PADI Sidemount Diver
Explore a new way to streamline your dive profile and improve trim by shifting your scuba tanks from your back to your sides. Experience unprecedented comfort, extended gas supply, and easier tank management in and out of the water.
Contact Ascuba Diving at (817) 406-4080 for equipment setup, course schedule, and tuition.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
About the Course
Having scuba tanks on your back isn't the only way to explore the underwater world! The PADI Sidemount Diver specialty teaches you a versatile, streamlined configuration where cylinders are mounted alongside your hips and torso, tucked under your shoulders.
Originally developed for advanced cave diving to squeeze through restrictive openings, recreational sidemount diving has exploded in popularity around the globe. Divers love the ease of carrying tanks individually to the water, the total freedom from a heavy double tank on their spine, and the effortless, horizontal trim it unlocks.
Why Dive Sidemount?
- Unmatched Trim & Balance: Experience natural, horizontal buoyancy with tanks positioned along the sides of your body.
- Easier on Your Back: Walk to the shoreline or boat deck unencumbered, then clip your tanks on effortlessly in the water.
- Increased Gas Supply: Carry two independent cylinders for extended bottom time and complete gas redundancy.
- Accessible Valves & Regulators: Both tank valves and first stages sit directly under your arms in clear view, making valve checks and problem management simple.
- Streamlined Flexibility: Perfect for navigating tighter swim-throughs, wrecks, and local Texas dive environments.
What You Will Learn
- Proper sidemount harness assembly, adjustment, and custom sizing
- Weight system placement and fine-tuning trim for neutral buoyancy
- Gas management strategies using independent cylinders (one-third / one-sixth rule)
- Regulator switching protocols and hose routing
- Donning and doffing cylinders while floating at the surface or underwater
- Simulated out-of-gas emergencies, sharing air, and lost cylinder procedures
Course Prerequisites
- PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training agency)
- Minimum age: 15 years old
Equipment Needed
You will need standard scuba gear along with a dedicated sidemount harness/BCD and regulator package configured with proper short and long hoses. Ascuba Diving carries authorized sidemount gear from Apeks, Aqualung, and Mares, and can outfit or adjust your rig for class.
Enrollment & Scheduling
Private and group sidemount sessions are scheduled year-round with pool sessions and open water checkouts at Wheeler Branch. Call our Azle dive center directly at (817) 406-4080 to get started.