Interested in Sidemount Diving?

Jul. 2

Interested in Sidemount Scuba Diving, but not sure if this is for you? I believe everyone has their reasons for trying Sidemount Scuba. However, for many of us, it may come down to wanting more bottom time (i.e. more breathing gas) or wanting a redundant breathing system, much like carrying a pony bottle.

There are many other benefits to Sidemount diving, such as:

Sidemount Divers are more balanced, and you no longer have to worry about flipping over like an upside-down turtle.
When properly trimmed, Sidemount divers are more streamlined than a Backmount diver.
It can be much easier to carry individual tanks to the water’s edge for donning in the water than carrying a 120 lb twinset (two tanks) on your back. This is also very useful if you have a disability or leg or back problems.
In the event of an equipment failure (i.e. blown O-ring), you can very easily reach the valves, find the problem cylinder, and quickly shut it down.
If your dive buddy has an equipment failure, you can easily hand off a cylinder if needed.
You can worry less about your new-to-you dive buddy with your own redundant gas supply.

My journey as a Sidemount diver has been a lot of fun and included many expensive lessons learned. If you are interested in Sidemount diving, based on my experiences, I would suggest the following:

Become an Educated Consumer - There are well over a hundred videos on YouTube from Sidemounting.com which talk about proper weight check, trimming, regulator set-up and many more. The videos should give you a good general idea of what an ideal sidemount set-up should include.
It would help if you didn’t have to buy before you try. - Find a dive shop that offers a Sidemount workshop, a chance to get in the pool to try Sidemount. See if the dive shop has the gear you can rent to take the Sidemount training course.
Interview the Instructor - Before choosing your instructor, ask them how much Sidemount diving they do personally. Some agencies only require an instructor to complete ten (10) sidemount dives to become an instructor. Does your instructor dive Sidemount regularly or only when teaching the course?
Beware of Hybrid BCD systems - A hybrid BCD is a BCD that can be used for a Backmount cylinder or Sidemount cylinders. They have less than ideal buoyancy characteristics, and many training centers will not permit hybrids. Some companies are making Sidemount BCD’s, but please do your research; some may perform better than others. See what top Sidemount instructors around the world are using. In my opinion, there are a few that consistently are at the top of the list.

I would also encourage anyone interested in Sidemount to listen to the Speaking Sidemount podcast (link below), where many top Sidemount divers are interviewed. It is fascinating to hear how everyone got into Sidemount, many just by chance.

I got into Sidemount to get more bottom time but the biggest surprise was the peace of mind that I have with having a fully redundant breathing system is almost indescribable. The feeling of not having a tank on your back is something you need to experience. Turn sideways, upside-down, and roll over with ease. I would encourage you to find a local instructor and try it out. If you have any questions, please send us a message.

Looking to buy gear, check out my gear and see what I’m using. Have questions, feel free to contact us.

Check out Sidemounting.com website by Steve Martin. There is a lot of content worth checking out. If you are going to sign up for the online courses, use code SDMNTDVR for a discount.

Any investment you make in learning more before selecting your sidemount instructor or purchasing the wrong sidemount gear will make this online training purchase well worth it.

Check out a few of these links for more information: