Sidemount dive during the certification course at Portofino
Certification

Sidemount Diver Course

The complete path to your SDI/TDI Sidemount Diver certification.

The SDI/TDI Sidemount Diver course is the complete path to gaining your certification and starting to dive sidemount on your own.

It isn’t just about learning to carry cylinders at your sides. It’s about rethinking entirely the way you move underwater: trim, buoyancy, propulsion, gas management, emergency procedures. Everything is rebuilt from the ground up with the precision sidemount demands.

Programme

The theory part covers the principles of the sidemount configuration, gas matching procedures for dissimilar volumes, managing emergencies with independent systems and dive planning.

In the water we work on: propulsion techniques (frog kick, modified frog kick, modified flutter kick, backward kick, helicopter turn), buoyancy control in static hovering, holding trim through every phase of the dive, emergency exercises and valve drill.

Course details

Duration3–4 days
DivesMinimum 4 in open water
TheoryWritten exam (min. 80%)
CertificationSDI or TDI Sidemount Diver
WherePortofino Marine Reserve

Prerequisites

  • 18 years old (15 with parental consent)
  • Open Water Diver certification or equivalent
  • Good general health

The Sidemount Diver certification counts as a specialty towards the SDI Advanced Diver Development path and is the natural first step into technical diving.

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