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PADI Sidemount Diver Course

Prolong your dives and discover a new and more efficient diving configuration on the PADI Sidemount Course!

About The Course

$399 – Private one-on-one course

$249 – Bring 1 friend – SAVE $150 per person!

$199 – Bring 2 friends – SAVE $200 per person!

$175 – Bring 3 friends – SAVE $224 per person!

The Sidemount Diver Course is designed to teach the diver how to use 2 sidemounted tanks instead of a standard back mount kit.

As the saying goes, you can’t breathe lead, so you may as well carry an extra cylinder instead of extra weight to keep you down. This will give you a reserve (or more air to breathe), make you more self-reliant, will make you more streamlined in the water and can make you a safer diver in certain scenarios, such as wrecks or caves.


During the Sidemount Diver Course, you will be using sidemounted cylinders, look at gas management, work on your profile, weighting and trim in the water and learn to problem solve using multiple cylinders, including shutdown drills in case of equipment failure.

 


This course can be combined with other courses, such as Basic Cave or Advanced Nitrox & Deco Procedures or can be done as a standalone course.

About the Course

Standard Course Schedule (Adelaide)

The PADI Sidemount Specialty Course is run over 2 days in Adelaide. We start with a quick review of the theory at the dive centre and go through different ways of mounting your cylinders and general sidemount gear setup configurations! That afternoon we’ll go for our first check dive to get used to the new configuration and learn the basics of Sidemount diving.

On the second day, we’ll go for 2 dives and dive deep into emergency procedures, buoyancy practice and skill training and assessment using two cylinders.

The course runs over 2 full days from 9AM to 5PM.

Things to bring:

  • Your Certification Card

  • PADI Sidemount Diver eLearning Results

Usual Schedule:

Independent Study(2 – 4 Hours)PADI eLearning
Saturday Morning9:00AM-12:00PMTheory & Gear Setup
Saturday Afternoon1:00PM-5:00PMOcean Dive 1
Sunday9:00AM-5:00PMOcean Dives 2 & 3

Standard Course Schedule (Mount Gambier)

For those wanting to get into cave diving, we have the option to do this course in Mount Gambier. In this case, the training is provided through the TDI eLearning portal and the course is run over 2½ days.

We start the training with a theory night in Adelaide, where we explore different gear setups and mounting techniques. We then plan a diving weekend away to explore the ponds and sinkholes in Mount Gambier or if you’re already CDAA Basic Cave certified (or higher), we can explore some of the CDAA-rated sites in Mount Gambier with our tech instructors.

*Extra costs may apply for this option.

 

Things to bring:

  • Your Certification Card

  • TDI Sidemount Diver eLearning Results

Usual Schedule:

Independent Study(2 – 4 Hours)TDI eLearning
Weekday Night6:00PM-9:00PMTheory & Gear Setup
Saturday10:00AM-5:00PMFresh Water Dives 1 & 2
Sunday8:00AM-12:00PMFresh Water Dive 3

Inclusions and Exclusions

The course costs include your eLearning for Sidemount Diver, 3 dives and certification.

Sidemount cylinders can be supplied for use during the course if required.

Additional training dives will incur a fee to cover additional costs.

TDI Sidemount Specialty Course
TDI Sidemount Course Mount Gambier Diving Adelaide

Gear Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

Would you like to share your diving experiences with someone close to you or give the gift of endless adventures? You can now easily give the gift of diving with a Gift Voucher!


You can collect a physical gift voucher from the store or simply purchase one through our online store from the comfort of your home.


The online gift voucher will be delivered via email and can be redeemed online.

Online Gift Vouchers

The minimum requirement for this course is that you are a certified diver (PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent). We highly recommend having done at least 25 dives and your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course before signing up for this course.

The standard course includes 3 dives. If extra dives are required, additional fees will apply.

Have you completed your Open Water or Advanced Open Water Diver certification with a different agency? PADI and TDI recognise most other training agencies, such as SSI or RAID, so you can simply cross over to the PADI or TDI system by booking onto this course. If in doubt, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

We have taught the youngest kids all the way up to 70 years old to dive, so don’t think you need to be superfit to participate in this course!

There are no waterman skills (swims or floats) to complete before the course, but you have to be comfortbale in the water of course and be able to carry the equipment (including a tank and weights).

All participants need to fill out a dive medical questionnaire before the course. Simply follow the steps on the form to determine whether you will need clearance to start your course. We recommend SPUMS Diving Dr Anne Sampson from Hallett Cove for dive medicals (Mobile: 0418 803 250).

The minimum number of participants for us to run the Sidemount Specialty Course is just one, as this course can be taught as a private course.

The minimum age to do this course with us is just 15 years old (with parental consent).

Whether you’re sick, got COVID19, need to isolate, haven’t completed the PADI eLearning in time or can’t make the proposed course dates anymore, you can reschedule at any time before or during the course for any reason.

To reschedule, we will charge a small rescheduling fee of $99. As soon as a course spot is booked, we reserve a company van and book in an instructor for your course. The rescheduling fee will be used to cover the costs.

The theory for the Sidemount Diver Courses is delivered through eLearning. The eLearning is included in the course fee.

The theory for this course takes approximately 2 – 4 hours to complete. 

The main thing to remember is that we are going to get wet anyway, so if it rains a little that is totally fine (you will be nice and warm in your new drysuit).

However, we are of course dependent on the weather, with the wind and swell being the main factors that determine whether we can go diving safely. If the weather forecast predicts large swells or high winds, we may have to transfer the course to a different weekend. We always keep an eye on the weather forecast and will notify you beforehand if we expect this to be the case!

If signing up for the Mount Gambier version of this course, weather is less of an issue, as the fresh water sites are diveable almost all year round.

The Sidemount Specialty Courses are normally run over 2-3 days. For standard course schedules, please see above.

Please block a full weekend (or 2 full weekdays) in your agenda for this course. Exact times and the dive site will be confirmed by your instructor on the course. 

Any dive centre around the world will recognise your Sidemount Specialty Course certification card. PADI is the largest certification agency in the world with more than 6000 dive centres worldwide and TDI is one of the most recognised technical training agencies worldwide.

Even if you end up diving somewhere in the world with a non-PADI or non-TDI dive centre, they will recognise your certification.

To get the most out of the Sidemount Course, we highly recommend owning most of your own gear, including suitable exposure protection, mask and fins, a cutting device, a sidemount regulator set and a sidemount BCD.

Cylinders can be included at no extra cost. If using own cylinders, any required air fills at Diving Adelaide for use during the course will be free of charge.

Sidemount gear may be available for hire at an additional cost.

Once you have succesfully completed the Sidemount Specialty Course, you will have gained the experience to dive confidently in a Sidemount setup and with twin sidemount tanks.

You will be added to the Diving Adelaide newsletter, where we announce our (free) social shore dives for ex-students and our weekends away, interstate and international dive trips and so much more!

You can join any of the dive clubs in Adelaide as well. Many dive clubs run boat dives for just $25 for a single dive or $35 for 2 dives!

Keen to take the next step? If you have completed the PADI Sidemount Specialty Course, you are now one step closer to achieving the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating! This rating is achieved by completing your core courses (open water, advanced open water and rescue diver) as well as 5 specialty and completing a minimum of 50 dives!

Most Sidemount Divers are interested in technical diving. In that case, we recommend the Basic Cave Course next or if you’re keen to get into tech diving, but are not sure whether cave diving is your thing, the Intro To Tech Course may be better suited!

Most people will have completed their advanced course before taking the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty Course. Even when thinking about getting into technical diving, we highly recommend taking the PADI Rescue Diver Course next, which is designed in a way that you can sign up for it straight after your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course. The course runs over just 1 weekend (or 2 weekdays)! During the rescue course you will learn how to prevent and handle diving emergencies and become a more competent diver and dive buddy.

Booking Terms & Conditions

No shows, cancellations and transfers

  1. If you cancel your course on or within 7 days of the start date of the course, no refund will be given.
  2. If you cancel your course 7+ days before the start date, a cancellation fee of $99 will apply. Please note the eLearning portion ($125) of this course is non-refundable.
  3. If you fail to attend your course without notification, no refund will be given.
  4. You may reschedule your course before the course starts at any time and for any reason (including sickness, not completing eLearning in time and  COVID-19 related issues such as isolation). A $99 rescheduling fee will apply.
  5. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions on the dive medical questionnaire, clearance to dive by a SPUMS dive doctor will have to be provided at the start of the course (stating you are fit to dive unconditionally). Failure to do so will result in a $99 rescheduling fee.
  6. You may transfer the course to someone else at no charge before the start of the course. Please note the eLearning portion of this course ($125) may be transferrable, but if already redeemed, will need to be purchased again.
  7. All instructions are provided in English only. You are required to be proficient in English. Other students cannot translate on behalf of your instructor (no translation services can be used).
  8. If you fail to complete the course during the scheduled times, a $99 rescheduling fee will be payable to complete the course at a later date.
  9. Failure to adhere to all of the pre-course requirements found on the course overview page (including completion of any online training) will result in cancellation of the course. No refund will be given and rebooking will be at full cost.
  10. You need to be comfortable in the water and have dived in recent years. If you’re not comfortable in the water or are not sure, please contact us beforehand or book a Refresher Course first. Failure to do so may result in course cancellation without refund and rebooking will be at full cost.
  11. Courses must be completed within 90 days of the original start date.
  12. Under 18’s must have a parental waiver signed by parent/guardian on or before the start day of the course.
  13. All fees are per person.
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