Sidemount course really necessary?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The elephant in the room here is that quite frankly I've seen more than a few side mount instructors that don't know beans about side mount and turn out really poor side mount divers - even by OW standards - turning out "low mounted" divers with horrible hose configuration, poor trim, etc.

A class offered by an instructor of that caliber is probably worse than useless.

I would not personally even consider a side mount class from an instructor who did not dive and teach that configuration on a regular basis in a cave environment.

I've been asked a number of times to teach sidemount. Though I could self-certify and I had a good course, I lack the experience to give class that is not worse than useless. If I taught sidemount, I'd resemble that remark.

And the advice I give to people, only take sidemount from someone who are cave certified at a minimum.

 

[tbone1004]

I would not personally even consider a side mount class from an instructor who did not dive and teach that configuration on a regular basis in a cave environment.

Just don't tell that to @DevonDiver

though in the US I do agree with you

 

[abnfrog]

thx jay

 

[DevonDiver]

Just don't tell that to @DevonDiver

Ah, that's ok. I can teach Advanced (Overhead) Sidemount... and you need full cave or technical wreck as a prerequisite to that. So I think it counts as higher level experience

I'm still trying to find some diveable caves close to me in the northern Philippines. What caves we do have here involve a flight, then a long, slow road trip... and most then require a team of porters to lug cylinders through the jungle.

I've had the invite to do cave instructor training for the last 5 years or so. But I don't believe in teaching something that I don't do frequently as a diver. I wouldn't be able to frequently dive caves. I've been lucky to have been mentored by two very exceptional cave instructors over the years... and that's naturally had a big influence on my approach to wreck diving and my use of sidemount.

And the advice I give to people, only take sidemount from someone who are cave certified at a minimum.

It's been 4 years now since recreational sidemount went mainstream and popular. Whilst there's an awful lot of junk tuition being given, there's also a few recreational-only instructors who've had the time and good tuition to reach a decent level of expertise with sidemount.

IMHO, the biggest mistake some agencies made was treating sidemount like just another 'specialty course', that can be taught by single-tank recreational instructors after a few days cross-over tuition. It would have been better implemented at the start if they'd reserved it to, at least, technical instructors. i.e. instructors with experience setting up harness-based rigs, teaching fundamental skills and using multiple tanks. But the instructor pool is slowly catching up nowadays... and I see more and more evidence that decent sidemount training is becoming more accessible.

This is also true because some of the faux-sidemount instructors who leaped on the band-wagon at the start haven't had much success selling courses (surprise, surprise...) and they're not bothering to teach/promote sidemount any more. Balance is being restored after the initial frenzy...