"Sidemounting is it the future..?"   Back to Homepage

What is sidemount scuba diving..?

Diving in sidemount configuration is the process of taking one or two cylinders and placing them on either side of your body, rather than mounting them on your back, (traditionally known as backmounted). But Sidemount diving is much more than just a change in equipment. In fact, with the right training, you will find it to be a vastly more rewarding and enlightening experience.

Why use sidemount equipment configuration vs backmount..?

• Enables a unique method of buoyancy control which results in a more streamlined profile, reduces drag and makes finning and moving through the water much easier and more efficient. Get as close to the free-diver experience as possible with Scuba!
• Offers a greater comfort level. Sidemount equipment and harness are custom fit to each individual, accommodating divers of all shapes and sizes.
• Great for divers with any disabilities, as you carry the cylinder(s) separate from your harness to the water. Cylinders and weights are then mounted and attached in the water, making the entries and exits to dive sites much easier.
• The safest option in terms of air management. Sidemount allows provides you with easier access to your cylinder valve(s), first stage(s) and alternate air source should a problem arise.
• One harness and BCD does it all! This statement is now 100% true! Your Sidemount equipment can also be used for more advanced types of diving i.e wreck, technical and cave diving, providing you get trained correctly at each level. 

Why has sidemount diving not become popular until now..?

To answer this effectively, we must first understand a little history. Sidemount diving first attracted attention, in the 1970's, used by a man named Woody Jasper. Today, it is regarded as the only way to explore very small sections within a cave system, with therefore only a handful of cave divers using sidemount equipment configuration. This enables them to squeeze through tight spaces, in order to get through parts of a cave that someone equipped with backmount would be unable to access. Cave Diver's call these sections "restrictions", and Cave diving in sidemount is currently considered an extreme form of technical scuba diving.

Ask a Scuba Diver about Sidemount, and you'll find that most of them have never seen or are even unaware of Sidemount scuba diving, what it is, or how it works. This means that up until now, only people who were interested in the advanced forms of Cave diving were being given the opportunity to dive in Sidemount configuration. Subsequently, (at the time of writing, early 2009) only two manufacturers were currently making a BCD and harness system suitable for sidemount diving. For more detailed information on these and other systems, please visit the equipment section.

However! It is now a well known fact that equipment manufacturers (and also training agencies such as PADI!!) are becoming heavily involved with Sidemount scuba diving as a "Great way" of diving for all divers. This includes the recreational diving industry. The following will show the advantages of diving Sidemount, and also some specific details of the distinctive Sidemount Specialty Courses that I offer. By attending these courses, not only will you be exposing yourself to a fantastic new way of diving, it will also allow you to dive wearing this unique configuration. All you need is your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or equivalent) and to be 18 years old. More detailed information can be found in the sidemount courses section.

If it's just equipment modification, why should I get an instructor to train me..?

This is a great question, and I know you're all thinking it (I did).  Believe it or not, it's also an easy one to answer. No doubt you found my website along with many other forums on Sidemount scuba diving. These forums have probably talked about ways to build your own equipment, and may have even touched on how divers have taught themselves to dive in sidemount. It is essential to understand that, of all these people who teach themselves, nearly all are cave certified divers; (some with a vast range of experience and some with very little) and, as a general rule, they are all divers with many dives under their belt. That being said, this does not mean they are doing it right. As a professional, I am in no way endorsing what you may discover on a forum, and I believe that to find the right way to go about learning and diving Sidemount, it is important to keep an open mind. As experienced divers, we are all aware that enrolling and performing in the right course is truly the best way to learn. 

Allow me to explain how I first became involved with Sidemount diving, and how the experience has led me to now offer Sidemount training courses to all levels of divers, both recreational and technical. I began my diving career in 1999 in the UK, and then proceed to learn technical diving in 2003. In 2007 I became a PADI Course Director and DSAT Technical Instructor Trainer. Throughout all of this I had harbored a deep curiosity of cave diving, and I decided to give it a try in 2008 with a man named Steve Bogaerts in Mexico. Needless to say, the course and instruction I received was beyond outstanding (full report here). Steve has devoted the last 15 years of his life to exploring and extending cave systems (cenotes) in Mexico and is now one of, if not the World's, most active sidemount cave divers and instructors. Towards the end of 2008, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to revisit Steve, and it was here that my eyes were opened to the experience of diving in Sidemount configuration. With Steve's training and guidance, I learn't all the skills I would need to to dive using this configuration safely and easily, whilst also partaking in some very advanced (and very cool) cave diving.

Throughout the years, one of the most important things I have learn't is this. It is not the training agency you should be looking for, but the experience level and philosophies of the instructor you will be training with. With that being said, I personally owe much to Steve Bogaerts. He opened my eyes to the potential of sidemount scuba diving and is, without a doubt, one of the World's best for teaching Sidemount diving at a cave level. You can read a (full report) on my experiences learning to cave dive in Sidemount. 

When looking at a Sidemount diver you generally see someone with two cylinders attached on either side of their body. There is no doubt that this setup is great for technical divers, but what about the recreational diver? Not to worry, Sidemount is more than adaptable to the recreational diver as well, using a single cylinder Sidemount configuration. Similar to conventional backmounted scuba diving, your second stage and alternate air source are still attached to the cylinder first stage. However, with this unique assembly, you achieve a slim lined effect, creating less drag and improving diver trim, whilst also having easy access to the valve and thus increasing ones safety! As somebody who has been diving for more than a decade, my only wish is that I had discovered Sidemount diving from the beginning. Sidemount scuba diving is the future!

What specialty courses do you offer..?

• Sidemount Diver Specialty Course (see here for details)
• DSAT Technical Diving Courses in Sidemount Configuration (see here for details) 

Once I have your specialty certification what will this allow me to do..?

• Conduct all your future dives in safety whilst experiencing the ease and freedom of wearing sidemount equipment configuration!
• Be equipped wearing sidemount configuration during your future PADI training courses! (The final decision on your equipment configuration is, of course, left at the receiving instructors discretion.)

Can I dive with a buddy who is not wearing sidemount..?

Yes, of course you can!! All you need is to ensure you and your buddy go over the differences of where your equipment is placed during your pre-dive checks. I can guarantee your buddy will be very curious (and even a little envious) of your equipment, and will want to see how it performs in the water. Be prepared, after the dive they will more than likely ask you where to get trained in Sidemount!