Sidemount

Sidemount is a diving configuration which has tanks mounted alongside the diver, below the shoulders and along the hips, instead of on the back of the diver. It is a popular configuration with advanced cave divers, as smaller sections of cave can be penetrated and tanks can be changed with greater ease. Sidemount is also growing in popularity with divers who have difficulty handling the heavy double tanks commonly used by cave divers. Shortcomings of this diving style include a greater difficulty in sharing air while diving with team members using backmounted tanks.

Most sidemount rigs used to be home made as there were no commercial production of kits like there were for standard scuba rigs. One of the "pioneers" of side mount diving was Bill Rennaker who started making kits available with side mount accessories such as a custom butt plate.

Dive Rite released the Transpac which was able to be converted for sidemount diving, and then later followed it up with the Nomad [http://www.diverite.com/products/catalog/nomad] .Golem Gear sells a similar rig called the Armadillo [http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/armadillo.html] .