First time diving doubles and sidemount.

This weekend I will be diving with an instructor to try to get a familiarization with both backmount doubles and sidemount. I don't expect to master either in just a couple of dives over one weekend, but I am doing this in preparation for cavern and intro to cave.

What I am looking for are some tips that I can take into this to maybe get me in the right mindset for learning these different configurations.

Backmount will be with an AL backplate and wing. I am diving a Zeagle Ranger currently, so I don't think that this will be too much of an adjustment. I have been told that there are some differences in diving posture with a backplate VS the ranger, but I think this I can get a handle on.

Sidemount will be with a Dive Rite Nomad and twin LP Steel tanks. I have never dived SM in any form, so this is where some input would really be helpful.
I know a guy that has already learned to dive SM from this instructor, and he didn't seem to have much trouble with it. I have done some reading on the subject, but reading can only take you so far.

Any tips would be very much appreciated.

Take a sidemount course from an instructor who has experience and has been diving sidemount himself for quite a while. Everyone I know who tried to "teach themselves" ended up frustrated and went back to backmount. An good instructor can save you days of grief setting up your gear and getting into proper trim.

No tips to offer you really, just a word of encouragement. I just did a sidemount class 1 week ago for the same reason as you. I found that I really liked sidemount straight away. Hopefully you'll come away from the class with a positive experience like I did.

Good luck!

The instructor I will be diving with has been teaching SM for quite a while, and mostly dives that way in caves. Again, the reason for this session isn't to learn all of the in's and out's of either configuration, it's really just to see if I want to go into my cave course in SM or BM.

kelemvor, I think that I will like sidemount as well.

You will need significant experience with either configuration before doing cave training. You can do cavern in a backmount single with an H-valve.


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Take a sidemount course from Edd sorrenson in Mariana FL if you wanna dive sidemount. If you wanna dive side sling.... then take a padi sidemount course.

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I dive backmount.

The expertise of a sidemount instructor is everything. The market flooded with new sidemount instructors over the last year - many don't have the expertise to really optimize the configuration and skills in their students. If you opt for sidemount, then do research your potential instructor.

Sidemount is very intuitive, even though it is very different to backmount singles. Most of my students find that buoyancy/trim comes easily. The difficulty lies with (re)developing muscle memory and ingrained equipment familiarity; stuff like struggling with clips when donning/doffing cylinders. Allow sufficient time/experience building once you've learned sidemount, before progressing into more challenges.

A good tip... wear the rig at home, whilst watching TV etc.... spend a lot of time clipping/unclipping bolt snaps to the varied d-rings. This helps a lot with the muscle memory.

It also depends on what type of diving you are doing. From my understanding, side mount works great for caves or calm water diving. Now if you Re on a rocking boat and doing deco diving, then backmount and pony slings are usually optimal. Everyone has their opinions and their own way of doing things. Sooner or later you will get into your own personal groove and rely on your own style.

Thanks for all of the replies, and I'm glad that this didn't turn into a BM vs SM thread.

If I decide on SM I will absolutely take a proper course before I try to dive that way for the cave course. This weekend is more of a familiarization so that I can make an educated opinion on which route I will take for the course.

I know that NSS-CDS standards allow for cavern to be taken in rec gear with a single tank, but I would rather take the course in the gear that I will be using for all of the levels after that. I feel that starting the class in the same gear that I will finish in will give me the muscle memory that I know is so important.

DevonDiver, Thanks for that tip. I probably wouldn't have thought of that, and that is something that I can do no matter what config. I decide to go with. The instructor that I will be using has a great reputation locally, and I have read some posts on here that portray him in a very positive light. I have already done my research on that before I ever contacted him, as I have already seen how "the instructor makes the difference." My OW instructor was awesome, but a friend of mine got the "do this, okay now do this. Congrats, here's your card." without really ever learning anything.

The good thing about all of this is, I have already spoken with the shop I plan to do advanced nitrox and decompression with, and they are fully accepting of both configurations. I won't have to buy gear twice, and I like that.