🤿 Sidemount is a configuration where the tanks sit on the sides of your body instead of on your back. At first it looks like just another way to arrange your gear. But PADI Sidemount Diver in Eilat actually gives a diver much more freedom, comfort and options underwater.
1. Double the air supply
Instead of one tank you have two — for example, two 12-litre tanks on your sides. Each tank has its own independent air-delivery system, and during the dive you alternate between them. That gives you more gas overall and, more importantly, real redundancy.
2. Safety and full control
The valves of both tanks are in front of you and easy to reach. Each tank has its own first and second stage regulator and its own SPG. You’re constantly monitoring your gear and your gas consumption — no reaching behind your back.
3. Flexibility when kitting up
With Sidemount you don’t have to enter the water fully rigged. The tanks can be clipped on in the water — especially useful for boat dives or awkward shore entries. From a boat you take a comfortable giant stride, then clip the tanks on and finish the setup in the water.
4. Comfortable body position underwater
A properly set-up Sidemount configuration lets you position your weight system and gear so your body stays as horizontal as possible. Your legs shouldn’t constantly sink or rise.
As a result, you don’t have to keep correcting your position with your fins — you hold the right trim and move forward smoothly.
5. Access to more interesting dive sites
Sidemount lets you plan longer dives with more confidence. For example, Pyramid in Eilat is about 350 metres offshore at a depth of around 30 metres. With a single tank that distance demands careful planning and tight gas management. With two 12-litre tanks you have significantly more gas, and the dive becomes much more comfortable.
6. Pairs perfectly with Deep Diver
Sidemount pairs especially well with the Deep Diver specialty. You get the option to plan deeper and longer dives, including multi-level profiles, down to a maximum of 40 metres — within the limits of your certification and training.
7. A solid base for technical diving
If you want to move toward technical diving, Sidemount is an excellent foundation. You’re already learning to work with two independent gas sources, manage consumption, monitor your configuration and hold correct trim. Next steps — Tec 45 and Tec 50.
And now for the most important part — the setup
You can buy the most expensive gear, assemble a good-looking configuration, and still end up with a completely uncomfortable Sidemount. Because Sidemount is above all a setup tailored to a specific diver.
Every person has their own height, weight, body proportions, tank size, weight distribution, buoyancy characteristics and swim technique. So Sidemount setup isn’t something you can do in a few minutes.
On my course we spend a lot of time on this — roughly 50% of the entire training. Step by step we tune the system to you, test it in the water and fine-tune what needs correcting.
And it really matters. Without a proper setup, Sidemount can turn from a comfortable, free-feeling configuration into a heavy, awkward, uncomfortable one.
In my experience, even many experienced divers who switch to Sidemount don’t always know how to set up their own configuration properly. They’ve completed the course but keep diving far less comfortably than they could.
It took me about 8 years to fine-tune my own system. Today I still spend a lot of time tuning my students’ setups. Because my job isn’t just to teach you to dive with two tanks on your sides. My job is to make your configuration truly yours — so you feel comfortable, confident, and can use everything Sidemount offers.
My approach to the Sidemount course
If you’ve decided to get the Sidemount Diver specialty and want more than just a certification — if you want to actually use all the advantages of this configuration — I’ll be glad to invite you to my Sidemount course in Eilat.
We’ll tune the system to you individually — to your body, your gear and your objectives. That’s what Sidemount should be: custom, comfortable and matched to your expectations.
Where technical diving actually happens in Eilat
This is the part most course pages skip, so here it is plainly. Eilat has a real depth profile, and each level of training unlocks a specific part of it.
The Satil wreck sits at 26 m, and Pyramid and Katza bottom out around 30 m. All three are inside recreational limits — you do not need technical training to dive them. What sidemount gives you here is gas reserve and full redundancy on dives that already sit near the edge of the recreational range.
Ayala is where it changes. The site lies at 45 m inside the national nature reserve, and its deep section drops to 50 m. That is not a recreational dive — it is decompression diving, and it is exactly the range the Tec courses are built for. Tec 45 takes you to the site; Tec 50 takes you to its deep section.
So the progression is not abstract here. Each certificate corresponds to water you can actually get into, twenty minutes from the dive centre.
The technical path, step by step
Sidemount is not a technical certification in itself. It is the configuration technical diving is built on, which is why it belongs at the start of this path rather than beside it.
| Course | Depth | Prerequisites | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidemount | no depth change | Open Water, 2 days | ₪1,980 |
| Deep Diver | to 40 m | Advanced | ₪1,700 |
| Tec 40 | to 40 m, limited deco | Advanced + Deep, 30 dives | not offered here |
| Tec 45 | to 45 m, full deco | Tec 40, 50 dives | ₪4,500 · 4 days, 3 cylinders |
| Tec 50 | to 50 m, extended deco | Tec 45, 100 dives | ₪6,000 · 4 days, 4 cylinders |
Two things people get wrong about this table, both worth saying out loud. Tec 45 requires 50 logged dives, not 100 — the hundred belongs to Tec 50. And the direct entry requirement for Tec 45 is Tec 40; Advanced and Deep Diver are prerequisites of Tec 40 itself, not of Tec 45. We do not run Tec 40 here, so if you are starting from Advanced, message us and we will tell you exactly what the route looks like.
Depth is also not the same thing as a professional rating. A divemaster certificate does not grant 40 m — depth comes from your diver qualification, which is what Deep Diver and the Tec courses are for.
FAQ — PADI Sidemount Diver course
What are the prerequisites?
PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent) and a medical statement. At least 20 logged dives is recommended but not required.
How long does the course take?
Usually 3–4 days depending on pace. Half of that time goes into tuning the configuration to you — that’s deliberate.
Do I need to buy my own gear?
No, all equipment is provided for the course. If you decide to buy your own system afterwards, I’ll help you pick one that suits your goals.
What’s next after Sidemount?
You can move toward technical diving (Tec 45/50) or combine Sidemount with specialties like Deep Diver and Wreck Diver.
Ready?
🤿 Sidemount isn’t just two tanks on your sides. It’s freedom, control and a properly tuned system.
