PADI Sidemount Diver Specialty Course
Discover the balance and efficiency of sidemount scuba diving
Become familiar with the equipment and learn the skills specific to sidemount diving
Step 1 - Knowledge Development
Learn the theory behind sidemount diving
Using PADI’s online eLearning platform, learn about the equipment and techniques used to sidemount dive. Once complete, attend a 3-hour classroom session and course orientation with your instructor to review and build on your newly learned knowledge.
Step 2 - Confined Water
Get comfortable sidemount diving in a controlled environment
During the Confined Water training, your PADI Instructor will introduce you to the core skills required for sidemount diving in the controlled environment of a local pool. Get comfortable with your equipment and build up confidence before heading out into the ocean.
Step 2 - Open Water
Apply your skills in the open water
Take what you’ve learned to the ocean and attend 2 days of open water dive training (3 dives) at one of our local dive sites. You’ll practice sidemount-specific skills such as frog kicking, attaching and removing scuba tanks as you enter and exit the water, unclipping a scuba tank and swimming with the tank in front of you, and how to switch second stages and managing your breathing gas when wearing two scuba tanks.
Learning Options
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$499.99
Join fellow dive students and learn as part of a group. Classes will have a maximum of 4 students per member of teaching staff.
Upcoming course dates are listed below in the Sign Up section at the bottom of this page.
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$699.99
Already found your dive buddy? Sign up as a pair to receive 2-1 training and organize the entire course to fit around your schedule.
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From $899.99
Receive 1-on-1 training from your instructor and organize the entire course to fit around your schedule.
Included With The Course
PADI Sidemount Diver eLearning code.
PADI Certification eCard & Fees.
3-hour classroom session conducted at the Rowands Reef Store.
1 day of confined water training.
2 days (3 dives) of Open Water Training.
20% Discount on in-store product purchases for the duration of your course. (some exceptions apply)
Transportation can be provided in our shop van if personal transport is unavailable. Spaces are limited and will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.
ALL RENTAL EQUIPMENT IS INCLUDED IN THE COURSE PRICE* - This includes drysuit (or wetsuit), drysuit thermals, BCD, regulators, fins, hood, boots, gloves, tanks, and weights.
*We do not rent out masks and snorkels for this course. All students must have their own personal mask and snorkel which can be purchased from Rowand’s Reef using your 20% discount.
Prerequisites
Minimum age: 15 years
All students must be a certified Open Water Diver.
All students must have been diving within the last 12 months.
If your last dive was over a year ago, then you will need to complete a refresher course. This can be done with us here at Rowands Reef - Click Here for more information.
All students must complete the PADI Medical Questionnaire and, if required, have clearance to dive from a qualified physician.
FAQs
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If you’re looking to improve your balance and efficiency in the water as well as prolong your dives, then you’ll probably want to try diving sidemount. In addition to this, many divers find sidemount tanks are more comfortable, easier to put on in the water and allow you to venture into awkward spaces such as caves and wrecks.
The PADI Sidemount Diver Course will introduce you to this new configuration and give skills you need to confidently dive sidemount. Sidemount diving provides many options for cylinder configuration as well as improved safety and is a setup often used for technical diving. In this course, you’ll also gain insight into basic tech diving techniques, a great first step towards more advanced diving.
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Along with learning about the many benefits of diving with a sidemount configuration, you'll learn:
How to properly assemble and configure sidemount scuba diving equipment
Trimming your weight system and sidemount gear so you're perfectly balanced in the water
Different techniques of moving through the water with your sidemount gear
Managing gas by switching second stages
How to respond to potential problems when sidemount diving
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Rowand’s Reef has over 50 years of experience certifying new scuba divers. Whether it’s helping you take your first breaths underwater or giving you the tools you need to take your diving to the next level, we’re here to help and support you through your diving journey!
Whatever your experience, our instructors will work with you to ensure your confidence, comfort, and readiness. Our low Instructor-to-student ratios allow maximum contact time and our top-of-the-line rental equipment will ensure that your dives are successful and enjoyable.
Our mission at Rowand’s Reef is to provide world-class scuba training, making sure that our students have the knowledge and skills they need to be safe out in the water while also having a great time!
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A drysuit is a sealed suit worn when scuba diving instead of a wetsuit to keep you warm in colder water. It works by trapping a layer of air within the suit which acts as an insulator and also helps with your buoyancy. Your body stays dry underneath the drysuit and you can also wear thermals to stay even warmer. In British Columbia, the water gets cold so you will find the vast majority of divers using a drysuit.
Because of our low water temperatures, we highly recommend that you take this course in a drysuit. They will keep you nice and warm, ensuring more comfort and enjoyment in the water. At Rowand's Reef, we carry the Aqua Lung Fusion range of drysuits. These suits contain the latest in drysuit technology and allow for a customized fit with added flexibility and buoyancy control in the water.
However, while we recommend it, you don't have to wear a drysuit if you don't want to. For those who aren't as interested in drysuit diving, we have warm 14/7mm wetsuits available for use in the ocean. These wetsuits will keep you warm in the cold waters for the most part and can be requested in place of the drysuit for use on your course.
If you want to dive in a drysuit but are not yet certified then you can gain your certification here with us at Rowands Reef. Our Drysuit Diver Specialty Courses run once a month - Click Here to find out more.
Sign Up for your PADI Sidemount Diver Specialty Course
Any Questions?
Contact our Dive Team to find out more about our Sidemount Diver Course