Growing Up in the Mecca of Technical Diving | CCR, Sidewinder & Dahab with Omar Derbala
About this episode
Steve Davis interviews Omar Derbala about growing up in Dahab and his journey in technical diving.
In this final episode of Speaking Sidemount for 2025, brought to you by XDEEP, Steve Davis sits down with Omar Derbala, a technical and CCR instructor born and raised in Dahab, one of the most iconic and influential technical diving locations in the world.Omar quite literally grew up in a dive centre, surrounded by technical divers from an early age. This upbringing shaped his calm, precise, and disciplined approach to diving and teaching.In this conversation, we explore: What it’s like to grow up diving in Dahab Why Dahab remains a global hub for technical diving Omar’s transition from open-circuit sidemount to CCR Why the KISS Sidewinder became his rebreather of choice Training and mentorship under Jacek Konikowski and Patrick Widmann Safety culture, humility, and mindset in high-level technical diving This episode is a deep and thoughtful discussion about the environment, equipment, training philosophy, and what truly matters as a technical diver — and a fitting way to close out a fantastic year for Speaking Sidemount.🎥 Watch full episodes & bonus clips: https://www.youtube.com/@sidemountpros 🎧 Listen to the Podcast - Spotify | Apple | Google — search Speaking Sidemount…
People in this episode
Host: Steve Davis
Guest: Omar Derbala
Topics covered
- technical diving
- CCR
- sidemount
- Dahab
- training philosophy
- safety culture
Keywords
- technical diving
- CCR
- sidemount
- Dahab
- KISS Sidewinder
- training
- safety culture
Sponsors
XDEEP
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Dahab
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- From BellBoy to Cave Mentor - Tavo's Darkside Story
- "Lies, Lessons, and Legacy" - Chris Richardson on 30 Years in the Dive Industry
- E113 British Army to Sidemount Master - Mark Rowe's Incredible Diving Journey
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