What we had to say about our training with Steve..?"  Back to homepage 

Will Smith - Sidemount Training (August 2011) I have only been diving for two years when a trip to Menorca got me involved in cave diving, once home I was booked straight on to cavern and then intro cave courses. During this time I discovered sidemount diving and all the advantages seemed to well overweigh any disadvantages. A little bit of internet researching later and along comes Steve Martin Side Mount website. I’m not the kind of person to be “sold” at this point but I just knew from reading through his site and also linking over to Steve Bogaerts site this was the guy I wanted to learn with. Steve got back to me within a day of contacting him and also replied to my pestering e-mails leading up to the course (sorry Steve but they aint going to stop now)!!! Day one was informative as we went through theory and setting up our equipment – then the real stuff began “the diving” I have to say I finished day 2 absolutely gutted and deflated as I just did not adapt to it as I thought I would – trim/buoyancy was all over the place!!! Steve is a great instructor and can see and explain problems with fantastic ability. If you are prepared to listen to his explanations (and why wouldn’t you) you Will get it right – no question. Day 2 and 3 dives later things were starting to take shape, still far from perfect but it was coming. I was starting to think if Steve could get me to sidemount spot on he could even get a dog sidemounting!!!! Then I seen scuba dog pictures (the dog was better than me)!!!! Day 3 and more detailed information on my problems were given by Steve and a much needed fin swap (I will miss my force fins ;). Things started to come together – I’m sidemounting man!!!!!!!!, day 4 of training we planned out a dive then all had a 45 minute 1 on 1 dive with Steve, although I had managed a great (in my opinion) tank shut down earlier on in the day once again my new found skills deserted me but as I learnt this week – pick yourself up and get on with it cause it will come. As Steve will say “practise makes permanent” and them words sure are true. You will get out of this course what you put in. The day after my course I went for a dive with some friends and just hung back practising my skills and although I managed a backward fin while with Steve I found I was struggling to get my legs back in the position for the next stroke, well low and behold "the very next day, after the course" I am now a backward finning machine and can do it at will – and how cool does it look when some backmounted upright divers come struggling by!!!!!!!! Straight onto Steves facebook page to brag about my news!!! Steve Martin is a true professional and brings fun into learning, I always think it sensible to use different instructors thus learning different things from these guys but I would use Steve again and again for training without a doubt, this guy knows his stuff and you can question him on anything sidemounted you wish – he has the answer. You will not find a better instructor if you tried, Steve will photo and video your dives and you will review them at the end of each day (while you eat his chocolate ;). He will explain your breathing patterns, your visual directions and anything that will improve you overall diving. My hat goes off to him – keep up the great work Steve and maybe see you in Mexico next year when I plan to visit a certain Steve Bogaerts...

Chris Elson - Sidemount Training (July 2011) I first heard about sidemount from an article in sport diver and the concept intrigued me. I normally dive with a single back mounted cylinder, only having tried a twin set twice, and not getting on with the extra weight. After some time spent on Google I came across Steve’s site which was a wealth of information not only explaining Sidemount but also helping me make a decision on the best equipment to buy. After a few email exchanges with Steve whilst he was in Australia I had made up my mind, it was to be a Razor Harness and training with Steve. I ordered my own harness and it arrived a couple of weeks before my course which gave me a chance to try it out. Now Steve states on his site that 5 dives with him is worth 50 dives without, and this is definitely true. I did about 8 UK sea dives in the kit before my course and although it felt very comfortable it was clear after just 1 hour in the water with Steve that I had not got the configuration correct. Over the 4 days of the course Steve not only got the harness fitting correctly, but helped me master the basic Sidemount skills and correct some bad habits I had picked up along the way.   I normally dive in a single back mount and have only tried a twin set a couple of time. Sidemount is much more comfortable than either of these and far easier to run shutdown drills than with a twin set. There is no substitute for quality training, and having an expert watch and correct your mistakes. Steve uses in water videos and photo’s throughout your training sessions to help show you your under water position and at the end of each day the group sit down and review these. Not only is it great to get personal feedback but also very useful to see how others do the skills. Steve’s support doesn’t stop after the course either. He offers to review video’s and photo’s to assist in ironing out any issues you may have post the course, by simply doing a private posting on YouTube for just Steve to see. Thanks Steve, look forward to doing more courses with you in the future!

Aaron Wootton - Sidemount Training - Dublin, Ireland (July 2011) I started diving in 1995 and from then right up to a few months ago I had experimented with just about every possible equipment configuration possible, from singles with 3 and 7 litre pony bottles up to a full technical twinset plus stages rig (even tried that inverted!).  Steels, 7, 10, 12 litres, aluminum 40ʼs 80ʼs etc - you name it - I tried it. What I was looking for was a way of comfortably carrying two or more cylinders in a way that didn’t feel like my kit was dictating how I dive. I wanted my equipment to be an extension of me, not the other way around. I had almost resigned myself to a life of compromise, I mean, better to dive with a little irritation than not at all eh?   A couple of years ago I came across sidemountscubadiving.com, Steve’s site. “OK” I thought to myself. I’d actually tried sidemounting before but thought that the cylinders hung low, like a pair of cows udders under me (to this day I still think most sidemount systems are like this). I’d fin, the tanks would swing back, I’d stop and they would swing forward. It was worse than backmounted. At least the tanks stayed where they were on top of me DIR style. I’d watched Steve’s videos and thought that he seems so comfortable underwater and there were no signs of the crazy tank movement that I had experienced.   A few emails, facebook and Q&Aʼs later and I was pretty sure that the solution to my equipment issues was close. Frustratingly close. Steve was 12,000 miles away in Australia.   I sold my backplate and bought some sidemount equipment. I played around, experimented, thought I was getting there but still, not quite what I was looking for. I spent more time looking at websites, YouTube, anything sidemount related to give me tips. Then I heard Steve was coming to Ireland. Great news I thought and I booked him for some training straight away.   Pretty much a month ago to the day I’m writing this I got to try the Razor system and the cylinder mounting the way Steve does it. I’d been doing it wrong all along. It is difficult to teach yourself over the internet, no substitute for the personal touch. Steve went through sidemount equipment setup, theory and fitted the razor harness to me. That was all on the first day.   The following day we went diving. A couple of minutes into the dive, about 6 metres deep on a sandy bottom, Steve took out his video camera and gave me the signal to frog kick off while he recorded me in action. At some point in the middle of the finning styles I was demonstrating - it hit me - I realised that after 16 years and hundreds of dives that I had finally found equipment nirvana!! The smile that snuck up on me went from ear to ear! Let him record the skills I thought to myself - this was my moment and I was enjoying every second of it!!   The next few dives covered more skills and multiple cylinder use but I was already sold on Steve’s way of doing sidemount. I say Steve’s way as there are other ways of sidemounting but they miss what it is all about. I don’t think I have ever been as comfortable underwater with 4 tanks attached to me. Everything else seemed to get in tune as well; buoyancy, trim and I even found the elusive back-kick a lot easier!!   Other testimonials here will tell how nice a guy Steve is and I’d fully agree. As an instructor he has immense knowledge of his subject, immense passion about it and endless patience with his students. For me, he was able to give me the experience of and knowledge of sidemounting that has quite literally changed the way I dive. More importantly, I walked away from the course with a complete understanding, from equipment to skills, of how a great sidemount system works as one.   I’m now the happy owner of the Razor Side Mount System (RSMS) and am diving with a renewed sense of joy. “The other sidemount system that I bought?” you may ask. Let’s just say that it is for sale on “ze” ebay!!   Thanks again Steve, keep doing what you do and wishing you continued success at it!

Nathan Millen - Sidemount Tec 40,45 & 50 Training - Australia (June 2011) I first heard about side mount systems back in November of 2010. I started reading up on it and it seemed to me that everything about it made sense. So I went out and purchased a Hollis SMS100 thinking that it was the start of something very exciting. Only later on realizing that it was a mistake. Rule #1: Ask questions from people that are highly experienced before jumping into something you don’t know about. I decided I want someone highly qualified to train me properly so I didn’t acquire any bad habits while diving side mount. After hours and hours surfing the net looking, I came across Steve Martins and Steve Bogaerts websites (www.sidemountscubadiving.com and www.gosidemount.com). It just happened that Steve M was in Australia. 2 months later Steve came down to Adelaide and over 5 days, we did my Basic Open Water Side Mount Course. This is when I was introduced to a far superior set up for sidemount, The Razor Harness, and cast my SMS100 into its deep blue watery grave next to Davy Jones locker. Now Steve said that I would learn more in those few days then I would if I did 50 dives with no training at all. I thought to myself, how could that be? It’s just another diving course after all…. Needless to say, I was blown away at just how much I learned. Not only the basic and very important fundamentals of diving in sidemount, but other techniques to fine tune my all round diving skills. Of which can only be honed up in sidemount. The first instant I was underwater with the razor harness, it just felt right. With such a perfectly balanced rig, that the Razor Harness provides, buoyancy, trim and control almost came naturally. And with Steve’s training, I could move through the water with such ease and gracefulness that Steve demonstrates in his videos. After the course, I knew that I wasn’t finished picking Steve’s brain. He has such a wealth of knowledge about diving. After all, he has experienced it all, and can walk the walk too. I was willing to chase him around the world to get more training from him. Luckily, I had one more chance to catch up with him before he left Australia. So a couple months after my incredible learning curve with Steve, we met up in Townsville on the SS Yongala. Here is where I began my intense training for Tec 40, 45, and 50 with the new Razor 2 Harness. Wow, a whole new world of diving was being introduced to me. Like a sponge, I soaked up everything. Technical diving in sidemount is the way to go. You can be totally self sufficient as all your equipment is right there for you to see. It is easy to work with and so streamlined. Even with all the extra equipment on (stage and deco cylinders), it still feels natural, being able to move around in all directions in the water with the utmost of ease. Steve Martin is such a great instructor no matter what he is teaching you. I’m sure it was his calling in life to do what he does. The scuba world would be at a loss, let alone the sidemount world, if Steve wasn’t involved as much as he is. You could call him a sidemount guru. He is so passionate about sidemount diving and it reflects on how he teaches. He is very easy to get along with and is more then willing to go beyond to ensure that whoever he is teaching, is comfortable, confident and has full understandings of everything, both in and out of the water. I’m looking forward to doing further technical “trimix” and advanced wreck with Steve M in the future. No matter where in the world that may be. I am also planning to take cave diver training in Mexico with Steve Bogaerts, the guy who trained Steve Martin in cave and sidemount diving. I can assure you, I will never do any other sidemount training without one of the Steve’s as my instructor. Don’t waste your time and money with those, new zero to hero want to be sidemount instructors with no experience and lack of passion for sidemount. Thanks again Steve. Forever in debt to you for showing me the way. Nathan Millen

Stephen and Lesley Curry- Sidemount Training - Wellington, New Zealand (March 2011) "Sidemount diving is a fantastic experience. Sidemount essentials with Steve Martin is more than just an experience in sidemount, it's a lesson that will develop not just your suite of dive systems but also your essential skills in buoyancy, propulsion techniques, trim and breathing control. Steve focuses on making you a better diver, not just a sidemount diver. Honing these skills coupled with learning sidemount makes this the most beneficial training we've taken to date. Gas consumption was noticeably improved by as early as dive number two. Steve teaches small groups so by default you get personalised training. The attention to individual needs is fantastic. This really is a tailored training experience. My wife and I chose to train with Steve by reputation. We learned about advantages and disadvantages of sidemount, where it came from and why Steve's style works, various drills, gas management and redundancy issues, rigging and muscle memory, equipment choice and configuration, dive preparation and emergency scenarios, streamlining, correct weighting and buoyancy needs.....the list goes on and on.....a lot of the essential skills and theory taught by Steve are transferable to other diving systems too. Sidemounts not just for caving either.....easy entries and exits from shore and boats, all the benefits of not stressing the back.....it's also just as much fun with one tank. Better yet, this harness system can be taken anywhere in the world with no issues around tank availability, etc and its lightweight and travel friendly. Steve can point out efficiency issues with pretty much any system whether it's trim-related, equipment streamlining, hose choice, etc. I can now pick out system deficiencies I wouldn't have noticed in the past. The Bogarthian system gets our thumbs up, you won't regret trying it. Cheers Steve, looking forward to the next time. Steve & Les"

Alexia Dunand - Sidemount Training - Majorca, Spain (September 2010) When Mike first showed me videos of sidemount diving from Steve Martin, I was impressed by how he was gliding underwater in any position but thought this ease was obtained after decades of training and I could never come close to this. Mike was so excited about sidemount that, after hard working months, he decided to get Steve over. As the course date got closer, I started to investigate more about sidemount and also got into the sidemount fever, getting really impatient about the course….and I was right to be, because the truth is that the course was far above my expectations, sidemount changed my life (no exaggeration) !! Now, I am the most addicted believer of our dive center and I have to say that nothing so far in diving brought me the feeling I have sidemounting…I feel sidemount is made for me, sometimes I almost forget I don’t have gills…. Sidemount diving shouldn’t be only associated with cave and technical diving, it should be the way everybody dives in open water! Steve opened my eyes to a new way of diving, where underwater freedom gets all its meaning. If trained properly, this configuration gives divers an almost indefinite liberty of movement, both with single and twin cylinders. It should also permit “twinset-phobic” divers to get into technical diving…Like it could be the case for some female divers. Thanks Steve for opening my eyes and changing my life!

Garry Dallas MSDT, Sidemount Instructor Course, Capernwray, October 2010 Steve Martin has developed this now proven PADI sidemount course and has finally brought it to the UK. It felt a privilege to be taught by Steve, a course director with 100s of sidemount dives. Steve was himself taught by Steve Bogaerts a Mexican based cave diver who has vast experience and has made Sidemount diving his life. Being offered this opportunity to learn from the best I naturally grabbed it with both hands.   Not only is the course informative and thorough, most of all it's FUN! Steve is one of the best teachers I've met, as well as being very patient, he knows how to put the fun into learning something new. Personally diving is primarily about enjoyment, if that goes I may as well hang my fins up and do something else.   For me sidemount was originally a way of relieving annoying back pains, but since completing this training, air consumption, safety (ie shutdowns), trim, finning techniques and buoyancy have become an even bigger part of my self-awareness underwater. All I can say is that Steve will teach you a kind of diving that makes you feel like a freediver and give you even more confidence and if nothing else you'll most definitely enjoy it and it will surely make you a better scuba diver.   After you've done this course, it may also excite you into learning other fields like advanced wreck, deep or technical diving. Making the transition is very easy as there is no additional equipment to buy. Thanks Steve for changing my life and making me a better diver!

Tony Cooper - Sidemount Course, Capernwray, UK July 2010 Thank You Steve Martin   I first meet Steve back in 2005 I think... I watched how he progressed in his teaching, then a bit of time later I found his web site as a Course Director from there I went to Steve’s side mount course and website. The web site was very informative with lot's off pictures and videos. Steve is very informative and has lots off time for everyone to make sure they know where and what they need to know and takes time with answering all your questions.   So we started off with a classroom session to find more about side mounts and the course structure, this included doing some kit configuration; making are dive equipment more suitable for diving in sidemount.     It was then dive time at Capernwray UK, this is where you find more out about sidemount and what you can do with & in the equipment, in and out the water. For me side mount was about giving me a freedom in the water to move, I think the way we look at this is total freedom to move where and how we want with the least effort. I found it easier and better than in normal scuba or twin sets, also the configuration helped my trim enabling me to do more finning techniques. It generally makes diving better and easy. I have more air. I have less drag. I save more energy. I can go places I couldn't before. It can be used in both recreational and technical diving, this I am sure will help me in both cave diving and advanced wreck penetration, which are the next areas I would like to get trained in.  I can’t recommend this training highly enough. I feel you prepared me very well for the course and the diving we did and how to carry on and further my new skills.. I NOW have the tools to go further.

Nigel Booth - Sidemount Course, Capernwray, UK July 2010 I first found out about sidemount from YouTube (check out the videos!) I then found out from Steve Martin that he was running a course at Capernwray the following weekend. I had most of the kit (just separated my twin set and got a short HP hose oh and those boltsnaps, jubilee clips and bungee!). Before the dives at the weekend we met for a theory session 4-8pm which was very well presented and which allowed us to bring to the course our own reasons for undertaking the course which were varied (a previous injury precluding the use of twinset, the want to maintain the safety aspect of twinset but needing to reduce the carry weight, just wanting to find out what it is all about and which way technical diving could potentially go within one of the students dive club). The presentation of the theory was split up between such subjects as sidemount advantages/ disadvantages, skills, safety, equipment configuration and failure, dive planning, practical application and training dive; what followed then was an equipment workshop which looked at for example the significance of where those boltsnaps go!!! With the relaxed but informative theory evening concluded we looked forward to the two days of diving at Capernwray the following weekend. Steve, having the small group that he did allowed us all to be met with where we were in relation to the new skills and our general diving ability - that 'trim thing' and those advanced finning techniques. The skills that we needed to acquire weren't rushed into and didn't dictate the diving. We were given advice, coaching and recommendations on changes to our equipment configuration so that we could get the most out of diving sidemount; other than that we just enjoyed the liberation of diving sidemount. I would recommend you sign up with Steve and reap the benefits learning this diving style from someone extremely experienced and competent in what he does!

Savvas Katsaros - Advanced Wreck Sidemount Course, Greece April 2010 “Stephen Martin? A two-meter guy and he gets through manholes?... Ok, got it. Another joke!.. Who is that guy?!..” Well, thought of joking for starters, since learning from – or should I say with - Steve is above all pure fun and yes, he does make it through manholes! Even since my first OW dive I was dreaming of ship wrecks, so eventually, I bumped into his site, and the nice surprises began! Enlightening comments, videos, equipment evaluation and more, inspired to me a sense of confidence that was proven correct, even beyond expectations. I wouldn’t like to exaggerate, but I think Steve has the gift of teaching -and I’m talking about the interactive relation between master and apprentice- in such an easy going manner that makes you not even think of drawing your eyes and ears off him. Introducing us to the “brave new world” of side mount diving and wreck penetration, he transformed it into a joyful world where the sense of uninhibited movement was always present. Moreover and in spite of his young age he did cover an unexpectedly wide field of knowledge, thus leaving no blanks -an essential detail when preparing students for hazardous environments. The equipment and skill workshops became the “happy hour” of this, dry part of training. Encouraging fun and inventive creativity, led into some really good new ideas and in familiarizing with our gear and the team, getting the best out of it. When we hit the water, I had a feeling of mobility I had never experienced in the classic back-mount. Diving in SM configuration was proven surprisingly simple and task-relieving, turning a training dive into a roller-coaster joyride! Loops, rolls, inverted flat spins …oops sorry! This one belongs to another world. Looking at Steve “flowing” through water was as reassuring as his simple, explanatory words at surface. Even when we descended for the first penetration in the engine room, and I was hovering -completely numb- above the hatch, which seemed to me like the opened mouth of the beast (singing “…first I was afraid, I was petrified…” and thinking what in good God’s name was I, a forty-two year old fresh diver doing there) just glimpsing at his smile and a slight nod, was enough to sweep away the momentary fear and let me enter the “land” of awe and dreams. Wherever in water or land, before, during or after the course, this stranger instructor I met – Stephen Martin- is a man willing to share his knowledge and experience. Willing to reveal “little secrets” and learn from you. To let you embed the limitations and expand your limits. The only thing I am sorry about is the language barrier, which kept us from having even more fun. Thanks Steve. Glad, lucky and proud to be your student. Savvas Katsaros (DSAT Tec 50 Diver)

Nick Pearson - Open Water Sidemount Diver Course, Tasmania March 2010 After completing the PADI Deep Diver course, I felt that the equipment setup and techniques for deep diving with recreational gear, were not really designed for this type of diving. As I am working towards technical diving I wanted to channel my training and equipment towards a setup that would permit me to carry out both technical and recreational diving without major financial investment in new technical equipment. When I heard about Steve 'Sidemount Steve' Martin and his training from my local instructor, I did a bit of research and decided to give Sidemount diving a go. What I found has opened up a whole world of possibilities in diving! Steve's comprehensive instruction material and instructional techniques made the whole process very enjoyable. He firstly got us sorted with our equipment and all the necessary alterations required for a sidemount rig. The theory component is straight forward and since "there are no stupid questions" I am still asking them by email, well after the training has finished. The in-water training is where it all comes together. Steve took the time with each student as an individual and made adjustments, tuned techniques, tested the skills, and reshaped the way I will dive forever. I still cant get over how much easier it is to control perfect buoyancy and breathing technique and hang vertically head down an inch off the bottom with no more effort than lying on the couch. I cant recommend this training highly enough. It makes diving better. I have more air. I have less drag. I save more energy. I can go places I couldn't before. It can be used in both recreational and technical diving, so it saves you money. If you are a certified advanced diver looking for something, but aren't quite sure what it is, then chances are it could be Sidemount! "Looking forward to some technical training with Steve next time he is back in Tassie!" Nick Pearson - PADI Rescue/Deep/Sidemount Diver... "Sidemount the S#@t out of it"