Nowhere to hide

Welcome to Side Imaging

Welcome to Side Imaging

It’s all in the details. Gain a 180 degree side-to-side perspective on the world below the surface with remarkable Humminbird® Side Imaging®. In an instant, the ultra-thin beam scans the area up to 240 feet to the left and right of your boat location—for total coverage of up to 480 feet. The return image for each slice is then added to the images taken immediately before and after to build an incredible view of the lake bottom. You can then magnify the detail of the image with the zoom feature or mark the GPS location of promising cover or structure directly on the screen. 

Side Imaging's high-frequency beams reveal structure, cover, and contour changes with crystal clarity. The images are so real you might think it’s a camera, but it’s not, so it doesn’t matter how murky the water is.

Side Imaging Tutorial

Watch as we take you through a video tutorial of how to make Side Imaging help you catch more fish.

Throw out a 480' wide net

How to Read Side Imaging

How to Read Side Imaging

Understanding a few simple concepts will help you grasp the detailed images of Humminbird Side Imaging and make you a master of the lake or sea bottom. Compare the screenshot and diagram to help visualize how Side Imaging works. We’ve included several callouts to explain what you’re seeing. Remember, Side Imaging is a history of what you’ve already passed by.

A- Boat Location 
The position of your boat in relation to the on-screen image. The on-screen image is a history of what you have passed over.
B- Water column
The dark blue area shows structure, cover and activity between the surface and lake bottom.
C- Bottom Profile
Reveals depth and terrain directly beneath the path of your boat.
D- Flat Terrain
Neutral shades of blue represent flatter terrain.
E- Descending Terrain
Dark shades of blue represent descending terrain.
F- Rising Terrain
Lighter shades of blue typically represent terrain rising from the bottom. Sometimes, very hard bottoms appear as a whiter shade.
G- Fallen Log
The shortened horizontal shadows indicate cover very close to the bottom of the lake. The angle of the shadow gives away the orientation of the log.
H- Standing Timber
Objects standing off the bottom directly below the boat will appear in the water column. Structure to the left or right of the boat will appear as a clearly defined bright shape with an adjacent, dark sonar "shadow." This shadow is not caused by light; rather it's the lack of sonar return because the object has already reflected the sonar energy. Generally, long shadows indicate the object is tall, and small shadows indicate something is short. It's important to note the shadow will often tell you more about the object than the primary sonar reflection.

Visualizing Side Imaging

Visualizing Side Imaging

Reading the image produced by Humminbird Side Imaging is easy. Simply visualize the screen folded in half down the middle (behind the boat). Then, fold the image again at the lowest point of the water column. The dark blue area provides a visual representation of the water column and lake bottom directly below your boat.

Understanding the Beam

Understanding the Beam

Humminbird Side Imaging Sonar uses a razor thin beam to take a “sonar snapshot” of the area up to 240  ft. to the left and right of your location. The return image for this slice is then added to the images taken immediately before and after to build an incredibly detailed view of the lake bottom.

Bridge Pilings

Bridge Pilings

Submerged bridge pilings on lake bottom. 

Finding Bait

Finding Bait

Side Imaging reveals balls of bait that you can use when targeting where fish are feeding.

Features that get to the point

Mark Waypoints

Mark Waypoints

See something interesting like the sunken sailboat shown here? Save its exact GPS location as a waypoint on your Humminbird Imaging screen for easy return trips.

Zoom

Zoom

Enable the zoom mode to hone in on the tiniest details. Here, we’re able to identify predators feeding on baitfish in the water column.

Split Screen

Split Screen

View multiple Humminbird sonar technologies at once for a complete picture. Here, we’re able to see this wreck from several angles for optimal lure/bait presentation.

Range Lines

Range Lines

Enable range lines to judge the distance between your boat and underwater objects. Here, we can easily see the main hull of this wreck is 27 feet from our starboard side.

Contour Mode

Contour Mode

Use Contour Mode to remove the water column. Note how this submerged railroad track now appears as though we’re looking straight down at it from our boat.

Color Palette

Color Palette

Adjust color palette, sensitivity and sharpness to match conditions, enhance detail and target fish species. Changing color schemes helped shed new light on this cover.

A force to be reckoned with

Learn more about Humminbird's revolutionary Side Imaging Sonar with this video.

Like nothing you've ever seen

Wield our full arsenal

Wield our full arsenal

Storm the seas with a fully loaded Humminbird. Incredible Side Imaging® and Down Imaging® combine for a detailed, 180˚ view of the water. Dynamic SwitchFire™ Sonar shows you baitfish, thermoclines and other dead giveaways of where fish are hiding. 

Bringing it all together

Watch the video here to help explain how to use Humminbird's exclusive sonar technologies Side Imaging®, Down Imaging®, and SwitchFire™ together for greater versatility on the water.

See Technologies
Unit Sonar Type Features Cartography Display Type Display Size
$2,299.99 CHIRP, HD Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire 360 Imaging, GPS, Minn Kota iPilot Link, Bluetooth, NMEA 2000, Networking, Radar AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, ContourXD, LakeMaster PLUS Color 10 inches and higher
$1,499.99 HD Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire 360 Imaging, GPS, Minn Kota iPilot Link, Bluetooth, NMEA 2000, Networking, Radar AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, ContourXD, LakeMaster PLUS Color
$999.99 Compact Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire 360 Imaging, GPS, Minn Kota iPilot Link, Bluetooth, NMEA 2000, Networking, Radar AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, ContourXD, LakeMaster PLUS Color
$999.99 DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire 360 Imaging, GPS, Minn Kota iPilot Link, NMEA 2000, Networking, Radar AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, ContourXD, LakeMaster PLUS Color
$799.99 CHIRP Digital Sonar, CHIRP, Compact Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire 360 Imaging, GPS, Minn Kota iPilot Link, Bluetooth, NMEA 2000, Networking, Radar AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, Unimap, LakeMaster PLUS Color 7 inches
$699.99 CHIRP Digital Sonar, CHIRP, Compact Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire GPS AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, Unimap, LakeMaster PLUS Color 7 inches
$499.99 CHIRP Digital Sonar, CHIRP, Compact Side Imaging, DualBeam PLUS  Switchfire GPS AutoChart, SmartStrike, LakeMaster, New Humminbird Basemap, Unimap, LakeMaster PLUS Color 5 inches or less