We clarify what diver trim really is and explain why divers must learn to relax, plus why moving your lead weights sometimes do not work. We also explain the issue with feeling like you are falling to the side and how to correct it.

We discuss the unnatural fears we see students having, regarding the time pressures they feel when completing the valve shutdown exercise. We also talk about prioritising problems and why we do real environment testing.

We discuss if sidemount divers really need a butt plate and why we believe divers feel they need to use one. We also discuss loop bungee problems when using heavy steel tanks and the best place for you to mount your canister lights

Based on our years of experience, we answer if you should use your drysuit as a primary buoyancy device or not and what role it and your BCD play. We also go into LP hose routing issues impact this has on rescuing an unresponsive diver underwater.

I explain the different types of cylinder valves and how we can use each for sidemount diving

Comprehensive workshop on how to make and use each piece of cylinder hardware for side mount

We have a new way to size up your sidemount cylinder band height, this improves setup no matter what cylinder hardware you have available.

Detailed step by step workshop covering how to correctly setup your side mount cylinders

Complete workshop for single cylinder side mount divers, equipment setup and underwater skills

Workshop video covers how to convert an Apeks XTX 2nd stage from right to left handed

Complete step by step workshop covering every part of my side mount regulator setup

I show what length custom LPI BCD hoses work best and two types of hose hats, makes for easy disconnects

If your regulator 1st stages don’t have swivel turrets, then this video is a must watch

If you don’t have modular or handed side mount valves, just standard valves then watch this video

If you plan to solo dive and not going to use a 2 metre long hose, this video covers the setup you need

Step by step complete SM harness setup, 1st of 2 parts covering sizing and fitting for all body shapes

2nd part goes through the step by step fitting of your BCD/wing system to the harness

I cover the additional changes and modifications I make when setting up Stealth TEC and REC harness

My step by step guide makes it easy to donn and doff your sidemount system

Complete guide covering all the changes I make to the Razor system; adding loop bungee, sliding d-rings etc

We discuss in detail the use of dual bladder / redundant sidemount systems, we show you how to setup and manage your regulator configuration to best deal with a primary bladder failure. We cover all options for divers using wetsuits and drysuits.

I show you how to make a continuous bungee, can be useful for backup sidemount cylinder bungee

I talk about the history of sidemount systems and the problems with multi-use systems

Talk on my first sidemount only harness system, which used a hydration bladder for buoyancy

Video shows me adjusting and correcting the mistakes with x2 students Razor harness configurations

After getting close up with AGIR SM harness, this video covers my review of the system

A Mexican developed sidemount harness, this video is my review of the system

I test sidemount loop bungee lengths in increasing and decreasing 5cm increments, to find the best length

This is the first of 2 new videos, that go into further detail on your loop bungee. We show you all the fine details of setting it up and we test the floating loop and fixed loop bungee methods with live underwater demos. We also cover using your fin loop bungee to fix a failed loop bungee and more.

This is the second of 2 new videos, that go into further detail on your loop bungee. We show you a new technique for accessing your bungee and some pre-dive checks to avoid problems plus we discuss the different types of bungee and how they can affect you.

I test cylinder band height in increasing and decreasing 5cm increments, to find the optimal length

I test cylinder boltsnap positions with 4 tests at 45° increments, to show you the effect this has on your cylinder

I break down all equipment to show you actual weights in and out of the water and how this effects you

My comprehensive guide to setting the weight you need to dive, accurate to within 1KG of weight required

The most accurate weight checking test procedure, I take you through it step by step

If you plan to use a drysuit make sure you also watch this weight check video

I share tips and tricks I learnt from my experience diving in Florida’s cave country. Contains useful advice for all cold water drysuit and steel cylinder divers.

This video goes into great detail comparing the difference between the commonly used LP and HP steel cylinders in Florida, plus how to choose the correct cylinders.

This video covers a step by step procedure for correctly weighting yourself in a drysuit with steel cylinders, plus how cave filling and equipment effects your weighting.

Step by step guide explaining how to donn and doff your cylinders, what order and which hand does what

Additional advice for drysuit divers on donning and doffing their sidemount cylinders

If using my solo regulator configuration these are the additional steps to donn your cylinders

Advice on donning and doffing cylinders for another person, useful for instructors

Based on your questions and feedback on our current training series, we put this video together to address everything you wanted answering on entry and exit techniques. Sometimes it is the really small details that matter.

Advice an tips on how to safely carry your side mount cylinders

This is a demonstration showing a possible variation for donning cylinders with limited space

Workshop covering several techniques and advice for entering and exiting from ladders using sidemount

Demonstration and explanation of when to use safety boltsnaps on cylinders for entries and exits

I cover an underwater cylinder preparation technique you do after safety stop, enables efficient exit

Comprehensive workshop covering sidemount entry techniques for different styles of dive boats

Comprehensive workshop covering sidemount exit techniques for different styles of dive boats

If water conditions are suitable, equipment lines from a boat can be extremely useful

Over the years, I have seen a lot happen here is some additional advice on various problems

This video lesson will bring you up-to-date with all the sliding d-rings we have tried and tested in 2020. We also share with you many more tips and tricks on dealing with and fixing common problems like broken mask / fin straps and we show plus review new useful equipment we have come across.

We discuss how you avoid being the person using sidemount configuration that always seems to be the slowest to get in or out of the water

I cover general tips and advice, why skills diminish overtime and how you can avoid this

I cover why you need training for advanced styles of side mount diving, i.e. diving in restrictions

Complete head to toe, step by step equipment checking sequence; pre-dive equipment check

I cover horizontal and vertical use of your BCD with how to handle common problems

My guide to how often you should check your pressure gauges and how to know gas without looking

I cover tips and tricks to regulator switching and how to always know what your breathing from

I cover what trim is and how you can test and to get perfectly balanced using side mount configuration

I review different types of sliding d-rings and show how to keep cylinders streamlined throughout your dive

I cover lung volume holds and how to breathe, with special buoyancy games to test and master your skills

I explain how to test and develop your underwater awareness by doing my special drills and tests

Complete step by step procedure for making a side mount valve shutdowns including challenges and fixes

I show step by step how to handle a free-flow regulator with either switch and close or manual driving the gas

Comprehensive video covering how to use different types of delayed surface marker buoys and ascent tips

My 3 step training procedure for dealing with a BCD over-inflate emergency

Step 1 covers exactly how to quickly respond to an emergency and hand off the correct regulator every time

Step 2 covers how to deploy and restow your 2m long hose both with & without team mates assistance

I show additional long hose restowing techniques and prove why they are not as efficient as my Step 2 way

Step 3 covers team air sharing; positioning, swimming and how to make air sharing ascents

If you have any problems with your side mount cylinder bands, this video shows exactly how to fix them

If your side mount bungee breaks, this video covers how you can fix using a continuous bungee

If your side mount bungee breaks, this video covers a simple fix using safety boltsnaps

You asked the questions and we answer. We talk about handheld and canister lights types routing options and discuss the difference between lights with tight signal beams and lights with wide video beams and how you can and should use each for different types of diving disciplines.

A prusik loop is a removable attachment point, that divers will find useful for securing their cylinders too

I discuss mounting and using helmet lights and why have a removable light holder for your primary light

Step by step making and using a diver propulsion vehicle emergency towing handle and guide to use

I discuss drysuit features, like pocket and drysuit inflator valve locations, plus accessories like pee valve systems

I cover several locations for mounting and securing both your canister light and drysuit inflation system