new Sidemount diver trying to do drills with us at BHB....Problems beyond belief!

[cool_hardware52]

Hi Jax,
Apparently she was wearing a Razor. Now she is indicating the problem was that that the cam bands had slid up which allowed the tanks to hang down way too far.
I will send her the video, and hope that it helps.
Thanks

Cam bands are not the recommend means to secure the lower bolt snap on SM tanks for use with the Razor. Worm drive hose clamps are a better choice.

Tobin

 

[TSandM]

You know, Bob's definitely great with gear adjustments, but any of us who has had some experience and some training can get somebody close enough to be comfortable.

 

[DaleC]

I'm just confused as to the point of the thread. Is it a paid advertisement or something? I mean, it really can't be that someone is extrapolating anything of relevance from the observation of a single unskilled diver.

 

[danvolker]

I'm just confused as to the point of the thread. Is it a paid advertisement or something? I mean, it really can't be that someone is extrapolating anything of relevance from the observation of a single unskilled diver.

There are several points.

1. You hear DIR ideas like --those in a team should be in the same gear...On seeing all the strange problems she was having with the sidemount system, it would be a mistake to think that a diver in normal backmount would just naturally know how to help with several of the issues this girl was facing.
2. I had thought Sidemount was supposed to be for a cave environment, yet in seeing this in action, even in a video showing it configured properly, the sidemount system appears to me to be more likely to cause silting on a bottom like at the BHB if the diver needs to be very close to the bottom...in this case, looking for nudibranchs, in a cave it could be a restriction...this is more of a question though, it is my expectation from all the posts I have read, that sidemount is quite good for tight areas.. We don't really see sidemount divers in Palm Beach, so this was a new event.
3. From the internet, I have met quite a few very smart people that use Sidemount..so naturally I wanted some feedback from them, given how different this first "in-person" impression of a side mount diver in action was.
4. RECENTLY I switched to double 80's ( back mounted) rather than a lp 120, because it was so well demonstrated for me that for very slow and tight areas, there was much better stability and control with the dual 80's . The more technical or penetration level challenge of a dive, the more this is interesting as a topic to me now( as this is effected by various gear). Where many tech divers in South Florida now practice drills in doubles, at the BHB Marine Park, this is a very silty bottom with one of the highest concentrations of Nudibranchs I believe anyone has ever found anywhere. So divers practicing, can also look for NUdibranchs, especially if they have a photographer with them or have a camera themselves. Getting litterally 2 inches off the bottom without silting has a huge value to macro photography here. I will be interested to see a really good sidemount diver with a camera show up here some day, and to see how well they search around, without silting. I think this would be something I might even want to film, and do an article on.
5. And your observations would be better why?

 

[danvolker]

Cam bands are not the recommend means to secure the lower bolt snap on SM tanks for use with the Razor. Worm drive hose clamps are a better choice.

Tobin

And this is something I will pass on to her. Thanks!

 

[danvolker]

Cam bands are not the recommend means to secure the lower bolt snap on SM tanks for use with the Razor. Worm drive hose clamps are a better choice.

Tobin

Tobin, if optimally configured, can a sidemount diver be as close to the bottom without silting as a back mounted diver.....from what I have just seen, this appears to be a problem.

 

[The Chairman]

I don't have a problem with silting in sidemount and I get right next to the bottom.

Probably the most patient and resourceful sidemount instructor is Rob Neto. I want to take a class from him just to see how he dials people in. I have done a number of dives, including cave in sidemount with some notorious cavers like JahJah and feel quite comfortable in sidemount and it's just not that different. But then, I do things a bit different than others, like having both of my regs on the same bungee. That's part of the joy of sidemounting: playing around with the different configurations.

 

[danvolker]

I don't have a problem with silting in sidemount and I get right next to the bottom.

Probably the most patient and resourceful sidemount instructor is Rob Neto. I want to take a class from him just to see how he dials people in. I have done a number of dives, including cave in sidemount with some notorious cavers like JahJah and feel quite comfortable in sidemount and it's just not that different. But then, I do things a bit different than others, like having both of my regs on the same bungee. That's part of the joy of sidemounting: playing around with the different configurations.

HOW about visiting the BHB Park and letting me shoot video of you hunting nudibranchs in Sidemount? It could be a good article for my next issue of SFDJ....Then I just need Jax and TS&M and a few others to add

 

[Jax]

Tobin, if optimally configured, can a sidemount diver be as close to the bottom without silting as a back mounted diver.....from what I have just seen, this appears to be a problem.

Dan, after Rob dialed in my sidemount, my clipped off primary will hit the bottom before my tanks or anything else will. That is like 3-4".

 

[Jax]

Dan, you can help her out with that bungee, though. A bungee is a bungee . . . it should not be that hard.