the opportunity to thoroughly review the basic principles and fundamental laws of physics used in diving.
You will learn the physics and physiology for diving with gas mixtures containing more than 40 % oxygen. This is the opportunity to further extend of your dive time without going into decompression limits.
Add helium to your diving. Go deeper, easier breathing, and reduce narcosis. It makes your diving a lot safer and opens a lot of possibilities down to 60m/200ft.
Congratulations! you reached the top level of Open circuit training. Use mix with less than 17% O2 and as deep as 100m/330ft. And be among the most elite divers.
Side Mount diving looks incredibly easy and confortable and yes it is! Side Mount configuration has many advantages when learned and configured properly.
It originates from cavers in the UK in need of a configuration that facilitates penetration of tight sections of cave. Additionally it allows easy access to the valves, provides easy and reliable gas redundancy, and tanks can be easily removed if needed. These benefits for diving in confined spaces.
Advantages of Side Mount Diving
More flexibility
More security
Better streamlining
Ideal for cave diving
Very safe and confortable for open water diving.
So make sure you get the right training from the start amd build up on the skills.
And make sure you practice, practice and practice some more!
What you will learn during the Side Mount diving course:
Gas management
Psychological considerations of technical diving
Equipment choice and configuration (Tank, Regulators, harness…)
Communication (light and hand signals)
Problem solving in a sidemount configuration (Air sharing…)
The basic course for tec divers wishing to learn a new configuration. If you wish a more in depth course in a Razor harness, with solid skills to build upon during cave diving or more advanced technical courses.
I spend a lot of time underwater and far into the jungle, out of phone signal and internet reach. In fact I am probably underwater somewhere in one of the amazing caves of Yucatan. I really do my best to give the best service possible and assure that we can offer the best dive experience. You probably come a long way for a very special holliday and we’ll garantee a very special experience. I personnaly answer all emails and deal with the organization… so please be patient, it’s worth it 🙂
Once you have completed Cavern Diver and Intro to Cave Diver, you are ready to engage in the for the final step of your cave diver course. During the Full Cave Diver training you will learn advanced cave dive planning and obviously in water execution. In particular, you will learn complex navigation techniques and how to always maintain a continuous guideline to the open water. Therefore you start to safely navigate from the mainline to the side passages. You will also pass restrictions and penetrate much deeper into the cave systems as you start managing the rule of thirds.
The 4 days program (5 if the course is taken as a standalone) consists of 8 cave dives and many hours underwater in the caves. You start performing, jumps, gaps, traverses and circuits. Most of the training now focuses on time in the water which is the best way to learn and practice new techniques.
The cavern diver course is your first step in overhead environment diving. Through this course, you will build up the skills to dive safely within the natural daylight and a short distance from the exit. Not only you will learn about proper planning, procedures and techniques for cavern diving but also about the hazards and how to deal with them. And of course, you will now enjoy your cavern diving in the Cenotes to a much higher level of knowledge and safety.
The cavern diver course is the first part of the Cave course. After your training you will know what to expect and decide if you keep going.
This course will definitely take you a step further in your diver’s life. Once certified as a cavern diver you might of course consider following your training with the Intro to cave or even all the way to Full cave training.
Course prerequisites
Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
Open Water Scuba Diver
Proof of 25 logged dives
Qualifications
Daylight zone
Penetration is limited to 1/3 of a single diving cylinder or 1/6th if using double cylinders
61 linear metres / 200 linear feet from the surface
All passionate cave divers will some day travel to Mexico. And of course we did too! And we liked it so much that to fulfill our passion for Cave diving we chose to live and dive in Yucatan.
The penninsula of Yucatan hosts the longest underwater caves in the world. A lifetime would not be enough to know it all and there is much more to be discovered. We love sharing our passion and guide you in the most amazing passages in the Cenotes. And we provide high quality cave diving training with a high commitment to security and conservation. If you are a serious adventure seeker wishing to explore overhead environments, then Cave Diving Training is for you!
Cavern and Caves are amazing, beautiful and ever fascinating places on earth. But they are very challenging environments to explore. Even more challenging is when you decide you really want to explore the underwater caverns and caves, and decide to be among the very lucky few!
Be aware that your cave diving in Mexico might be addictive 🙂 And we’ll do our best to make that happen safely and share our passion
The Cavern Diver training course introduces the “minimum” skills, task loading, problem solving, knowledge, and the ability to dive within the “cavern” zone. You will also get familiar with the dangers and risks involved while diving in the overhead environment. The Cavern course is in no way intended to provide instruction for Cave Diving.
The Intro-to-Cave Diver training course will further develop the skills and knowledge required to dive in the overhead environment. The course explains the dangers and risks involved while diving in the overhead environment and going beyond the daylight zone. Skills in the Intro to Cave course include line navigation, zero visibility training, gas management, touch contact, emergency procedures, and a higher level of prior courses skills.
The Cave Diver training course fine-tunes the skills and knowledge required to dive in the overhead environment. The course explains the dangers and risks involved while cave diving beyond the daylight zone. Skills in the Cave Diver course include passing restrictions, complex navigation, zero visibility, emergency procedures, gas management…
STUDENT KIT
Certified Advanced Open Water Diver
