home classes services products photos contact
SIDEMOUNT DIVING
It aint just for cave diving anymore!

Basics of Sidemount diving

The sidemount diving configuration esstenially means taking those heavy tank/tanks off your back and putting them in a more natural position in the water, along the sides of your body under your arms. With the tanks in this position a diver is more balanced and streamlined, if equipment is properly configured. Due to the comfort, ease and simplicity of sidemount diving it is the fastest growing sector in scuba diving today. With the right training you can become one with the water.

Benifits of Sidemount vs Backmount?

•Greater comfort level while diving. With the weight of the cylinders moved to the sides the stress is taken off your  back. Your spine is one of the most flexiable portions of your body why not use it?

 •Divers with disablities also greatly benifit from having the cylinders seperate from the harness allowing the harness to be equiped out of the water and the heavy tanks donned while in the water.

•Allows divers better buoyancy control and the ability to attain a more steamlined profile, reducing drag and finning effort.

•Safest gas managment possible. With the cylinders on your side the diver no long has to wonder which side the air leak is coming from. It also allows FULL access to both valves with out being a gymnist in terms of flexiabilty.

 Sidemount profile
 
Benefits to the Recreational diver

• Enables the use of an additional cylinder without extra hassle

• Acts as a great "intro to tech" class

• You will stay within the recreational limits with a hint of technical diving

• No technicals skills are taught other than the ones relating to sidemount diving

Benefits to the Technical diver

• A lower profile in the water than traditional backmounted tanks, allowing access to, and the
  exploration of, small spaces without disturbing the environment. Less silt equals greater access.

•Greater control over buoyancy as well as trim

•True redundancy, the diver has two seperate and redundant sources of gas

•Cylinders can be put on and taken off in the water eliminating the 90 pounds of weight on your back

Skills you will be learning during this class

•Don and doff their sidemount cylinders while in the water.

•Conduct a buoyancy check at the surface.

•Demonstrate equipment matching exercise and dive plan review (prior to descent).

•Out of air drills, donor and receiver

•Switch regulators to keep gas balanced in their independent cylinders.

•Neutral buoyancy swimming using various finning techniques (frog, modified flutter etc).

•Demonstrate helicopter turn (while maintaining neutral buoyancy).

•Demonstrate static neutral buoyancy for 1 minute.

•Valve shutdowns exercise combined with gas switches (safety drill).

•Demonstrate removal and replacement of all non-life support equipment whilst underwater.

•Demonstrate sidemount cylinder band failure procedures whilst underwater.

•Simulate a regulator free flow and breathe from regulator using (valve feathering).

•Maintain the correct trim of the sidemount cylinders (especially when buoyant).

•Sidemount bungee failure, replace with spare.

•Demonstrate SMB deployment and maintain a safety stop for 3 minutes