some stuff. Hi :-)

[alien8]

Introduced to scuba by my wife who is Advanced PADI and doesn't count dives anymore. Got bitten hard by the bug.

Ended up doing open water across 3 countries (!) go go logistics and moving.. but finally done. then it moved fast. Majorca, Malta, UK, Singapore, Good trip to the Maldives 'you need BP/Wing, your legs..', pool sessions, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali) is kinda how it went.

They were right about my legs, they muscles are very dense as i'm a lifetime athlete (mainly cycling, trained at elite level for many years) who lifts weights. I genuninely can't use jackets!

I have an XDeep Xen setup and with this i've done a bunch more dives (feeling a ton better than the 'jackets') and did my rescue course this year.

Thanks to @TMurrr for help sorting hoses!

More air and redundancy is good.. next rig is the XDeep Stealth Tec which is VERY RED. Got training booked with Joe Seda to learn how to use it properly...

Currently in NY, Dive normally in APAC. Currently looking for a dry suit to extend where i can go.

 

[TMurrr]

Fantastic setup! Love the red. What regs / computer are ya using?

 

[lowwall]

I'd suggest getting some more dives in before jumping into sidemount. If you just like the challenge of training then consider GUE Fundamentals as your next course. Completing that course will also make any eventual sidemount training more efficient.

This might be way off, but reading between the lines it looks like you are concerned about your gas consumption rate. That normally improves quite a bit as a diver gets experience and learns to relax in the water. In the meantime, just rent larger tanks.

 

[alien8]

Fantastic setup! Love the red. What regs / computer are ya using?

Garmin Descent 3i and 2 x T2.

Atomic B2 x 2, no spider

 

[alien8]

I'd suggest getting some more dives in before jumping into sidemount. If you just like the challenge of training then consider GUE Fundamentals as your next course. Completing that course will also make any eventual sidemount training more efficient.

This might be way off, but reading between the lines it looks like you are concerned about your gas consumption rate. That normally improves quite a bit as a diver gets experience and learns to relax in the water. In the meantime, just rent larger tanks.

All fair points but I am an edge case.

I can't handle 2 tanks on my back due to injuries. they've gotta be on the sides. My wife is such an massively efficient user of air I *have* to have 2 tanks to stay down the same time as her.

... and it's booked, so it's happening! - and this is why the 4 day course with sidemounting.com and top notch instructor Joe to effectively get fully versed and muscle memoried. not interested in Caves, am already tech.

I'm not interested in GUE at all.

 

[lowwall]

All fair points but I am an edge case.

I can't handle 2 tanks on my back due to injuries. they've gotta be on the sides. My wife is such an massively efficient user of air I *have* to have 2 tanks to stay down the same time as her.

... and it's booked, so it's happening! - and this is why the 4 day course with sidemounting.com and top notch instructor Joe to effectively get fully versed and muscle memoried. not interested in Caves, am already tech.

I'm not interested in GUE at all.

Not really an edge case. It's very common for new divers to have high consumption. Especially for athletes and the large lung capacity that comes from extended training. The good news is your physical condition will eventually be a big help, once your breathing rate/pattern becomes more closely matched to your actual metabolic needs.

You also might not need 2 tanks. For example, assuming you plan on surfacing with around 13cu ft of gas (500psi on an AL80), an HP117 will give you 62% more gas than an AL80 to use during your dive. And it only adds about 6 pounds (2 of which are the additional air) versus the AL80 because you get to drop 4 pounds of lead.

What does "am already tech" mean? Rescue isn't tech. Maybe your profile hasn't been updated?

Anyway, enjoy the training.

 

[alien8]

I've done decompression dives, I know the technical side very well. Nitrox and Deep.

Had dinner with one of my instructors last night and he's comfortable with what's happening and will be diving with me again later this year. He's dived a lot with me.

What does "am already tech" mean? Rescue isn't tech. Maybe your profile hasn't been updated?

 

[gamon]

I've done decompression dives

We all have.

 

[lowwall]

I've done decompression dives, I know the technical side very well. Nitrox and Deep.

Had dinner with one of my instructors last night and he's comfortable with what's happening and will be diving with me again later this year. He's dived a lot with me.

That's a very concerning couple of paragraphs. Your profile says you have fewer than 50 dives and doesn't mention any tech training. I'm not qualified to give advice on technical diving, but high SAC rates, single tanks, little experience, and mandatory deco stops do not seem like a healthy combination.

It looks like @inquis is reading this thread. Perhaps he could give some advice from the perspective of a tech diver.

Or maybe you don't want to hear it? If your mind is made up, then there's no point in continuing with this particular discussion.

 

[inquis]

There are many with far more technical diving experience than myself, but I'll throw out some thoughts. I wouldn't call Nitrox and Deep specialties "technical diving". However, mandatory decompression stops crosses that line for nearly all agencies. Planning becomes paramount to ensure sufficient gas and redundancy when problems must be handled without surfacing. Carrying multiple gases (e.g., to accelerate decompression) is firmly within the technical purview and numerous people have died from mistakes made. There's a fair bit of "you don't know what you don't know", and further training can provide that insight as well as processes designed to minimize mistakes.

Sidemount is one way to achieve redundancy for the bottom gas, and it obviously mitigates the high consumption rate issue. It's a good step toward technical diving. Just keep in mind that some of that gas is still for the buddy, and your own SAC will likely increase even if you are the donor. Seda is a highly regarded technical instructor. He can likely take the OP as far as they wish to go, SM or beyond.

Personally, I'd favor the larger single-tank solution for the NDL dives with a wife who sips air. However, after the SM class, the OP can make an informed choice as to degree of hassle SM brings to the table. It's not the best tool in all cases.