Abyss Scuba Diving

7 Reasons Why You Will Love Sidemount Diving

Sidemount-Diving.jpg

7 Reasons Why You Will Love Sidemount Diving.


Sidemount diving is a variation of scuba diving whereby a diver carries all their scuba equipment on their body, as opposed to being supported by heavy and bulky equipment mounted on a scuba tank on their back. Sidemount diving is popular with professional and recreational divers alike for several reasons.
Today I am totally sold on the benefits of Sidemount diving and here are seven reasons why I love it...

  1. Increased Gas Supply
    Sidemount is a hybrid dive where you’re carrying one tank on the side of your body, instead of the traditional two. The advantage to this is an increase in gas supply – so you get to dive twice as long as single tank divers – so you can see areas single tank divers don’t, and experience twice as much!

    Sidemount comes with two independent air sources for redundancy and/or extended dive times. Recreationally, you get to dive twice as long as single tank divers, so you can see areas single tank divers don’t, and experience twice as much! The additional air source also comes in handy if you scare gas or have a regulator failure. Sidemount diving is a great option for technical diving, and you can even use it for refilling your back gas.

  2. It is more streamlined
    Sidemount gives you better streamlining. The standard scuba set-up can be unwieldy, heavy and even downright dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. Sidemount setups are streamlined with all the equipment contained in various pouches on your body. In Sidemount, you have an increased ability to move weight and the cylinders for proper trim, creating a more natural and comfortable position in the water. This reduces fatigue, stress, and improves air consumption!

    Less drag underwater means that you can swim faster and further than ever before!

  3. It is easier on your back
    No more heavy tanks banging around on your back! Sidemount diving is much kinder to your body and there is no risk of stressing or injuring your back.

  4.  You have more freedom of movement
    With all the equipment close to your body, you have greater freedom of movement and flexibility in the water. This comes in handy when exploring narrow passages or nooks and crannies in shipwrecks!

  5. You can customize your gear setup to suit you
    Sidemount diving gives you the opportunity to tailor your scuba gear setup to perfectly suit your individual needs and preferences. Not everyone is the same size or shape, so being able to adjust things like where your cylinders are positioned can make an enormous difference to comfort and safety underwater.

  6. You can get into the water faster
    Once you have your basic Sidemount diving gear set up, getting into the water is quick and easy. There is no need to faff around with tanks and backpacks, you can just jump in and go! This is great if you are short on time or want to make the most of every minute underwater.

  7. You will look like a badass!
    Finally, let's be honest - Sidemount diving just looks cool. If you want to impress your friends and family (or even strangers!) then learning to dive Sidemount is a terrific way to do it.

    Sidemount diving is a fantastic way to get into the water quickly and easily. It is also perfect for difficult environments, and you'll look like a badass!