OctoHelm
Registered
Hello Scubaboard!
I hope this finds you safe. Before I get into things, I would just like to thank the medical professionals and firefighters putting their lives on the line for us daily. Their selfless service to benefit us all is admirable, and we all ought to thank them for their service.
BLUF: I am a 16 year old AOW diver with 35 dives. I am wondering what my training progression should be going into sidemount diving, and I am wondering if I am thinking about it all in the right way.
I have been reading the forums on sidemount here, and from what I have heard, it seems like the next logical choice for me. I have 35 dives under my belt, and was planning to head to Fiji to get another 20 or so dives in. I hope to head to Monterey to get some dives in, but before I do that, I want to get my Drysuit cert, because I am "thermally challenged" as my DI put it.
I called my LDS and they said that they could get me in a class. I think that I will do that first, before I get going on my sidemount course. I was planning on heading down to Monterey once I got my drysuit cert to get some normal rec backmount dives in first, just so I can get back into the swing of things. Because I have not dived since June of 2019, does anyone here think that I should rent a BC and reg system and hit the pool to get back into diving in a controlled environment?
As things stand right now, I could do the eLearning from SDI/TDI for their sidemount course. Being 16, all I need it parental consent. My parents are for me doing anything that betters myself, and I think this counts. Looking at their website, I see nothing about prerequisites. I took my PADI EANx class, but have not had time to do my two dives, nor the practical application session. Do you think it would be wise to finish my nitrox cert before starting anything else?
I have heard about sidemounting.com, however from the threads that I have read, the consensus seems to be to wait to start the online classes until I have my sidemount cert. This is due in part to to prevent me from having any preconceived notions about how the class should be taught.
Assuming that I finish my EANx, get my drysuit cert, would it be smart to get my own sidemount gear before my course, or should I wait until after to see what my instructor/LDS uses?
If I do go ahead and finish my EANx, get the PADI drysuit cert and then complete and pass my sidemount course, I hope to go and take the TDI Intro to Tech. I want to take the ITT so I can see if tech diving is right for me.
Knowing who I am, I think that I will like it, but I don't know until I try. After the ITT, and considering that I like tech diving, I hope to take the Advanced Nitrox course and then Decompression Prodedures after. I am only 16, so I have around a year and a half before I can take my AN/DP courses. I called two dive centers in the Bay Area, and none of them have any TDI instrutors. Is it bad to go directly thorugh TDI to find an instructor who is not affiliated with a dive shop?
Knowing what I do, I put together a list of diving equipment that I would need. I added up all of the prices, and then divided it by the cost for a bare bones rental system. The break even point for the cheapest rental system that I could safely dive in Monterey comes to $157, but my ideal system with a steel 100 that is clean for use with EANx would add $18, for a total of $175. I put together a list of everything that I (think) I would need to dive sidemount, and it came out to $4,772.80. If we take the $4,772.80 and divide it by the cheaper rental set that costs $157, the break even point would come after 30.4 dives, and let's round up to 31. The break even point would be after 31 dives, but that cost is not really comparable because we are comparing a single cylinder backmount system with BC compared to a sidemount setup. It is still useful to know though.
Also, I have heard about Doing It Right in diving. However, because there really is no sort of standardization in the sidemount diving world, there does not seem to be a DIR approach. DIR in diving seems like a good idea, as standardization is helpful in emergencies and can reduce task loading. I wonder what the DIR approach to sidemount would be.
Nb: I understand that this list is most likely very far from an optimal sidemount system. If you have any modifications that you would make, please let me know.
This is my list of equipment that I ran on the Rent vs. Buy analysis:
Faber Hot Dip Galvanized Cylinders, 2x HP100s - $699.9
From what I have seen, the hot dip galvanized tanks seem to hold up the best, and I want maximum durability, especialy when I am on a dive and my life depends on their function.
XTX50 Sidemount Set $1,589.00
I have heard good things about Apeks. I do realise that they are priced a bit too much for what they are though. I have looked at DeepSix, but have not heard of them before I joined the boards. I also want to support my LDS, as they have been very helpful to me.
Seaskin Drysuit $1,400
Seaskin suits seem like they are nicely made kit at a pretty great price.
OMS Sidemount Tech Adapter $99
I have heard good things about OMS from people on the board, and I like how the sidemount tech adapter allows me to have a BP/W if I take the adapter off. That modularity seems to be exclusive to OMS, and it is somethng that is appealing to me, considering the normal caveat from sidemount BC's is how you can only use them for sidemount.
OMS Wing 60Lbs Lift $319.95
The wing is compadible with the BP/W and harness, but also works with the sidemount adapter.
OMS Stainless Steel Back Plate w/Comfort Harness System III $405
This would be my BP/W that would be the base for my whole setup.
Atomic Venom ARC $259.95
I also looked at the Cressi Zeus, but to get a price, I would need to call a Cressi Atelier dealer to get a price.
Total cost: $4,772.8
Please let me know if anything here should be edited for accuracy or if anything needs attention.
Thank you all so much. Your expertise and experience is immeasurable and incredibly helpful for me.
Thank you again, and please stay safe!
Respectfully,
OctoHelm
I hope this finds you safe. Before I get into things, I would just like to thank the medical professionals and firefighters putting their lives on the line for us daily. Their selfless service to benefit us all is admirable, and we all ought to thank them for their service.
BLUF: I am a 16 year old AOW diver with 35 dives. I am wondering what my training progression should be going into sidemount diving, and I am wondering if I am thinking about it all in the right way.
I have been reading the forums on sidemount here, and from what I have heard, it seems like the next logical choice for me. I have 35 dives under my belt, and was planning to head to Fiji to get another 20 or so dives in. I hope to head to Monterey to get some dives in, but before I do that, I want to get my Drysuit cert, because I am "thermally challenged" as my DI put it.
I called my LDS and they said that they could get me in a class. I think that I will do that first, before I get going on my sidemount course. I was planning on heading down to Monterey once I got my drysuit cert to get some normal rec backmount dives in first, just so I can get back into the swing of things. Because I have not dived since June of 2019, does anyone here think that I should rent a BC and reg system and hit the pool to get back into diving in a controlled environment?
As things stand right now, I could do the eLearning from SDI/TDI for their sidemount course. Being 16, all I need it parental consent. My parents are for me doing anything that betters myself, and I think this counts. Looking at their website, I see nothing about prerequisites. I took my PADI EANx class, but have not had time to do my two dives, nor the practical application session. Do you think it would be wise to finish my nitrox cert before starting anything else?
I have heard about sidemounting.com, however from the threads that I have read, the consensus seems to be to wait to start the online classes until I have my sidemount cert. This is due in part to to prevent me from having any preconceived notions about how the class should be taught.
Assuming that I finish my EANx, get my drysuit cert, would it be smart to get my own sidemount gear before my course, or should I wait until after to see what my instructor/LDS uses?
If I do go ahead and finish my EANx, get the PADI drysuit cert and then complete and pass my sidemount course, I hope to go and take the TDI Intro to Tech. I want to take the ITT so I can see if tech diving is right for me.
Knowing who I am, I think that I will like it, but I don't know until I try. After the ITT, and considering that I like tech diving, I hope to take the Advanced Nitrox course and then Decompression Prodedures after. I am only 16, so I have around a year and a half before I can take my AN/DP courses. I called two dive centers in the Bay Area, and none of them have any TDI instrutors. Is it bad to go directly thorugh TDI to find an instructor who is not affiliated with a dive shop?
Knowing what I do, I put together a list of diving equipment that I would need. I added up all of the prices, and then divided it by the cost for a bare bones rental system. The break even point for the cheapest rental system that I could safely dive in Monterey comes to $157, but my ideal system with a steel 100 that is clean for use with EANx would add $18, for a total of $175. I put together a list of everything that I (think) I would need to dive sidemount, and it came out to $4,772.80. If we take the $4,772.80 and divide it by the cheaper rental set that costs $157, the break even point would come after 30.4 dives, and let's round up to 31. The break even point would be after 31 dives, but that cost is not really comparable because we are comparing a single cylinder backmount system with BC compared to a sidemount setup. It is still useful to know though.
Also, I have heard about Doing It Right in diving. However, because there really is no sort of standardization in the sidemount diving world, there does not seem to be a DIR approach. DIR in diving seems like a good idea, as standardization is helpful in emergencies and can reduce task loading. I wonder what the DIR approach to sidemount would be.
Nb: I understand that this list is most likely very far from an optimal sidemount system. If you have any modifications that you would make, please let me know.
This is my list of equipment that I ran on the Rent vs. Buy analysis:
Faber Hot Dip Galvanized Cylinders, 2x HP100s - $699.9
From what I have seen, the hot dip galvanized tanks seem to hold up the best, and I want maximum durability, especialy when I am on a dive and my life depends on their function.
XTX50 Sidemount Set $1,589.00
I have heard good things about Apeks. I do realise that they are priced a bit too much for what they are though. I have looked at DeepSix, but have not heard of them before I joined the boards. I also want to support my LDS, as they have been very helpful to me.
Seaskin Drysuit $1,400
Seaskin suits seem like they are nicely made kit at a pretty great price.
OMS Sidemount Tech Adapter $99
I have heard good things about OMS from people on the board, and I like how the sidemount tech adapter allows me to have a BP/W if I take the adapter off. That modularity seems to be exclusive to OMS, and it is somethng that is appealing to me, considering the normal caveat from sidemount BC's is how you can only use them for sidemount.
OMS Wing 60Lbs Lift $319.95
The wing is compadible with the BP/W and harness, but also works with the sidemount adapter.
OMS Stainless Steel Back Plate w/Comfort Harness System III $405
This would be my BP/W that would be the base for my whole setup.
Atomic Venom ARC $259.95
I also looked at the Cressi Zeus, but to get a price, I would need to call a Cressi Atelier dealer to get a price.
Total cost: $4,772.8
Please let me know if anything here should be edited for accuracy or if anything needs attention.
Thank you all so much. Your expertise and experience is immeasurable and incredibly helpful for me.
Thank you again, and please stay safe!
Respectfully,
OctoHelm