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SDI sat down with avid sidemount diver and instructor Pete Nawrocky with Dive Rite to discuss how and why divers get involved in Sidemount Diving.

SDI – How long have you been diving?
Pete – I started diving in 1971 and then in 1998 started with sidemount.

SDI – Why did you want to dive sidemount?
Pete – Caves. I got into it because I simply could not fit safely with backmount. And back then, the only way to do sidemount diving was to build your own harness.
Originally that was the whole intent, and it was more in terms of getting into areas that were not accessible with backmount. Now, it’s changed to the point where it could be called a lifestyle change where people actually make the commitment to diving sidemount. Here are a couple of factors that make that decision:

1. The inability to carry weight because they have a back problem, lack of mobility, or shoulder problem, is usually a reason people switch to sidemount.
2. People feel comfortable with it once they have it on in the water; they find it a lot easier to work with after they have been trained and they are using the unit for a while. They seem to stick with it, whether boat or shore diving.
3. And another common one is ahh… ‘cause it looks good. It’s a lifestyle change. People want to do something different than they have been doing before.

SDI – Who is the ideal candidate for sidemount diving?
Pete – The minimum certification level a diver should have is advanced scuba diver, but there is no ideal candidate. It really comes down to somebody who has a desire to do this type of diving and they make a commitment to it.

SDI – Are there pre-requisite experiences for sidemount? If so, what are they?
Pete – We want to make sure divers are comfortable in the water and with their equipment before trying a different style. A lot of people think in terms of wearing 2 tanks when talking about sidemount. Well, you don’t have to wear 2 tanks; you can wear a single tank while diving sidemount, and deciphering between 1 or 2 tanks really depends on the person. By and large the people that want to be in sidmeount have already made that decision, and the way they made that decision is most times they have tried it, whether they tried at the pool or a demo day event, or they have talked with their friends or seen people with it. Once they get started, they tend to stick with it.

SDI – As a sidemount instructor, what advice would you like to share with divers who are considering the course/style?
Pete – The first thing they should do is try it before they get involved in anything else. There’s a lot of events and demos for divers to actually get the gear on in water, so they can get a feel for the equipment. I strongly recommend that they take a course because it’s not difficult to dive with, but it is about gear management and gas management while you’re making the dive. You just don’t buy it, slap it on and go; it has to be fitted to an individual’s body shape for a proper wear.

SDI – Once the diver has committed to trying sidemount, do they have a learning curve when transitioning from backmount to sidemount?
Pete – Yes, there is a learning curve, and that curve is getting the gear configured to your body shape and learning to manage the equipment in the water as well as managing your gas consumption. Diving is both a mental and physical sport. Some people pick up on it right away and feel very comfortable with the configuration, and others have to change the way they swim in the water, since a frog kick is the preferred method of locomotion underwater and they have always been doing a butterfly, so mastering the frog kick and the equipment is the most important learning curve.

SDI – You recently taught an SDI headquarters’ staff member, Taylor. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Pete – Taylor did great during the course; her trim was good, her fin kick was good, she handled it well, she did all the drills properly and took her time. The major skill in sidemount diving is the ability to handle your gear by yourself. There is no reason for a sidemount diver to have to have someone help them get dressed, that’s all part of the class. She learned how to get dressed on the surface and in the water as well as de-kitting on the surface and in the water. That’s the major thing about sidemount diving, you’re not supposed to need a caddy, so-to-speak, to help you get dressed and in and out of the water.

SDI – If I want to try sidemount, where would I go to learn more?
Pete – Demo Days are a great place to learn more. Most dive centers and manufactures will have demo days so divers can try out new equipment. Dive Rite and TDI are partnered up this year at several locations, one being at Dutch Springs on June 8, 2013.

SDI – Last year SDI/TDI and Dive Rite teamed up with Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire for a week of tech dive demos, presentations and training. Was sidemount included in the camp?
Pete – Yes it was, and we will be doing it again this October, 2013. Bonaire was a blast! We had a pre-dive briefing and then off to the water. We demonstrated how to get dressed in the water while floating on the surface. Then with a sidemount instructor, they went on a guided dive, so they got the experience of actually diving sidemount. And for those who were qualified as instructors, we helped them work toward their instructor level.

SDI – If you could rectify one myth about sidemount diving, what would it be?
Pete – The first thing you have to understand, sidemount diving was propelled to where it is today by the consumer, not the manufacturers. This is what the people wanted. They saw the advantages, they tried it and they enjoyed it. The only thing I can say this is akin to is if you are a skier, and if you remember about 30 years ago when the snowboards started showing up on the slopes, everyone said it was a fad and it wasn’t going to stick. Now, it’s an Olympic sport.
Sidemount diving is viewed upon the same way. You can see people discussing it, saying it’s not necessary, its only mission specific, but what it comes down to is that this is something that somebody wants to do and they make the active decision to dive this way and that’s why it took off, because they liked it.

SDI – Whats next from sidemount?
A – Sidemount is just a different way of carrying your gear. So to make it simple, the sport diver with a single sidemount may want to make that jump to deep dives, requiring decompression diving with a double sidemount, wearing two tanks. And after that, the next step would be technical sidemount, where you might be doing mixed gas dives, carrying 2 cylinders or you may be up to four or more because you’re doing trimix dives that require switching to different breathing mixtures.

SDI – That leads me to my next question: is 2 tanks technical diving?
Pete – No, technical diving isn’t what you’re wearing; technical diving is what you’re doing. Some people like the 2 tanks even though they are not doing deco, but they are planning 2 dives that day. Wearing both tanks on the first dive is all about gas management so they have enough gas in both tanks to make the second dive without changing their rigging.
Individuals considering solo diving may look at sidemout diving as one of the best configurations to go with because you have full control over your equipment. In terms of gas management, if you have any problems with your hoses or regulators, you can actually see what you’re working with.

SDI – And finally, is sidemount your preferred configuration for diving?
Pete – Yes. If I’m not diving the rebreather, I prefer to dive sidemount.

For more information on sidemount diving or to find an SDI sidemount instructor near you, visit us at https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/get-certified/sdi-open-water-sidemount-diver/

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