Opinions on recreational sidemount?

[Jim Lapenta]

I dive and teach Rec sidemount. As well as Adv Nitrox/Deco Proc/Adv Wreck in the configuration. Why? Well there is the redundancy factor for one. Mainly though it's becoming more and more a question of practicality at the age of 56 and not wanting to walk around with weight on my back any more than I have to.

I have students with back and knee issues that are otherwise perfectly healthy and capable that want to keep diving for another 10, 15, even 20 years instead of 5 or 10. Sidemount is one option they feel will allow them to do that.

I have LP 72's, 75.5's, 85's, 95's, and Al 80's set up for sidemount. I just got a set of LP 46's that I'm getting rigged up as well. It does take some getting used to and learning your rig(s) to dive them from a boat and certain boats may be less than optimal. In those cases you call around and find another operator.

A practiced sidemount diver doesn't take any longer to get ready to get in the water than the avg OW diver. In many cases they may be faster given the state of training for some OW divers today.

A three tank dive? No problem. Take three tanks and my transfill whip.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have never done any recreational sidemount--only caves. Giving it some thought, though, I think an advantage on a 2-tank recreational dive (over back mounted singles) is that you not only have redundancy, you have in effect more usable gas. If you are diving a new backmounted tank on each dive, then you have to leave a reserve in each one for safety reasons each time. If you are diving both tanks together on the two dives (either sidemount of as backmounted doubles), you only need that same amount of reserve on the second dive, so you essentially get to divide that first dive reserve between the two dives.

 

[Chugwhump]

I am with Lapenta on this (and that usually scares the hell out of me).
There are some people with physical limitations and/or pain issues that walk to the back of the boat, drop in, and we hand the tanks down to them.
These are people who are perfectly competent and even what I would call "excellent divers" when gravity is not working against them so hard.

Chug
Not particularly interested in sidemount.......
yet.

 

[boulderjohn]

I actually got into sidemount because of the pain factor. During and after dive outings that involved walking around on shore or on boats carrying heavy steel doubles, I suffered extensive pain and numbness in my right arm, making sleep a real challenge. After X-rays and MRIs of my spine, I was diagnosed with spinal issues, with my symptoms caused by all that weight pressing down on my spinal area. I decided my best hope was to go sidemount, so I would not be walking around on shore before and after dives carrying all that weight. It didn't help much at all, though.

Then I went to a different doctor who listened in disbelief to what other doctors had said. He looked at the X-rays and MRIs and told me my spinal issues had nothing to do with it. I had carpal tunnel syndrome. The problem was not from carrying tanks on my back; it was from hauling tanks around in my hands. Carpal tunnel surgery cured me completely. I now have no problems with it whatsoever--backmount or sidemount

 

[SillyQuestions]

I dive sidemount cos I have to in caves so I stick to one system.

I don't particularly like sidemount.

But this is a hobby, do what you want!

Want to dive two sidemount rebreathers simultaneously to look at fishes at 20ft? Go for it.


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[Johanan]

I have no experience with twinsets but I regularly dive "recreational sidemount" as you called it. Even on dives where all others dive singles. I quite like it. It feels good to carry plenty of gas, especially when I dive with my wife. SM kit is acceptable for solo diving and I tend to consider each dive as a potential solo dive, especially with instabuddies. I find my Diamond SM BCD more streamlined than my BP/W. It's easy to dry and store. It is also light for traveling as it doesnt have a plate. Jim Lapenta listed the most important advantages above - one can carry the cylinders separately and clip them on in the water, which is a blessing when getting to/from the water involves climbing. The valves are right in front within a quick and easy reach, which is also nice. To get kitted on the boat, SM appears a bit more awkward than twinsets. I now SM divers who jump into the water without cylinders and clip them on in water. Some prefer to remove cylinder(s) prior to getting back onboard, too. Access to the dry suit's pockets could be a bit tricky. Generally, however, I am very happy with recreational sidemount.

 

[kafkaland]

I learned sidemount for caves, but have come to like that configuration for more challenging rec dives, like Great Lakes wrecks without penetration in the 100-130 ft. range, as well. I appreciate the redundancy, and it has really hardly any drawbacks when I compare it to a single-tank plus pony configuration. I haven't had any problems on charters, except a stupid captain turning the air off in one of my tanks when he did the final check on us before splashing. He wasn't familiar with right/left valves, but I caught it right away. He stayed away from my gear afterwards.

 

[Coztick]

I have just taken the padi. rec. sm. course through Dressel's in Coz.(Thanks Baptiste!)
I just love the freedom of motion and flexibility in a harness as opposed to having the mass
of a cylinder on my back. Diving 2 80s in sm. felt so stable yet nimble, but since the rest of
my dives weren't done back to back,(my wife doesn't dive) I just used 1 80 like all the backmounts
and carried a 13cu pony on the right. I just use 2 3# weights on dog clips, moving 1 to maintain
balance during the dive.
On the boat there was always no problem as it takes no longer to clip and plug into 2 tanks
as in does to put on a bc. As mentioned before, If others are doing 2 single tank dives, just
take them both, twice, and get another 700 psi. of diving in.
Let us know how ya make out!

 

[aquamannz]

I dive rec sidemount. Hollis sms100d. I am preparing for padi rec rec to 50m. I do not intend to dive in confined spaces. I respect the “exclusive” views of caveheads and wreckmen. Yet diving sidemount, even left side single tank with shout and long hose both in the same xtx50, is not only comfortable to me; it bring joyfulness back into my diving. And the trim discipline needed for sidemount plus the fin skill I develop just goes further to make any backmount diving I do just that much better. Be a Tec snob all you want. Sidemount. Even single tank, which I have done 80 times now in Moalboal, is how diving will be done in the future.

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[MXGratefulDiver]

For the life of me I just can't imagine the reason anyone would use "recreation" sidemount. This is an oxymoron.
Come down to the Florida cave country and I'll show you why sidemount was conceived. [emoji16]

... perhaps you just need a better imagination. Or maybe just exposure to more varied environments and demographics. There are many valid reasons why someone might want to consider sidemount for dives outside of caves or other types of overhead. They've been pretty well beaten to death in discussions on ScubaBoard, so I won't bother rehashing them. I'm sure you've already read them ... and you either accept them as valid or not.

You sound like all those local dive shop owners who constantly tell people that BP/W is "tech sh!t", and overkill for recreational diving.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)