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Texas Scuba Academy
SDI Sidemount Diver
Open Water certifiedSDI Certified

SDI Sidemount Diver

Dive with two independent cylinders at your sides for a streamlined, balanced profile and true gas redundancy.

$499.00Enrollment Open
Have questions? Call (512) 489-4404
  • ✓eLearning access as soon as you check out
  • ✓We’ll be in touch to schedule your sessions
Taught by Brady Huddleston
SDI Course Director & Instructor Trainer · PADI IDC Staff Instructor · American Red Cross Instructor
Meet the team

What's included

✓SDI eLearning and digital course materials
✓Personal instruction from a certified SDI Sidemount Instructor
✓Rigging session and two open water training dives
✓Lifetime SDI certification, recognized worldwide
✓Flexible scheduling — we handle the lake location
“Best decision I made. The instructors were patient, the small class size meant real attention, and I booked everything online without a single phone call.”
— Recent Open Water graduate

Who it's for

This course builds on prior certification and experience — here's what you'll need before you start.

✓
SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalentAny recognized entry-level certification
✓
Minimum age 18, or 15 with parental consentAges 15–17 need a parent or guardian signature

What you'll learn

Knowledge Development

✓Gas management with two independent cylinders
✓Cylinder, regulator, and BCD/harness options for sidemount
✓Proper weighting and equipment configuration
✓Hand signals and communication specific to sidemount
✓Problem solving: gas sharing and dealing with leaks and free-flows
✓Shore and boat entries with side-mounted cylinders
✓Sidemount S-drills

In-Water Skills

✓Planning a dive on independent cylinders, including surface intervals and no-decompression limits
✓Testing and checking gauges, timers, and computers
✓Buoyancy and trim in a sidemount configuration
✓Attaching cylinders out of the water, standing at the surface, floating in deep water, and at depth
✓Regulator switches between cylinders
✓Monitoring depth, time, and gas on a slate
✓Safety stops

Frequently asked questions

No. Sidemount started in cave and technical diving, but recreational divers choose it for comfort, easier trim, a lower profile through the water, and the security of two independent gas supplies. This course stays strictly within no-decompression limits.

Simple process

How it works

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eLearning at home

Complete the academic portion online at your own pace — videos, quizzes, no classroom required.

🌊

Open water dives at the lake

Skills and dives happen at a local dive site, on a date we set with you.

🎓

Get certified

Finish your dives and we issue your certification — card in hand, recognized worldwide.

Ready?

Ready to get in the water?

Book online in minutes. eLearning starts instantly. We’ll be in touch to schedule.

Call (512) 489-4404

Already certified? Advanced Adventure Diver is a popular next step.