Want to experience a new way of diving? Tired of carrying heavy loads on your back? What if you switched to sidemount? But what exactly is it? Nicknamed « English diving » due to its Anglo-Saxon name, sidemount or lateral mounting is not new, and it is becoming quite widespread. It allows, thanks to specific equipment (a harness to which a special buoy is attached), to carry the tanks on the side. Originally invented for cave and wreck divers, the goal was to cross narrow passages without getting stuck with the tanks. This lateral mounting, which offers great freedom of movement, relieves the back and makes the tank valves easily accessible, is no longer reserved only for tech divers. Increasingly, recreational divers are getting into it. Multiple organizations in France and abroad offer specific courses so you can make the most of this different configuration.For the ANMP
LNational Association of Diving Instructors provides a sidemount qualification starting from the Level 1 certificate or the « 20 m escorted diver » qualification. It is awarded by an ANMP member instructor holding the sidemount qualification and is validated when the practitioner has acquired all the required skills and can demonstrate them. A minimum of 3 dives and 1 theoretical course are provided during this training. The training objectives are: knowing your equipment and the specificities of the sidemount configuration, mastering your movement and displacement, integrating a group with sidemount equipment.Prerequisites : 5 dives in natural or artificial environments over 6 meters (pit).For the CMAS
La World Confederation of Underwater Activities offers a sidemount specialty which serves as an introduction to the world of one or more tanks placed on the side. It is achievable starting from level 1. After successfully completing this course, graduates can conduct dives with one or more tanks mounted laterally to a depth depending on the diver’s certification level.Prerequisites : be at least 14 years old, have a medical certificate and parental permission for minors.For the FFESSM
La French Federation of Underwater Studies and Sports grants a recreational sidemount diver qualification through affiliated clubs or approved commercial structures. A specific E2 minimum instructor trains you in various skills (theoretical elements, equipment mastery, reactions to diving incidents). These skills are obtained in a natural environment (sea, lake…), in a pool, or in a diving pit within the 0 to 20-meter range. A minimum of 6 dives with equipment in the sidemount configuration is required.Prerequisites : be at least 14 years old, hold the Level 1 certification and have a medical certificate, parental permission is required for minors.For IANTD
IANTD (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers) is one of the first international agencies in technical diving. You can get initiated into either the « technical » version or the « leisure » version. The latter can be a continuation of an open water diver and is called an open water sidemount diver program (up to 20 meters). The training includes a theoretical part (history, equipment, assembly, procedures for this type of diving) and a practical part first in a pool or protected environment and then in a natural environment (buoyancy technique, propulsion, management in case of incident). The depths reached are never greater than those your certification level allows.Prerequisites : for the technical version be at least 15 years old, for the leisure version be at least 12 years old, parental permissions are required for minors.For PADI
La Professional Association of Diving Instructors, an American scuba diving school, has popularized this activity by bringing it into recreational diving. Sidemount diving training requires three dives with your PADI instructor, who explains the assembly of the new equipment with the lateral configuration of the diving gear, and teaches you to master your new buoyancy for perfect balance in the water.Prerequisites : be 15 years or older, have parental permission for minors, be certified as an open water diver (up to 18 m depth) and have a medical certificate.For SSI
La Scuba Schools International is an international diving training organization. Its option recreational sidemount diving is composed of two parts: a first theoretical part (history, benefits for recreational divers, practical configuration, buoyancy, planning) and a second practical part. A minimum of 2 dives in a natural environment is required and a training dive in a protected environment is strongly recommended beforehand.Prerequisites : be at least 12 years old, hold an open water diver certification or equivalent, complete a medical questionnaire, parental permission for minors is required.For TDI
TDI (Technical Diving International) is an international organization specializing in technical diving. With its option sidemount dive you learn to dive with two tanks attached on the sides. A qualified TDI instructor trains you to master your buoyancy and to dive in confined spaces. Approximately 6 hours of training are planned, one dive in a protected environment and a minimum of 4 dives in a natural environment.Prerequisites : be at least 18 years old, have obtained the minimum certification ofSDI Advanced Open Water Scuba Diveror PADI equivalent.
Morgane CONSTANTIN