Sidemount Diving
It has been an extremely busy March and April for Sidemount divers here at Liquid. But why so many?
I am fortunate to say that with the high traffic of PADI Divemasters and Instructors that frequent our doors there are plenty of candidates for the technical diving world. Unfortunately, not everyone is sold on the excitement and challenge that is ‘tech diving’. For many the equipment seems cumbersome (not as bad as most think) and the proposition of the deep, dark twilight zone doesn’t have an appeal – each to their own I believe is the term.
Sidemount diving carries with it some of the challenges and equipment that is used in technical diving – however on a recreational level seems like a nearer stepping stone for most.
I think one of the big appeals with sidemount is it isn’t out there and branded as technical diving on dive forums and the general recreation diving interweb– and not to put anyone off – but that is odd.
Many are unaware that sidemount diving really started in caves and had its own revolution when ‘normal’ technical diving equipment was no longer feasible for further penetrations and tighter spaces. So really it came from one of the most extreme versions of technical diving – deep and restricted overhead environments.
I think for most who try sidemount diving as an introduction to their technical world will find it is, and I don’t use this term lightly, EASY to transition from backmounted, single tank, recreational diving. For the life of me I can’t tell you why but something about it makes trim easier, makes people more aware of monitoring their gas content, improves efficiency and throws more enjoyment back into their diving – who only wants one cylinder, right?!
Unsure about if you will enjoy technical diving or not, or just want to spend a couple of days learning something new – come on by and give sidemount a try.
Contact Liquid today to find out about our range of technical scuba dive courses, including Sidemount diving.
Jim
