Okay, the other side

[Dive-aholic]

That's what caught me off guard. I was told I was not allowed to do side mount for my NAUI Cave 1 class and so I did it backmount. Later, I was shadowing a NAUI Cave 1 class and had to dive backmount. I mentioned this to a NAUI rep at a dive shop one day, intimating that the instructors needed to lighten up. WHOA. He was blistering in his condemnation of sidemount and how it would NEVER be a part of NAUI's curriculum. What if he's right?

That's a shame. Glad I'm not a NAUI instructor. I teach cave and tech through 5 different agencies and they all allow me to teach in sidemount.

 

[The Chairman]

That's a shame. Glad I'm not a NAUI instructor. I teach cave and tech through 5 different agencies and they all allow me to teach in sidemount.

I'm in a good place right now for me. I would love to finish Full Cave, but Cave 1 allows me to explore all the caves I want to explore. I am sure some instructor will entice me to finish and it will be good. I would like to finish in Sidemount.

 

[karstdvr]

That's a shame. Glad I'm not a NAUI instructor. I teach cave and tech through 5 different agencies and they all allow me to teach in sidemount.

Rob,does anybody teach both during the course of a class? I know in full cave there is an experience dive,which in the past used to be survey/cartography,but instructors gave that up in favor of other experiences. I was curious if BM divers got experience with SM,and visa versa? I am thinking in the context of well rounded cave divers,but this may be out of context when trying to teach skills.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That's what caught me off guard. I was told I was not allowed to do side mount for my NAUI Cave 1 class and so I did it backmount. Later, I was shadowing a NAUI Cave 1 class and had to dive backmount. I mentioned this to a NAUI rep at a dive shop one day, intimating that the instructors needed to lighten up. WHOA. He was blistering in his condemnation of sidemount and how it would NEVER be a part of NAUI's curriculum. What if he's right?

... people used to think the same way about nitrox, Pete ... they were wrong ... of course.

In the end, it isn't the agencies who ultimately determine what will become part of their curriculum ... it's their customers. Because if the agency doesn't offer what people want to buy, they simply go find someone who will ... and nobody wants to lose market share.

If they were smart, they'd already be working on developing training standards and "best practices" for sidemount diving ... and not just for diving in caves. Because "cool" has nothing to do with the appeal of SM to an awful lot of us ... and we'll be doing it whether or not the agencies decide to jump on the bandwagon ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Because "cool" has nothing to do with the appeal of SM to an awful lot of us ... and we'll be doing it whether or not the agencies decide to jump on the bandwagon ...

Yeah, and if you look at the ageing diving demographic, there are going to be more and more of us, I think!

Jax, one day I realize that, with my bigger doubles, an argon setup, and the weight I need for Puget Sound, I get into the water wearing MORE than my body's weight in gear. Gear weight has always been a major consideration for me in diving, and that's not going to get any better as I get older and even MORE arthritic.

 

[Scott L]

What's the big concern with GUE's direction with the side-mount configuration? There is nothing stopping anyone, including fully credentialed GUE divers from pursuing training elsewhere and side-mount diving to their hearts content...

 

[Jax]

What's the big concern with GUE's direction with the side-mount configuration? There is nothing stopping anyone, including fully credentialed GUE divers from pursuing training elsewhere and side-mount diving to their hearts content...

I think I started this, Scott. When Lynne said she had to give up the cupcake (no longer assimilated DIR), I suggested that the DIR community should petition GUE / UTD to add sidemount to its accepted tools.

From what I know of the system, it is very . . . comforting? secure? to those that practice it, and seems to make sense to bring SM under GUE instead of creating another break-away group.

However, no matter what field you are in, if the primary "group decision makers" fail to note and adopt new processes and procedures, they will see their population splinter off into other groups.

 

[Karen Cleveland]

Curious for those who dive SM , is it more difficult to ride scooters?

 

[Jax]

Curious for those who dive SM , is it more difficult to ride scooters?

I PM'd a couple of people that scooter a lot.

 

[wedivebc]

Lynn for someone who usually has a lot of valuable information to share this is a sad day indeed.
Why should you care what people think about your choice to dive SM? If it works for you use it. If a tool works for the type of diving you are doing does it really matter if you have group approval? I certainly hope not. I sometimes use a big crescent wrench as a hammer, I am not happy about it but I don't really care what anyone thinks about it.

Okay, guys, I'm now feeling as though I ought to go sit in the corner for being interested in doing this . . . I've actually been thinking about SM for quite a while, simply because I need so much help getting in and out of the water at some of the cenotes, or climbing the goat tracks back to the car. Taking a SM class was on my (now very short) list of classes I still wanted to do. I'm not quite sure why I should feel at all guilty about looking into a gear configuration that solves problems for me . . . Can any of you who are suggesting that explain WHY?