The story of sidemount diving is more than a tale of cylinders clipped to a diver’s sides. It’s a story of exploration, innovation, misinterpretation, and rediscovery. At its core lies an idea born not from leisure or luxury, but from necessity - the need to push past obstacles where dry cave ended, and underwater sump began.
In the damp underbelly of the British Isles during the 1960s, a unique problem was being encountered by intrepid dry cavers. These early explorers, accustomed to squeezing through narrow tunnels and scaling vertical shafts, were suddenly halted by rising water tables and flooded passages - sumps - that barred further exploration. These were not trained divers. These were adventurers, engineers, thinkers, and most of all, problem solvers.
With no commercial dive kit suited for the tight, water-filled conduits of British caves, they resorted to inventing their own. What emerged was not a polished piece of kit, but a rudimentary, functional system of attaching cylinders at the side to ease passage through the submerged sections and continue the adventure beyond. It wasn’t about enjoying the dive - it was a functional, often uncomfortable, tool to overcome an obstacle.
The essence of sidemount was thus rooted in practicality. Ironically, today, sidemount is often perceived as an elegant and refined way to explore, yet its DNA is entirely utilitarian. This origin story alone should humble any diver who straps on side-mounted cylinders thinking it's the “easy way out.”
As the practice spread globally, divers in different environments began adapting the system. Two dominant styles began to form - each shaped by its surroundings.
In Florida, cold, deep cave systems demanded thick undergarments beneath drysuits. Buoyancy requirements soared, so divers leaned towards heavier gear - steel cylinders, robust harnesses, and bulky accessories. Here, sidemount remained closer to its roots: a practical solution to a logistical challenge.
In Mexico, the story changed. The warm, shallow cenotes offered an entirely different arena. Here, mobility and streamlining were paramount. Divers like Steve Bogaerts took sidemount beyond function - refining it into a discipline, an artform. Bogaerts’ innovations shaped warm-water sidemount into what many recreational divers recognise today: clean lines, low profile, minimal gear, and graceful movement. His influence was pivotal in making sidemount attractive not just to cave divers but to the broader scuba community.
This contrast - heavy and robust vs light and fluid - still defines the debate between “Florida-style” and “Mexican-style” sidemount diving. But beneath that debate lies a more pressing issue.
Today, sidemount diving has exploded in popularity. It's no longer limited to die-hard cave explorers. From tropical reef tourists to tech divers in training, sidemount has entered the mainstream. Unfortunately, its widespread appeal has come at a steep cost.
As the video script warns, mainstream agencies often promote sidemount diving as a speciality - a bolt-on certification achievable in a few dives. In reality, sidemount diving is a discipline. It requires finesse, precision, and a solid foundation of core diving skills. But with “specialty instructor” status granted after mere days of training, the market has become saturated with under-qualified instructors passing on poor habits to unsuspecting students.
This is not a minor problem. It’s a generational one. Many divers are now learning sidemount not as a solution to complex diving problems, but as a cool-looking configuration that supposedly makes trim easier or buoyancy simpler. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Yes, sidemount diving offers unmatched freedom. Yes, it grants divers redundancy - two independent gas supplies. And yes, it allows for unparalleled access to your own gear, making fault diagnosis and problem-solving easier than in backmount.
But none of these benefits are automatic.
That “freedom” quickly turns into chaos if the diver doesn’t have:
- Consistent horizontal trim
- Solid buoyancy control
- Refined finning techniques
- Calm, efficient gas management
- Gear familiarity and muscle memory
What good is having access to two regulators if you can’t even manage your breathing rate? What use is equipment visibility if your buoyancy is all over the place? The idea that sidemount solves poor trim or buoyancy is not only wrong - it’s dangerous. Sidemount simply exposes your weaknesses more clearly.
Improperly trained sidemount divers often struggle more than their backmount counterparts. Why? Because the configuration assumes you're already a competent diver. It expects you to be aware of cylinder pressure balance, valve management, regulator switching, gas planning, and trim - all at once. Without the right training, sidemount becomes a confusing tangle of hoses, clips, and buoyancy issues.
That’s why instruction matters. Not just any instruction - but from true sidemount practitioners. People who live and breathe this style of diving. People who didn’t just take a weekend instructor course, but who explore, teach, and perfect sidemount diving in real-world conditions.
If you’re reading this as a diver looking to try sidemount - do it. But do it with the right mindset. Don’t chase it for convenience. Don’t expect it to “fix” your diving. Chase it for the mastery, for the elegance of movement, for the safety and redundancy. And when you do, invest in proper training. Seek mentors, not certifications.
If you’re already an instructor considering adding sidemount to your offerings - pause. Ask yourself: Are you ready to demonstrate perfect trim and buoyancy? Can you switch regulators flawlessly mid-dive, while maintaining awareness and control? If not, prioritise becoming a practitioner first. The community doesn’t need more instructors. It needs more masters.
The roots of sidemount are in exploration and problem-solving. Its evolution brought elegance, efficiency, and new ways of diving. But its current mainstream state demands reflection. Sidemount diving is not a fashion statement. It’s not a shortcut. It is a discipline - and one that rewards effort, training, and humility.
Let us return to the mindset of those 1960s cavers: curious, inventive, and unafraid to learn. And let us raise the bar for the next generation of divers, preserving the true spirit of sidemount.
Embrace the challenge. Earn the freedom. And never stop perfecting the craft.
