About this episode

Mark Rowe shares his journey from British Army Royal Engineer to a leading sidemount and technical diving instructor.

In this episode of Speaking Sidemount brought to you by XDEEP, Steve Davis talks with Mark Rowe, a former British Army Royal Engineer who began diving in 1989 and went on to become a leading sidemount and technical instructor.Mark shares his incredible journey from military service to full-time diving instructor, including his role in developing the Battle Back program, using diving to rehabilitate injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.We explore:🔹 His early days learning to dive in Sharm el-Sheikh before it became a Red Sea diving mecca🔹 Building the UK’s largest military dive club and founding Battle Back Diving🔹 The evolution of sidemount diving and why good instruction matters🔹 Insights on training, gear setup, and diving safely across multiple systems🔹 Rebreathers, tech diving, and the future of advanced diving educationWhether you’re a sidemount diver, an instructor, or just passionate about diving history — this is a deep, inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss.🎧 Thanks to our Sponsor XDEEP - https://www.exdeep.eu📘 Grab Steve’s Sidemount Fundamentals eBook → https://www.sidemountpros.com/store🌐 Follow Mark Rowe at Rubicon Diving Lanzarote…

People in this episode

Host: Steve Davis

Guest: Mark Rowe

Topics covered

• sidemount diving
• military diving
• diving instruction
• rehabilitation through diving
• technical diving
• diving safety

Keywords

• sidemount
• diving instructor
• Battle Back program
• rehabilitation
• technical diving
• diving safety
• gear setup
• rebreathers

Sponsors

XDEEP

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: British Army, Battle Back, Rubicon Diving Lanzarote

Places: Sharm el-Sheikh, Iraq, Afghanistan

More episodes of Speaking Sidemount

• Stuck in a Wreck | The Moment Everything Went Wrong · April 26, 2026 · 23 min
• Naval Officer Analyzes the Scylla Wreck Tragedy | E118 · March 25, 2026 · 1h 29m
• Why The KISS Sidewinder 2 Took So Long and Why It Was Worth It! · February 26, 2026 · 1h 40m
• From BellBoy to Cave Mentor - Tavo's Darkside Story · January 26, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Growing Up in the Mecca of Technical Diving | CCR, Sidewinder & Dahab with Omar Derbala · December 26, 2025 · 1h 30m
• "Lies, Lessons, and Legacy" - Chris Richardson on 30 Years in the Dive Industry · November 26, 2025 · 1h 20m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Speaking Sidemount podcast page.