Scuba Diving Industry Market Data
Survey Results: Sidemount Diving
Who scuba dives with a sidemount diving configuration, why, and how?
Darcy Kieran is the author of the handbook “Your Career and/or Life as a Scuba Diving Instructor: How to Make a Good Living Out of Your Passion for Scuba Diving” and unique advanced logbooks & checklists for scuba divers, divemasters & instructors.
Over the last two months, we conducted a scuba diving industry survey on sidemount diving to help us understand how prevalent sidemount diving has become (or not) and who are the divers using sidemount configuration.
InDepth Magazine and the Business of Diving Institute are collaborating on a series of scuba diving industry surveys to better understand where we stand on dive industry issues, identify workable solutions, increase awareness of opportunities, and, most notably, fuel discussions among dive professionals.
We thank the following scuba diving industry leaders for directly supporting this initiative: Shearwater, DAN Europe, and GUE. We also thank all of you who took part in these surveys and studies.
First, let's look at current sidemount divers. Then, we’ll look at non-sidemount divers.
Sidemount Divers
Is sidemount your preferred dive configuration when diving open-circuit?
- Yes: 61.3%
- No: 14.6%
- Sometimes: 24.1
How did you get trained to dive with a sidemount configuration?
- Certification course: 69.3%
- Coaching/Mentoring/Friend: 15.9%
- Self-trained (incl. online, DIY): 14.9%
Have you ever dived with a sidemount configuration off a dive boat?
- 74.2%
- 25.9%
Do you believe that training specific to using a sidemount configuration off a dive boat is required to safely and properly dive sidemount off a dive boat?
- Yes: 49.5%
- No: 50.5%
Did you, at one point, get specific training for diving sidemount off a dive boat?
- Yes — Part of my sidemount diving certification course: 26.3%
- Yes — From coaching/mentoring/friend: 13.4%
- Yes — Self-trained (incl. online, DIY): 18.0%
- No: 42.3%
Where did you dive with a sidemount configuration? Select all that apply.
- Wrecks: 62.9%
- Caves: 57.7%
- Mines: 18.4%
- Open Water: 89.8%
What type of cylinders do you predominantly use when diving sidemount?
- Steel: 54.1%
- Aluminum: 45.5%
- Carbon: 0.4%
Which brands of sidemount diving gear do you currently use? Select all that apply.
- Xdeep: 60.0%
- Apeks: 20.3%
- Dive Rite: 19.1%
- Razor: 15.5%
- Hollis: 15.2%
- Halcyon: 8.5%
- Tecline: 5.3%
- Toddy Style: 3.3%
- OMS: 3.1%
- Mares: 2.9%
- 232 Bar Alien: 0.8%
- Scuba Force: 0.8%
- Armadillo: 0.8%
- Dtd: 0.6%
- 1st Dolphin: 0.2%
What are the reasons you dive with a sidemount configuration? Select all that apply.
- Better access to valves: 69.4%
- Ability to pass small restrictions: 61.1%
- Better trim: 57.8%
- Flexibility: 56.4%
- Ease to get in and out of the water: 52.9%
- Stability: 51.3%
- Balance: 49.3%
- Easy to transport long distances: 49.1%
- Possibility to donate a full cylinder when gas sharing: 31.6%
- Easy to find single cylinders when renting while traveling: 26.8%
- Bad back issues: 23.5%
Among those who indicated they do rebreather diving as well as sidemount diving: Are you considering sidemount rebreather diving?
- I already dive with a sidemount rebreather: 46.6%
- Yes, I am considering it: 31.9%
- No: 21.5%
Among those who indicated they already dive or they are considering diving with a sidemount rebreather: Please indicate the type. Select all that apply.
- Sidemount Rebreather as a Primary CCR: 94.6%
- Sidemount Rebreather as a Bailout CCR: 30.9%
The Profile of Sidemount Divers
Are you a certified rebreather diver?
- Yes: 38.7%
- No: 61.3%
Are you a certified cave diver?
- Yes: 57.0%
- No: 43.0%
Are you a certified tech diver (excluding cave, rebreather & sidemount)?
- Yes: 78.9%
- No: 21.1%
In which region do you reside?
- Western Europe: 43.9%
- United States (incl. AK & HI): 22.0%
- South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Other Tropical Asia-Pacific Region: 6.8%
- Canada: 6.4%
- Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic: 6.3%
- Australia, New Zealand: 5.9%
- Other region: 8.7%
In which region do you predominantly dive?
- Western Europe: 42.4%
- United States (including AK & HI): 20.7%
- Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic: 10.3%
- South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Other Tropical Asia-Pacific Region: 7.9%
- Canada: 6.9%
- Australia, New Zealand: 5.4%
- Other region: 6.4%
What is your age group?
- 18–24: 1.5%
- 25–34: 7.3%
- 35–44: 30.2%
- 45–54: 36.1%
- 55–64: 21.0%
- 65+: 3.9%
What is your gender?
- Male: 88.7%
- Female: 11.3%
- Other: 0.0%
What is the main ethnicity to which you associate?
- White Heritage: 85.6%
- Asian Heritage: 5.9%
- Middle Eastern Heritage: 1.5%
- Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups: 1.4%
- Black, Caribbean or African Heritage: 0.0%
- Other: 5.5%
Non-Sidemount Divers
Do you plan or consider diving with a sidemount configuration in the future?
- Yes: 65.6%
- No: 34.4%
Note of caution: it is fair to assume that the non-sidemount divers who voluntarily answered the sidemount diving survey were more likely to be interested in sidemount diving than the overall pool of scuba divers. And as you will see below, a disproportionate number of cave, rebreather, and tech divers answered this survey.
Among those who indicated considering sidemount diving: What are the reasons you consider diving with a sidemount configuration? Select all that apply.
- Ability to pass small restrictions: 39.7%
- Flexibility: 36.2%
- Ease to get in and out of the water: 34.5%
- Better trim: 29.3%
- Easy to transport long distances: 29.2%
- Better access to valves: 27.8%
- Easy to find single cylinders when renting while traveling: 25.9%
- Bad back issues: 22.5%
- Stability: 22.4%
- Balance: 19.0%
- Possibility to donate a full cylinder when gas sharing: 17.2%
Among non-sidemount divers who are already diving with a rebreather: Are you considering sidemount rebreather diving?
- Yes: 40.9%
- No: 59.1%
Profile of Non-Sidemount Divers Who Answered The Sidemount Diving Survey
Are you a certified rebreather diver?
- Yes: 24.7%
- No: 75.3%
Are you a certified cave diver?
- Yes: 41.3%
- No: 58.8%
Are you a certified tech diver (excluding cave, rebreather & sidemount)?
- Yes: 56.9%
- No: 43.1%
In which region do you reside?
- Western Europe: 48.2%
- United States (incl. AK & HI): 19.8%
- Canada: 9.9%
- Australia, New Zealand: 7.4%
- Other: 14.7%
In which region do you predominantly dive?
- Western Europe: 45.7%
- United States (incl. AK & HI): 14.8%
- Canada: 8.6%
- Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Tropical Atlantic: 7.4%
- Australia, New Zealand: 7.3%
- Other: 16.2%
What is your age group?
- 18–24: 2.5%
- 25–34: 14.8%
- 35–44: 18.5%
- 45–54: 34.6%
- 55–64: 19.8%
- 65+: 9.9%
What is your gender?
- Male: 87.7%
- Female: 12.4%
- Other: 0.0%
What is the main ethnicity to which you associate?
- White Heritage: 92.5%
- Asian Heritage: 1.4%
- Middle Eastern Heritage: 1.2%
- Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups: 0.0%
- Black, Caribbean or African Heritage: 0.0%
- Other: 5.0%
A total of 608 scuba divers answered the sidemount diving survey. 84.9% of them were sidemount divers.
Also from Darcy Kieran:
- Handbook: Your Career and/or Life as a Scuba Diving Instructor: How to Make a Good Living Out of Your Passion for Scuba Diving.
- Logbook: Advanced Scuba Diving Logbook with Checklists for certified scuba divers, divemasters & dive instructors.
- Handbook: Advanced Guide to SPF Scuba Diving for Scuba Divers, Divemasters & Dive Instructors: Develop Better Scuba Diving Skills, Dive Safer, Save Money & Have More Fun!
- Handbook: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Scuba Diving: How to Increase Safety, Save Money & Have More Fun!
- Logbook: STARTER Scuba Diving Logbook with Checklists while getting your open water diver certification!
- Reference book: Scuba Diving Industry Market Reports, Data & Statistics.
Side note: During your surface intervals, have a look at my novels with a scuba diving twist, starting with “Mystery of The Blue Dragon” and “Shadows on Ocean Drive.”
You could help the dive industry by taking part in ongoing dive industry surveys. You will also find results from our past scuba diving market studies here.
Don’t be left out! Subscribe to Scubanomics: The Dive Industry Compass to be the first to know about new dive industry market data & insights. Otherwise, be our “dive business buddy” on LinkedIn, Facebook, and elsewhere.
What now? Have a look at the complete Scubanomics Table of Contents.
