TDI Sidemount Diver
A more comfortable, safer, and efficient way to dive!
The Sidemount system is transforming how divers explore the underwater world. By placing the tanks along your sides rather than on your back, you reduce surface weight and gain total freedom of movement underwater.
This setup enhances buoyancy control, promotes a more stable horizontal trim, and facilitates easier access to the valves. It also enhances your hydrodynamics, allowing you to glide through the water with less effort, resulting in longer, safer, and more enjoyable dives with better control and efficiency.
Course details
Includes:
- Transportation from Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, and Tulum.
- Nitrox 32%
- Cenote entrance fees
- Water, lunch, and snacks
Duration:
Minimum 2 days and 3 dives, but we move at your pace. Take the time you need to feel comfortable.
Why switch to Sidemount
Because once you try it, there’s no going back. Sidemount gives you freedom of movement you didn’t know you needed, a more streamlined profile, and complete control over your gear and buoyancy.
You’ll breathe more efficiently, move with less effort, and feel lighter and more confident on every dive. It’s the preferred configuration for divers who want to go farther, deeper, and with greater awareness.
And no, it's not just for cave diving.
Sidemount is equally well-suited for reef diving, wrecks, open water, lakes, and cenotes, offering comfort, safety, and freedom in any environment. It’s also the ideal foundation for
technical diving.
Sidemount is widely used in all overhead and advanced technical courses, including Cavern, Intro to Cave, Full Cave, Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures, Extended Range, and Trimix.
CHOOSE SIDEMOUNT AND TAKE YOUR DIVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
What Skills
Will You Learn?
- Donning and doffing equipment at the surface
- Dive planning and situational awareness
- Pre-dive planning using the START protocol:
S – Simulate gas switch and bubble check
T – Team gear check
A – Air matching
R – Route (entry/exit and navigation plan)
T – Tables (depth profile, time, and limits)
- Stress analysis and mitigation
- Communication using hand and light signals
- Advanced propulsion techniques:
Frog kick
Modified kick
Helicopter turn
Back kick
- Buoyancy and trim control, including hovering in place.
- Cylinder management: unclipping and clipping
- Gas switching while maintaining a trim.
- Safe gas handling with independent cylinders.
- Efficient and secure regulator switching.
- Gas sharing with a long hose and proper stowage.
- Valve management.
- Problem-solving in overhead or confined environments:
Gas sharing
Dealing with leaks
Light failures
Loss of visibility
Entanglements
Self-rescue
- Handling equipment failures (clips, bungees, etc).
- Removing and reattaching tanks underwater.
- Environmental awareness, conservation techniques, and backward referencing.
Technical Background
and Context of
Sidemount
- History of sidemount diving in Mexico and worldwide.
- Applications in cave and overhead environment diving.
- Emergency procedures and gas failure management.
- Psychological aspects of Sidemount in confined spaces.
- Safe team-based gas-sharing protocols.
Prerequisites
Required Certification:
Open Water Scuba Diver
Minimum age:
18 Years old
Training per day
Other costs
The eLearning material and the certification fees are not included and must be paid separately.
To get the most out of your time with us, we recommend starting with the eLearning program before your in-water sessions. The certification fee is paid at the end of your training, once all requirements are met.
Optional: Add an extra day for technical skill reinforcement or fun diving/practice in the caverns of the cenotes.
RELATED
COURSES
Yes, it’s technical. Yes, it’s demanding. But you’ve got to have fun!
RAZOR Open Water
Side-Mount Diver
TDI Cavern Diver
Intro to Cave Diving
TDI Full Cave Diver
RAZOR Sidemount
Cave Diver
TDI Advanced Nitrox
