One of the greatest advantages of sidemount is that everything is right in front of you. Success comes from leveraging this visibility.

In sidemount, the cylinders should run from your armpit (valve) to your hip (boot), parallel to your torso. The most common failure is having the tanks roll outward (valves splaying apart) or sink below the hip, creating massive drag.

: He practiced "dynamic trim," learning how to shift his weights and adjust his BCD to achieve a perfect horizontal hover.