Build a rig that fits you
Harness, bungees, clips and cylinder trim, adjusted to your body millimetre by millimetre. A fitted sidemount rig disappears in the water. An unfitted one fights you all dive.
PADI specialty · Configuration
PADI Sidemount Specialty in Hurghada
Move your tanks off your back and feel the water differently: perfect trim, valves you can see, double the gas, and a configuration that grows with you into technical diving.
Book this coursefrom €330 all-inclusive
Duration
2 days
Dives
1 skills + 3 dives
Gear
Full sidemount rig provided
Min age
15 years
Prerequisite
Open Water Diver
Path
Gateway to tech diving
The course
What this course really gives you
Sidemount started in caves and conquered the recreational world for a simple reason: it feels better. Tanks ride along your sides instead of on your spine, your body flattens into natural trim, and every valve and regulator sits where you can see and reach it. Divers with back trouble often call it the config that saved their diving.
The course is one skills session and three open water dives over two days. Most of day one is fitting: a sidemount harness has to be adjusted to your body like a suit, and rushing that step ruins the course. Once the rig sits right, we drill cylinder clipping, gas switching, valve management and trim until the configuration stops feeling exotic.
By the last dive you are managing two independent cylinders without thinking about it, which quietly doubles your gas and your redundancy. If technical diving is anywhere in your future, this course is the most comfortable first step toward it.
Skills
What you learn
Handle two independent cylinders
Clipping on in the water, switching regulators on schedule, balancing gas between tanks. Redundancy stops being theory and becomes routine.
Find real trim
With the weight off your spine, horizontal trim comes almost free. We refine it with fin technique until your profile is flat, quiet and efficient.
Manage valves you can actually see
In sidemount every valve and first stage is in front of you. You learn checks and drills that back-mounted divers can only do by feel.
This course fits you if
- Divers with back or shoulder issues, sidemount takes the tank off your spine and lets you kit up in the water
- Photographers and long-dive lovers who want double the gas
- Future tech and cave divers, this is the standard config there
- Gear enthusiasts who enjoy a setup they can truly fine-tune
Included in €330
- Full sidemount rig provided
- Personal configuration fitting
- 3 open water sidemount dives
- Private instructor
- Boat day with lunch, 8 AM - 4 PM, hotel pickup
Where this takes you next
PADI Deep Diver Specialty
Two cylinders and deep training together make long Red Sea wall dives feel easy and safe.
Reviews
What divers say, in their own languages
4.8 from divers who took this course with us
Chris B.
United States
Herniated disc nearly ended my diving. Sidemount course here gave it back to me: geared up floating in the water, zero weight on my back, and my trim has never been better. Instructor spent a full morning just dialing in the harness. Worth double the price.
Google · January 2026
Léa D.
Belgique
Formation sidemount très complète. Le réglage du harnais a pris du temps mais quelle différence sous l'eau: trim parfait, gestion des deux blocs devenue naturelle dès la troisième plongée. Excellent tremplin vers la tek.
Tripadvisor · Mars 2026
Andreas M.
Deutschland
Sidemount-Kurs mit komplettem Leihequipment. Der Instructor hat sich enorm Zeit für die Anpassung genommen, danach saß alles perfekt. Zwei Flaschen, doppelte Redundanz, endlich echte Wasserlage. Rücken freut sich auch.
Google · April 2026
Marco V.
Italia
Corso sidemount ben strutturato: prima sessione dedicata alla configurazione, poi tre immersioni per affinare assetto e gestione delle bombole. Alla fine il sistema è diventato naturale. Avrei gradito un quarto tuffo, ma esperienza ottima.
Facebook · Febbraio 2026
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Ready for your Sidemount Specialty?
No prepayment, pay on board Free cancellation 24h before WhatsApp reply within the hour
Good to know
Sidemount Specialty questions
What is sidemount diving and why do divers switch?
Sidemount means carrying cylinders clipped along your sides instead of on your back. Divers switch for comfort (nothing on the spine), trim (naturally horizontal), safety (two independent gas sources with visible valves) and flexibility (you can kit up in the water).
Do I need to be an advanced or technical diver first?
No. Open Water certification is enough to start. Sidemount is a configuration, not a depth. Reasonable buoyancy helps, and the course itself improves it more than almost any other training.
Do I need to buy sidemount equipment for the course?
No. We provide the complete rig: harness, wing, regulators and cylinders. By the end you will know exactly what you like and dislike in a rig, which makes any future purchase much smarter.
Is sidemount good for divers with back problems?
It is the single most common reason people switch. You enter the water without a tank on your back and clip the cylinders on while floating. Many divers who thought back pain had ended their diving are still going strong in sidemount.
Is this the same sidemount used in technical diving?
Same concept and largely the same skills, taught to recreational limits. If you continue into tech or cave training later, your sidemount habits transfer directly, which is why many instructors call this the smartest early specialty.
Ready to dive today?
The water is 28°C, the visibility is over 30 m, and a boat with your name on it leaves tomorrow at 8 AM.