Sidemounting.com would like to introduce you to .. Matt Jevon
“I love exploring my own and others potential”
Diving has provided me with challenges and rewards that appeal to both my CDO (that’s OCD in the right order!) and my interest in human performance, my own and others.
I dived initially just for fun as a business and sports career did not allow me the time to develop my interest in the underwater world further. In 2009 I rekindled my interests and in particular in technical and sidemount diving. I trained initially with Steve Martin which is where I met my current cave team mate and partner in our dive centre South West Technical Diving (www.swt.ie) Greg Jagielski.
I run a page on facebook called psychological skills for diving (I am a trained sports psychologist) so I know that one size fits all training is not appropriate. Learning a skill physically is not the same as developing a knowledgeable and thinking diver. One comfortable with all environments and stressors.
I believe in attention to detail, a passion to ‘get it right’ for my students and I am a complete deco nerd. As a mixed gas open circuit and trimix JJ-CCR instructor for TDI I am lucky that I get to share this passion with so many people in so many beautiful places.
“To explore caves & wrecks is incredible, but sharing my love of diving is rewarding beyond words”
My sports and business careers have involved me in coaching at the highest level, internationally in Rugby and with some very talented business people. I believe in a coaching approach, if you want a pseudo-military approach, you won’t find it with me.
I started as many do in the warm waters of the Bahamas in the late 80’s, then progressed through to some incredible fun diving in the Maldives, Spain, Tenerife and more, until the tech bug bit in 2010.
I completed full trimix open circuit in sidemount configuration in 2012 and have dived comfortably past 100m using sidemount. Although I am a passionate CCR diver now (over 1000 hours and a mixed gas instructor) for deeper dives in wrecks and caves, I use the sidemount principles for stage/deco cylinder rigging and management. The advantages are huge.
I now enjoy teaching overhead, technical dpv and mixed gas courses, but there is a true pleasure in sharing with a student the freedom and feel of a properly configured sidemount system. Building on this for a student to learn skills and theory is only a start. How to apply that knowledge, when to apply that knowledge creates thinking and confident divers. Divers I would be happy to dive with or have dive with someone I loved. If I put my name on your cert card I will be proud of what you have achieved and certain that you have reached a level of diving where you will have earned that recognition.
“.. I believe in attention to detail, a passion to ‘get it right’ for my students.”
I ensure I only teach half the time I dive, the rest of that time is for my own personal development, for fun or for exploration. I have been privileged to join expeditions in Croatia (wreck), The Philippines (cave) and more. I cannot share experience while teaching if I do not invest in that experience. Don’t worry though, I dive a lot so half my time teaching is plenty of time to fit you in.
I dive now all over the world, in Open Circuit predominantly in sidemount and in closed circuit on my JJ. Recent adventures have included 70m plus dives in caves in France, Truk Lagoon, The Philippines, Egypt, Croatia, Mexico and more. Philippines revisit for teaching and China for a project in late 2018 is already booked!
I am based in Ireland and own 50% of South West Technical Diving, an exclusively focused technical centre. We have been recognised as an Apeks tech centre and are dealers for Apeks, Xdeep, Razor, JJ-CCR and more. We service Apeks and JJ-CCR and we only sell equipment we actually dive ourselves.
I’m happy to teach in Ireland, Croatia, Egypt and globally as needed.