Course overview

The PADI Sidemount Diver specialty in Alor teaches you to dive with cylinders mounted at your sides rather than on your back, improving balance, trim and gas redundancy. It is an excellent fit for Alor's walls and currents, where streamlined configuration and twin-tank reliability give you confidence on the archipelago's more demanding sites.

What you’ll learn

• Configure and balance a sidemount harness and cylinders
• Achieve excellent trim and streamlining
• Manage gas across two independent cylinders
• Perform valve drills and air-sharing in sidemount
• Enter, exit and handle cylinders efficiently
• Apply sidemount benefits to wall and current diving

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 15
• PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent (Advanced recommended)
• Good buoyancy control
• Comfortable managing equipment
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Theory & confined setup

   Cover sidemount theory, then rig and balance your harness and cylinders in confined or shallow water.
2. Day2
   Open-water sidemount dives

   Apply sidemount skills across three open-water dives on Alor's reefs and walls, refining trim, gas management and cylinder handling.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Alor.

Frequently asked questions