Friday 30-12-2011 Pim Pols took me for a second dive with the SistemA sidemount system he developed. Diving this system is really a joy! Gearing up is easier than with my doubles and you are so much faster under water due to the reduced drag!

Also great for travelling. It’s hard to find a dive centre that has doubles, but this system allows you to just use two single rental cylinders with a clip-on sidemount kit.

A number of years ago I came in contact with SCUBA diving. It would become my first real hobby.
This was in France and I didn’t get clue of what the instructor was trying to tell me. After two years of making try-dives in France I decided get a more serious approach.
This resulted in getting my qualifications, specialty’s and all my gear, including wet and dry suit, etc..
And I found some regular buddy’s to make 2 or 3 dives a week in the Netherlands. One of these buddy’s was my instructor (now a days more my friend) Johan Smakman with a passion for photography. So, I started taking pictures underwater as well. And there was lies the reason to go sidemount. I found myself many time separated from my buddy while taking photo’s. That made me think. What if my regulator freezes, what if I run out of gas. What if …….
For a while if been considering a twin set. But as I’m recovering from a whiplash that wasn’t really an option.
One day, during my holidays my buddy/instructor called me. Johan was following the SDI Solodiver training with Pim Pols. During the course he got in contact with sidemount. Johan persuaded me to follow the SDI Open Water Sidemount Diver course. Looking back, one of the best moves in my diving career. After the first dive I immediately bought my own SistemA harness and Trim.
Since then, I only dive with sidemount equipment! Two separate gas sources, everything reachable and visible. And no need to carry heavy tanks on my back!
For me just sidemount from now on!

Because most dive I make are solo dives, being a underwater photographer, I switched to the SistemA Sidemount system.
Why sidemount? Because it gives me the safety I was looking for. Two separate gas sources.
With a photo camera your hands are full under water. It’s hard to reach for the valves of your back mounted doubles then.
Failure of a first or second stage from one of the regulators causes no problem in a sidemount configuration. You just switch to your second air source and the solve the problem or abort the dive.
For photographers there is another reason to switch to sidemount. The tanks under your arms function as a sort of tripod and make it very easy to keep your camera stable.
Further on its easy to maintain your position in the water. Trimming is a much simpler as well.
November 2011 I’ve been diving for three weeks on Bonaire in a wetsuit. I was surprised by the comfort, stability and ease sidemount diving comes with.
For me there is no other way of diving any more. I make all my dives with the SistemA equipment from now on!
Pim, I’m happy that I followed your advise.

The last 12 years I have been diving with double sets of at least 30 kg. In the summer of 2010, a lumbar hernia was detected and specialists discouraged me with further diving. According to them, I had no future diving with double sets air tanks! With one eye I was looking to sidemount systems and eventually I joined the testteam of the SistemA harness. After the first time in the pool it was already clear to me that it felt comfortable and it brought me in an almost natural posture in the water. So, I dive again and nowadays I bring the airtanks seperatley to the dive site or boat. After that the harness follows. Three times walking with gear, but no heavy lifting for me anymore, is really the best solution. The quality of the dive is fine too.

Sjoerd Volmer

I have been diving with the SistemA harness in the caves of Lot (France), specifically the open-circuit side mount. Some arguments which describes this harness the best are: the comfort, the position of the D-rings, the position of the lead pockets on the shoulders and the belly belt. As a result of this, it creates a very good position in the water. Another big advantage is that it is equipped with a very compact buoyancy device and therefore easy to dive through constrictions. My final conclusion would be that the SistemA harness is a good choice for both the recreational – as well as the cave diver.

Tom Jaspers
TDI instructor trainer

Since mid-2010 I was asked to be a part of the sidemount test team and I have been extensively involved in the development of the Tecdiving SistemA Sidemount harness. At that moment I was about to purchase a standard wing with harness and a double-set of tanks. However I had some complaints regarding the heavy weight of my forthcoming equipment. Sidemount diving makes it a lot easier to carry / move your dive equipment separately to the water shore / boat and back to your car.

I noticed particularly, when diving with a side mount configuration, that it is easy to come into a perfect posture underwater and it costs no effort to maintain this position. By using this profile you have considerably less resistance making diving less strenuous and decreases the consumption of your air supply. Furthermore you will experience more freedom in your movements and you keep your “trim” under control during all circumstances.

Bart Terpstra

For me Sidemount diving is a sense of safety and comfort. It fits well around your body and it is easy to use. A major advantage is that it immediately brings you in the right posture which creates a comfortable way of diving. It provides you a higher degree of safety during your dive with two separate air sources. It is much easier to drag your gear. So, more comfort and safety. The step to technical diving can also be made easily.

Albert van Gennip

At first I started to use SistemA harness in combination with my Sport KISS rebreather.
I wanted to get rid of the dangling stages as bail-out.
By using the air cylinders in a “sidemount” way I became more stable in the water and it was easier to maintain a good position in the water. Because of limited movement in my left shoulder, it became more difficult for me to execute important key skills lately, for example the valve shutdown. Regarding my open-circuit dives, I switched to sidemount diving too. I use 7 or 10 liters carbon / steel cylinders with a filling pressure of 300 bar. This also makes technical diving possible. I can recommend anyone to make the transition to sidemount diving. If the harness has been adjusted properly, diving with the SistemA harness is the most comfortable way of diving I have experienced so far.

Mia Kenter

Sidemount   -