Sidemount Diving Courses

There is a popular belief that you donÆt need to complete a course to dive side-mount. To get the most out of this style of diving requires a level of understanding of side-mount dive principles, equipment and set-up and the myriad of options available to the diver, all things you learn throughout our course. So whatÆs the message here...? æInstruction in side-mount is not just for skilled enjoyment, but for diver safetyÆ.

But IÆm not a technical diver?

So what!  Side-mount is just a really cool way to dive.  Once you have understanding of the principles of this style of diving you can have a lot of fun.  The side-mount diving course is a non decompression skills course that allows the diver to dive side-mount at whatever their certification level.

Dolphin Scuba and Side-Mount

When moving in to side-mount diving your instructor should have a broad cross section of experience that covers your requirements. They need to dive in the style that they are teaching and have a good understanding of the equipment set-up and configuration options that will help in customising your rig to suit you and your style of diving.  

Our Side-Mount instructor Rod, has been diving for over 30 years and holds TDI diver level certifications through to Advanced Trimix and TDI instructor certs.  Rod loves the deep and wrecks, this year alone he has completed more than 35 trimix dives (on average thatÆs 5/per/month).   Rod can honestly say, in recent years nothing has excited him more or caught his attention quite as much, as side-mount.

There is no perfect or better side-mount system, itÆs all about user comfort and preference.   A student on the Dolphin Scuba Diving side-mount course will see that the equipment configuration options are almost endless.  You will be shown options and will develop your preferred way to dive side-mount, at the end of the day there is no right or wrong way to configure your side-mount equipment as long as it is the safe way.

The Dolphin Scuba Diving side-mount diving course has been designed to give the student diver the knowledge to:

• Try new things with understanding of the safe/unsafe rule.
• Develop high levels of comfort and confidence using two cylinders.
• Start from a standard configuration and be able to modify to suit the individual diver and diving style.

The course is made up of theory, optional pool dives, and two open water dives usually done off the boat.

Dolphin Scuba stock a wide range of side-mount gear, including the Dive Rite Nomad EXP, Nomad XT and the Nomad JT (on request), they also stock the new Hollis SMS100 system and a bunch of accessories.

Course Pre requisites

• Minimum age of 18 years old
• Certified Open Water Diver or above

 Ã´Once youÆve side-mounted thereÆs no going backö

Over to you....would you like to try sidemount diving?