If you have been diving for a while, you eventually reach a point where you start looking at your standard BCD and asking, “Is there a more efficient way to do this?”

For decades, backmount (wearing a single heavy cylinder on your spine) was the only way recreational divers learned to dive. It works, it is simple, and it is the universal standard. But it also has its flaws. A steel tank is heavy, it throws off your center of gravity on land, and if your valve has a leak underwater, it is sitting completely out of sight behind your head.

Enter sidemount diving. By moving the tanks from your back to your sides, tucked neatly under your armpits, you completely change the physics and feel of being underwater. Here is a breakdown of why so many recreational divers are making the switch, and how to know if it is the right move for you.

Why Do Divers Love Sidemount?

1. It Saves Your Back (and Knees)

This is the number one reason recreational divers switch to sidemount. Hauling an 80-pound tank on your back across a rocky beach or pitching boat deck is exhausting. With sidemount, you don’t wear the tanks on land. You walk to the water wearing a lightweight harness, have the deckhand hand you your tanks in the water, and clip them on while you are weightless. If you suffer from lower back pain, sidemount is an absolute game-changer.

2. Total Valve Access and Redundancy

In a standard backmount setup, if your regulator starts free-flowing or an O-ring blows, you have to reach blindly behind your head to try and turn the air off. In sidemount, the tank valves are literally resting right in front of your chest. You can see your first stages, you can see your hoses, and you can manipulate your valves instantly. Plus, because you are carrying two completely independent tanks, if one fails, you simply switch regulators and safely end the dive. It is the ultimate self-reliant safety setup.

3. The Ultimate Trim (Perfect Horizontal Balance)

When you have a heavy tank strapped to your back, it acts like a keel on a boat, constantly wanting to roll you from side to side. Sidemount places the weight on your flanks, completely stabilizing your center of gravity. It is incredibly easy to achieve perfect, flat, horizontal trim. You feel less like a scuba diver and more like a submarine.

4. Streamlining and Freedom of Movement

Without a rigid tank and BCD backplate restricting your spine, your flexibility skyrockets. You can look straight up without banging the back of your head on a first stage. Because the tanks are tucked under your arms, your vertical profile is drastically reduced, making it much easier to glide over delicate reefs or through swim-throughs without snagging.

Is There a Downside?

Sidemount isn’t perfect for every single scenario. The primary drawback is the initial learning curve and the gear requirement.

You cannot use a standard BCD; you must invest in a dedicated sidemount harness. You also need two sets of regulators with very specific hose lengths to avoid a tangled mess. Additionally, managing two tanks means you have to constantly switch regulators back and forth during the dive (usually every 500 psi) to keep the tanks balanced, which adds a bit of task-loading to your dive.

Finally, if you primarily do fast-paced drift diving from small pangas (like in Cozumel), passing two tanks up to the boat captain while bouncing in the waves can sometimes be more cumbersome than just climbing a ladder with a single tank on your back.

Is Sidemount Right for You?

So, should you take the plunge?

• Yes, if: You have back or joint issues, you love extending your bottom time with double the air, you are interested in moving toward technical or cave diving, or you simply love fine-tuning your gear and achieving flawless buoyancy.
• Maybe skip it if: You only dive once a year on tropical vacations where you want the absolute simplest, grab-and-go rental gear experience possible.

Ready to Make the Switch?

You can’t just buy a sidemount harness online and figure it out in the lake. The setup requires precise adjustments to make the tanks sit perfectly parallel to your body.

If you are ready to experience the freedom of diving without a tank on your back, your first step is the SSI Sidemount Diving Specialty. Stop by 72 Aquatics, and we will walk you through the rigs, the regulator routing, and get you scheduled for a pool session to feel the difference for yourself. Once you feel that perfect horizontal trim, you might never go back to backmount again!