What's with sidemount?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Last time I asked that question (in the SM forum) I got told "any way you [a backmount diver] can" and then called a troll when I asked for clarification

Good times

I don't recall that conversation, but like a lot of forums, many people go there just to troll.

My answer to the question would revolve on how I was taught to do it for the caves. In effect, you can sling deco bottles under your sidemount tanks in pretty much exactly the same way you do with backmount ... even using the same rigging. Unlike backmount, you don't have to worry about fouling the long hose on the right side, since it's stuffed into bands around the right main cylinder. You can also mount stages and/or deco bottles on top of your main cylinder. I've only done this in class, using tanks supplied to me by the instructor ... so I'm hardly the person who instruct you on how to do it. But it was simple enough to don/doff the stage inside the cave using this method.

I'm fairly certain someone's posted video of both of these methods in the sidemount forum ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Tortuga68]

Thanks

I didn't mean to imply it was you that gave that response. I don't recall who it was, but pretty sure it wasn't you. The follow up question I asked was why that particular person slung his gas in the place he did for different dives, which was when I got accused (via PM from the same person) of being a troll

Anyway, carry on

 

[coldwatercanada]

"You want to cross my bridge . . . ten doller!!!!"

 

[beautybelow]

No it don't unless you're filling tanks between dives, but most boats I've seen carry 2 tanks per diver to begin with. If you dive sidemounted doubles you still just need 2 tanks for the same divetime..

We fill tanks in between dives, as do a lot of liveaboards here in the Maldives.

 

[beautybelow]

I doubt you'll ever see that. For the most part, folks who choose to dive sidemount would be those who are already inclined to want to dive doubles ... and that's a very small percentage of divers.

Sidemount is NOT a panacea ... it's more preparation effort than back-mount, and requires some degree of "gas planning" while diving ... and that's going to eliminate the attraction for the vast majority of recreational divers.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I doubt I will ever see that either, but say even 6 people from a group of 22 divers (a club) come and want to do side mount....it would be doable but not easy.

It was just my take on what Frank's initial point was.

I wasn't trying to get into the sidemount debate either...I know very little about it.

 

[Tigerman]

We fill tanks in between dives, as do a lot of liveaboards here in the Maldives.

Thereof my "unless", but then again, the Maldives is not somewhere I wish to dive to begin with for very specific reasons...

 

[beautybelow]

Thereof my "unless", but then again, the Maldives is not somewhere I wish to dive to begin with for very specific reasons...

Ok...the recreational live aboard I was associated with in the Cayman Islands as well as Honduras and every other one I know about from personal experience except for one, fills tanks in between dives and only has enough tanks for a full charter plus some spares.

That was the point I was trying to make.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I doubt I will ever see that either, but say even 6 people from a group of 22 divers (a club) come and want to do side mount....it would be doable but not easy.

It was just my take on what Frank's initial point was.

I wasn't trying to get into the sidemount debate either...I know very little about it.

It's like most things ... not as difficult as one imagines to accommodate once you become familiar with it. For the AL80's most liveaboards use, sidemounting a single cylinder is easy ... or you're only going to have to top them between dives, which wouldn't really be that time-consuming.

But accommodating unfamiliar rigs is always a bit of extra work.

For practical purposes I won't be bringing my sidemount rig to the Maldives in January. It wouldn't offer me any real advantage for the dives I'm planning to do there. Other places I travel could be more amenable for the sidemount rig ... particularly those where I might want to do deeper or solo dives ... which is where its inherent advantages would make it a very practical choice.

Which liveaboard do you work on?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[watboy]

Having finally taken my tec class, I'm now seriously considering taking side mount course. I found myself wanting to get more experience with manifold doubles as it still felt unnatural compared to my single tank BPW setup. However, most of the diving I do is 1-2 hour flight away. I could limit myself to shops that rent doubles, but in my limited experience so far, there's enough difference in how doubles are setup to mess up my trim. I'm also on the shorter side and valve drills take more effort for me than I think it should, it was probably my least enjoyed training exercise. I'm considering going side mount as it would be much easier for me to rent a pair of AL80's when i travel.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Having finally taken my tec class, I'm now seriously considering taking side mount course. I found myself wanting to get more experience with manifold doubles as it still felt unnatural compared to my single tank BPW setup. However, most of the diving I do is 1-2 hour flight away. I could limit myself to shops that rent doubles, but in my limited experience so far, there's enough difference in how doubles are setup to mess up my trim. I'm also on the shorter side and valve drills take more effort for me than I think it should, it was probably my least enjoyed training exercise. I'm considering going side mount as it would be much easier for me to rent a pair of AL80's when i travel.

If you plan to dive doubles when you travel, this is one of the most appealing advantages to sidemount. My first exposure to it was on a trip to Port Hardy ... the extreme north tip of Vancouver Island ... with some folks from Advanced Diver Magazine. Curt Bowen was using his Armadillo, and some AL80's that he got locally. That just seemed way more practical than hauling in a set ... or more than one set ... of manifolded doubles.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)