Sidemount Diver Instructor

Sidemount diving has moved firmly into the mainstream, valued by recreational and technical divers alike for its streamlined profile, redundancy and comfort. This instructor course prepares qualified PADI professionals to teach it properly, covering how to organise, promote and run the PADI Sidemount Specialty Diver course at your own centre.

The training is hands-on and practical throughout, built around teaching tips and direct experience passed on by your local PADI Course Director. You will look at how to structure sidemount training for divers coming from a standard back-mount background, the configuration and trim considerations that make sidemount distinctive, and how to present the specialty so students understand exactly what it offers them.

To enrol you will need to hold PADI Assistant Instructor status, be an instructor candidate in training, or hold a Divemaster rating, and some specialties carry additional prerequisites of their own, so it is worth confirming these in advance.

Sidemount is one of the more in-demand specialties among divers who have already built up some experience and want a genuinely different way of diving. Adding it to your teaching credentials broadens what you can offer at your centre, and also counts toward Master Scuba Diver Trainer status, which requires at least five specialty instructor certifications.