SSI Certified Course
SSI Sidemount Diving Course
Sidemount diving places your cylinders at your sides rather than on your back — offering improved trim, greater flexibility, and a more streamlined profile in the water. The SSI Sidemount Diving course teaches you how to configure, manage, and dive with a sidemount system safely and efficiently. A growing discipline that's popular with wreck divers, cave divers, and anyone who wants to explore a different way to dive.
▸ Prerequisites
- Referral Diver (any entry-level scuba certification)
- Must be a certified Open Water Diver prior to final certification
▸ Minimum Age & Who It's For
- Minimum age: 12 years old
- Certified divers who want to explore sidemount configuration for improved comfort, trim, and redundancy
▸ Locations
- 🏫 Classroom/theory: Online via MySSI
- 🏊 Pool session: BCP Dolphin Leisure Centre, Poole
- 🌊 Open water dives: Vobster Quay, Frome
✓ What's Included
- SSI digital learning materials via the SSI app
- 1 pool session and 3 open water training dives with SSI Instructor
- Pool entry (free for students)
- SSI Sidemount Diving digital certification
✗ What's Not Included
- Sidemount equipment hire
- Vobster Quay entry fee (£26 per day)
- Mask, snorkel and boots (must be purchased from Dorset Diving Services)
- Transport to/from venues
ⓘ Good to Know
- Maximum depth: 30m (age 15+) / 18m (age 12–14)
- Sidemount certification also counts as an elective dive in the SSI Advanced Open Water programme
- A medical self-declaration form is required before in-water training begins
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