It's great to bring you Episode #97 with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount, huge thanks to both for their support that makes everything you are about to listen to, possible.

If you'd like to support the show become a patron for as little as $5 per month and get early access to every episode plus other benefits… pop over to www.patreon.com/speakingsidemount for all the details.

Welcome to our first video podcast episode. I'm excited that we're now adding a different media format for the podcast. We will focus more on video from here on, plus the normal audio format we've been doing for many years. Video episodes will be available both through Spotify and YouTube.

It's an exciting new era for Speaking Sidemount, so I hope you enjoy it. Please give me your feedback in the comments. I'm interested in everything... the quality and whether you enjoy seeing video more than just listening to audio. I'd like to know where you're consuming the podcast. Are you usually at home or on the move? Do you use a laptop, or TV, or watch on a mobile device? I'd love to hear your thoughts :).

This month's episode is with Jacek Konikowski, an instructor trainer evaluator and IT for CCR CAVE, CCR Trimix levels, and the KISS Sidewinder. Jacek has chosen to specialize his teaching in the two areas of diving that he loves… Cave Diving and the KISS Sidewinder and as he describes, this match gives him the best of both worlds.

Jacek shares his background and how he decided to base himself in Isla Plana to be close to an amazing cave, Cueva Del Agua. We get into a massive discussion on the KISS Sidewinder and the contribution that Jacek made to the pre-production testing of the exciting new Sidewinder 2.

We go deep into the Sidewinder 2, covering the new features and the training. Would you believe it, heresy as well!! Jacek and I get into the backmount version of the Sidewinder 2. I think it's pretty exciting that we are looking here at what I consider the world's best side mount rebreather, but it's got a backmount mode. And as much as I said, it's heresy, I think it's going to be awesome to be able to have that opportunity to be able to have a backmount mode alongside sidemount. Jacek and I discussed when the Backmount mode might be useful and what is required to set it up and train on this mode. In addition, Jacek and I chat about Cueva del Agua and the special features of this cave.

Enjoy Steve

Great to bring you episode 96 with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount, huge thanks to both for their support that makes everything you are about to listen to, possible

We had a phenomenal response to part 1 of my interview with Steve Martin and Vas Proud of Sidemounting.com. Thanks to everyone who followed up with me for the discount code. I am sure you all will benefit greatly from the online video training.

In this part 2 of the interview, we discuss:

The path to getting better as a sidemount diver, the value of using video to improve, how to get back into sidemount diving after a break, how the online video training really focuses on the essentials of good diving regardless of the configuration, how a control line supports fast skill development, and we contrast different styles or configurations of sidemount.

I am an absolute advocate of the sidemounting.com online video training. I honestly believe it will help any sidemount diver or instructor to improve their diving and as such, I have negotiated a special offer for all listeners of Speaking Sidemount – you can get a 15% discount on any of the training materials if you contact me directly for an exclusive promotional code.

This offer is only available via Speaking Sidemount and again by contacting me personally via DM or email to steve@sidemountpros.com. Full disclosure, along with your discount Speaking Sidemount will also benefit financially from every purchase generated which will contribute to the ongoing production of this podcast. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Cheers

Steve

Awesome to bring you Episode #95 Steve Martin and Vas Proud - "Educating Sidemount Part 1" with the support of our brilliant sponsor XDEEP and the patrons of Speaking Sidemount. Huge thanks to both for their ongoing support of this podcast.

I've spoken many times on this show about how I got started in sidemount. Steve Bogaerts' Ponderosa skills video was the trigger but quickly after that, I found Steve Martin's website. He was the first to promote the benefits of sidemount diving to a global audience. His content, images and video were incredibly compelling and form the basis of much that you will read to this day about sidemount diving.

While I didn’t get the opportunity to complete a course with Steve, it was his recommendations and testimonials that led me to Tom Steiner and Gozo Technical Diving in Malta. I subsequently, had the good fortune to meet and dive with Steve while I was working and training with Tom.

Just a year or so later Steve released his first online video training series. In my opinion, it was a watershed moment in sidemount. From the beginning I was taken with the level of detail in each of the video modules describing everything from setting up your harness, regulators and cylinders to putting it in the water with details on how to weight check properly, diver trim checks and fixes, propulsion training, base sidemount skills, and emergency drills.

Over the subsequent years, Steve partnered with his former student Vas Proud to enhance and grow the online video training to the point today where it includes hundreds of hours of content including Intro to Sidemount, Sidemount Essentials, Sidemount Instructor modules, and a whiteboard series covering a huge array of tech diving content plus soon a cave diving series.

I have used the videos to improve my sidemount diving and as a basis for my courses and instruction. It is in my opinion an essential part of any sidemount divers toolkit.

Now in this episode which is part 1 of a two-episode discussion with Steve and Vas, we go into their backgrounds, how the video series came about, the thinking behind it and the benefits it provides, how the online video training compares and should be used alongside instructor-led training and we catch up and have a few laughs along the way.

As I've described, I'm an absolute advocate of the sidemounting.com online video training. I honestly believe it will help any sidemount diver or instructor to improve their diving and as such, I have negotiated a special offer for all listeners of Speaking Sidemount – you can get a 15% discount on any of the training materials if you contact me directly for an exclusive promotional code.

This offer is only available via Speaking Sidemount by contacting me personally via DM or email at steve@sidemountpros.com. Full disclosure, along with your discount, Speaking Sidemount will also benefit financially from every purchase generated which will contribute to the ongoing production of this podcast. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Enjoy Cheers

Steve