Sidemount- Principles For Success May 2026

Why most divers fail: They practice this on land, perfectly, and then discover that a current or a ripping surface chop makes the tank wobble. Success requires you to stabilize the tank with your elbow while your hand works the valve.

Pro Tip: Tuck your elbow against your hip to lock the tank in place. Now rotate the valve. If your elbow is floating free, the tank will spin and you will fail. Sidemount- Principles For Success

The act of clipping a tank to your chest D-ring and sliding it back to your hip is the signature skill of sidemount. Most divers fail because they try to clip the tank while it is floating wildly behind them. Why most divers fail: They practice this on

To succeed, you must treat gas switching like a religion. The gold standard is the 200 PSI (15 bar) rotation. Every time the active regulator’s pressure drops by 200 PSI, you switch. The act of clipping a tank to your

Set a timer on your dive computer for every 5 minutes. When it beeps, switch. Do not wait until one tank is "low." By rotating frequently, you keep the tanks within 500 PSI of each other throughout the dive.