I Tried Sidemount for the First Time

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73diver

Contributor
Messages
112
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57
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
# of dives
200 - 499
I started Tech training back mount and instantly found out that valves seemed miles away even if I wasn't a stiff 67 years old, wearing a dry suit and a 4th Element undergarment. So, I put the Tech training on hold and signed up for some side mount training.

I've completed one dive so far. My first experience with a pair of LP95's and Nomad harness was favorable. The underarm bungees were a little tight and I had trouble with the remove and reconnect drills. When I let the tanks hang without the bungees (i.e. just the snaps) I was a little better at it.

I have a feeling this may be my solution to continuing Tech training. When one adds a 40CF EAN50 deco bottle and perhaps an O2 bottle, how difficult is it to get to the leg pockets to deploy a DSMB or retrieve the spare mask?

Regards,

Ken
 
It sounds like you're going to end up loving the sidemount configuration. One great thing about sidemount is that it is a very versatile platform to build a mission specific configuration on. Your tanks can be hung almost anywhere on your rig, as long as you are familiar with the configuration and don't screw up your NOTOXs.

S-drills are instantly turned into a big joke when coming from backmount to sidemount. My best time on backmount for an s drill was around 25 seconds. On sidemount the longest time I took was 14 seconds.

You can also do a bubble check by yourself if you're solo diving since your pertinent gear is right in your lap.

To remedy the difficulty with thigh pockets when you've got 4 or more tanks on your sides, which were meant for back mounted divers btw, a lot of sidemount divers use a fanny pouch that hangs from the ass end of the harness. When I have only 2 tanks on, I still find it fairly easy to access cargo pockets on my shorts. I just have to wiggle my arm in between my tank and my body and I can access them alright.
 
Why would being sidemount affect the time for an S-drill? (I suspect you mean valve drill.)
 
Why would being sidemount affect the time for an S-drill? (I suspect you mean valve drill.)

Yes, some people call them S-Drills, or safety drills, or shutdown drills, or valve drills. It's all just switching over to a good valve and shutting down, and isolating, if need be, the bad valve in order to conserve your air supply and regain a good air supply.

In backmount gear, you have to reach way over and behind your shoulders to get to the valves and the isolation valve. It's pretty uncomfortable and if you're not flexible enough in your shoulders it could be altogether impossible to accomplish.

In sidemount gear, there is no need for an isolator valve so you have one less valve to shutdown, which simplifies the whole process in a big way. Your other 2 valves are right in front of you which makes operating each one so much easier. This is one reason sidemount is becoming more and more popular.
 
Yes, some people call them S-Drills, or safety drills, or shutdown drills, or valve drills. It's all just switching over to a good valve and shutting down, and isolating, if need be, the bad valve in order to conserve your air supply and regain a good air supply.

In backmount gear, you have to reach way over and behind your shoulders to get to the valves and the isolation valve. It's pretty uncomfortable and if you're not flexible enough in your shoulders it could be altogether impossible to accomplish.

In sidemount gear, there is no need for an isolator valve so you have one less valve to shutdown, which simplifies the whole process in a big way. Your other 2 valves are right in front of you which makes operating each one so much easier. This is one reason sidemount is becoming more and more popular.

S-Drills and Valve Drills are different. The terms are not interchangeable.
 
Explain the differences for me please.
 
Explain the differences for me please.

An S-Drill is used pre-dive and is an air sharing drill. It ensures that team members don't have any trapped hoses and can breath off of both second stages.

Valve Drills are used to isolate your air source in the event of gas loss.
 
S-Drill is a practice of the donation of the long hose (or whatever you use).
Valve Drill is a practice of the manipulation of the valves.
 
Kelly,
And please don't use the words fanny pouch - for Brits it means something different to what you intended :)
 
S-drill is the donation of long hose where buddy breathes from it. Modified s-drill stops when you're breathing from your second with long hose regulator extended towards your buddy and made sure it is not restricted by other hoses, webbing etc.

- Mikko Laakkonen -

I love diving and teaching others to dive.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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