Sidemount Principles For: Success Verified
The initial training should take place in a shallow, calm environment that allows for easy, comfortable in-water practice. Summary Checklist for Success Streamline: Is your cylinder perfectly tucked? Access: Can you reach your valves? Trim: Are you horizontal and stable? Redundancy: Can you handle a regulator failure alone?
A single length of shock cord running across the back and under the arms. This provides excellent flexibility and keeps the valves tucked tightly into your armpits for maximum streamlining.
Success is verified when the harness allows complete freedom of movement while holding the ballast and cylinders securely against the body. The shoulder straps must allow you to reach your valves easily for shutdowns, while the crotch strap must keep the rig from sliding up toward your head when inverted. Spending the time to customize your bungee lengths, D-ring positions, and webbing tension is what separates a frustrating dive from a completely weightless experience.
Hose Routing: Utilize "short" and "long" hose configurations. The long hose (typically on the right tank) provides gas to a teammate in an emergency, while the short hose (left tank) is necklaced for immediate access. sidemount principles for success verified
Use bolt snaps to clip directly onto the cylinder neck or a small running loop. This style offers easier donning and doffing, especially in rough water or restricted spaces.
An adjustable harness is often preferred because it allows for precise positioning of D-rings, ensuring the tank boltsnaps align perfectly with your body shape, whether you are in a wet suit or dry suit.
Keeps the entire harness from riding up toward the neck when vertical or when the wing is fully inflated. 4. Bungie Systems and Upper Attachment Points The initial training should take place in a
Because the cylinders are at your sides, traditional flutter kicks can cause the tanks to swing. Mastering a, frog kick is essential for stability and minimizing disturbance.
The "Sidemount Principles for Success" is a framework often attributed to technical diving experts like Andy Davis, focusing on four core foundational pillars: Equipment Mastery Skill Precision Emergency Drills
: He spent hours on land adjusting his harness and bungees so the cylinders sat tight against his body, streamlined and parallel. Trim: Are you horizontal and stable
In the world of technical and cave diving, few equipment configurations inspire as much passion, debate, and confusion as sidemount. For every diver who claims it changed their life, there is another struggling with tank flop, first-stage entanglement, or catastrophic trim issues. The difference between these two divers isn’t luck or expensive gear; it is adherence to a set of principles.
The top of the cylinder is held in place by a bungee system, which pulls the tank neck tight into the armpit. This keeps the valves protected and perfectly positioned for impact mitigation and gas management.
The following core principles are the "verified" pillars for achieving mastery and success in a sidemount configuration. 1. The Principle of Streamlining and Trim