can I ask why you decided to take a sidemount instructor course?
Interesting question, which doesnt lend itself to an altogether straightforward answer.
I started SM as a DIYer I saw SM at Forty Fathom in FL several years ago, talked with Jeff Loflin a lot about it over several months, and was intrigued here was a way of diving doubles that was physically easier than BM. (In fact, my interest was spurred in part by the fact, as I recall it, that I had just walked my double HP 120s all the way up the old steep, rickety steps at Forty, and ran into Jeff at the top, who asked why I was huffing and puffing so much.) So, my original focus in SM was technical we do a reasonable amount of tech training in the shop and SM appeared to be a useful adjunct to that program. And, since I suffer from a bit of a gearhead mentality anyway, I was intrigued. I learned that it was more than a matter of simply gearing up in BP/W, without BM tanks, and strapping on a couple of deco bottles, even though I did that along the way. I got my dive buddy interested, and we bought Nomads to play with. That actually started me thinking about the value of SM for OW recreational divers, as a transition from singles to doubles, that might be easier than going BM. We have a few people (including some OW instructors) who might like to pursue tech but dont want to hassle with BM doubles (and a number of other recreational divers who might want to, but never consider it because BM doubles look awkward to them). We asked Jeff a lot of questions over time, and he finally said, Youre an instructor. Come down and do the SM instructor course. Basically, that would help us learn the techniques that Jeff teaches to new SM divers, and give us some skills we could then pass on to other divers. It made sense. So, we did the Instructor course to both refine our own techniques and learn how to share the experience with others (probably the closest answer to your question). Since then, several other instructors in the shop have acquired Nomads, and are developing their techniques, but havent developed an interest in teaching SM to OW divers. My buddy and I did the Instructor course in January and anticipate finally teaching a formal course late this summer, as we continue to practice techniques and gear configurations so that we are comfortable before we move forward. (In fact, we are doing another in-water SM demo session as part of our scuba club cook-out this weekend.)
Even then, it is one thing to dive / teach SM in quarry conditions, with a simple shore entry, and another to do it off a boat, in current, etc. We do a lot of coastal wreck diving in NC, so my interest has gradually evolved to using SM for open ocean diving. And, it is still a learning process.
