Sidemount Principles For Success Verified

SPGs should be mounted on short, 6-inch hoses, routed downward along the cylinder body, and clipped off to the facing D-rings. This allows you to check your gas pressures with a simple downward glance, keeping the gauges protected from impact and preventing them from dangling below your profile. 4. Gas Management and Situational Awareness

The left-hand cylinder typically supplies the short hose regulator (hanging on a necklace under the chin) and the drysuit or BC low-pressure inflator. The right-hand cylinder routes the long hose (typically 2 meters/7 feet) down the tank and across the chest, ready for instant donation to a buddy in an out-of-gas emergency.

In overhead environments, divers manage gas by halves or thirds. Even in open water, balance must be maintained. sidemount principles for success verified

Leo began to focus on the Four Foundations :

Success is verified when the harness allows complete freedom of movement while holding the ballast and cylinders securely against the body. The shoulder straps must allow you to reach your valves easily for shutdowns, while the crotch strap must keep the rig from sliding up toward your head when inverted. Spending the time to customize your bungee lengths, D-ring positions, and webbing tension is what separates a frustrating dive from a completely weightless experience. SPGs should be mounted on short, 6-inch hoses,

The bodies of the cylinders should run along the latissimus dorsi muscles, neither dropping below the body nor floating above it.

: Dedicate one-third of your gas for penetration, one-third for exit, and one-third for emergencies. Even in open water, balance must be maintained

To verify success in streamlining, you must ensure that your cylinders sit perfectly parallel to your body. Tanks should not flare outward at the bottoms or drop too low below your hips. Proper bungeeing keeps the valves tucked tightly into your armpits, while correct bolt snap placement on the lower cylinder rigging ensures the tanks hug your flanks. A streamlined profile reduces the effort required to move through the water, directly improving gas consumption and reducing fatigue. 2. Absolute Trim and Buoyancy Control

The Rule of Sixths or Thirds: Depending on the environment, you must switch regulators frequently to keep the pressure in both tanks relatively equal. A common practice is switching every 30–50 bar (500–700 psi).

Steve Davis, founder of Sidemount Pros and host of the Speaking Sidemount podcast, reinforces this philosophy. His instruction emphasises that the goal isn’t just to pass a course but to develop a system that works for you and to dive it consistently.

Sidemount is not a "one-size-fits-all" configuration. The harness must be treated as an extension of your skeleton, customized to your specific body proportions.