So I made a Toddy Style instructional video for liveaboards...

[tbone1004]

Man-o-man you must have the day today . When I asked for not being to hard on me I meant it in positive direction! Not negative!

Okay. First. Too many SPGs on hoses? Are you kidding me? On a safari boat with 4 dives per day? How on earth would you like to check on the cylinder refills before every dive? Mount and dismount? LOL Plus electronics can fail. I never rely completely on electronics. So imagine the transmitter loosing signal with the computer or failing completely... How would you check on the air available underwater?

But to prove your point I want to say that I experienced faulty HP hose on one of those. It didn't burst, it was just bubbling without meaningful pressure loss but it was there. But hey, any HP hose could fail and that's why we appreciate the redundancy design of a SM. Am I right?

On the other side the rigid transmitter mount would be utter nonsense. For one it would give you quite a massage and second any hard sticking point calls for break during manipulation. Above and underwater. Like when you hand over the cylinder in confined spaces. Or when stoving the cylinder on a Zodiak.

Second. You need to understand Toddy design. No necklace as none desired. Not even for transport and later in-water dismount. I've tried to convert Toddy this way only to realise it's a complete stupidity.

Third. Water entry. Remember the Use Case - a Photographer with Full rig on a Safari Boat with Zodiak entry. So you need to visualise a Zodiak with 6-8 people. Then you figure 2 hands are not nearly enough. Have you tried a zodiak entry with SM? Even not so bumpy ride will make your torso quit before the dive if you carry two cylinders neck mounted....

Fourth. Backmount with SMsingle. No. HORRIBLE trim but then I guess you don't take videos underwater. So you don't know. But that's ok. I know nothing about cave diving. So I don't comment on it

Fifth. YES! When I saw myself I remembered my wife saying I need practising yoga. TOO inflexible! I've shown your comment to my wife and she cheered on it! Now you've made my life hell . Cheers and thanks for comments!

I would urge you to explore other sidemount configurations and how some of the cave explorers are using these tools before committing to strongly to this particular dogma. Toddy is a phenomenal diver and instructor, however I am seeing a lot of things that you may not have fully understood prior to committing to this style of diving.
In my experience, getting off of a RHIB with steel sidemount bottles, neck clipped in, with a necklace, and transmitters connected directly to the bottom of the first stage without redundant SPG's has not been an issue. This experience has been shared by many other technical divers and instructors.
I also fail to see how a single tank backmount with a sidemounted 80 would have any bearing on your trim in the water compared to sidemount. My trim does not change with my gear configuration.

This is me in all black, with a single tank. Is that trim not sufficient?

 

[roman50]

I have two little necklaces on top of the tank (between tank neck and valve. I just attach a double ender to the tank one side, to my d-ring other side, and inflate my bc and just put all the hoses correctly in the water. This works in so many encounters. Here in this video below you can see what I'm trying to say. (the first example). You can do this sitting down soooo easily, and standing works as well, but it's a bit of a pain cause you have to crouch over.


And switching every 40 PSI. Jeezlouise, I'd be switching permanently. I switch about every 30-40 bar not psi, just because I see no need for the permanent back and forthing.

If one tank goes a bit 'ass up' for a minute, the only people it will bother, will be the fanatics . And i'll readjust anyway as soon as I hit my mark.

Sorry sorry 40bars were meant not PSIs... The double neck mount ok for boat entry but not zodiak - dinghy or whatever name people use. At least in my experience in calm red sea waters with one hand needed to care for camera equipment.

 

[Hartattack]

I totally agree there. This setup might prove cumbersome in case of Zodiac entry on heavy seas on Galapagos islands. For that it's actually beneficial that Toddy design allows for an easy conversion to a back mounted single cylinder setup. Just one small extra aluminium plate to carry on the trip.



This is all about life preservation and not skills improvement. I think I am a good photographer allright A diver newbie for sure though This was my 7th or 8th dive with Toddy so it was still quite messy. But with each dive I could see more and more clearly the benefits of this system and combination and I can tell you - when I am 40m underwater in middle of Africa all alone - it got me thinking. Spare Air wouldn't really cover an emergency as there is no support on the surface. Nearest chamber? Cape Town I guess. So the redundancy and the control of life support is all we have. And choosing the dive sites without hippos and crocs

Sounds good, here are a few video to give you some insight into the agency if you want to check it out. Cheers.

 

[tursiops]

You don't want input. You want affirmation that what you are doing is perfect. It's not. Good luck.

 

[roman50]

You don't want input. You want affirmation that what you are doing is perfect. It's not. Good luck.

tbone’s answer set me off… I do look for an input. Not on myself but on the idea of a SM setup on a safari boat. Try to search YouTube for this and you won’t find answers. So people keep using what is known to them in their answers and not what’s addressing the problem. Like the BS with SPGs which really set me off. I probably wasn’t clear but I am looking for the best solution for a loner diver on a safari boat where water conditions allow for relatively risk free self supported dives with the need to carry additional equipment. This type of dives is miles away from say cave dives or some other technical dives which are probably the main domain of SM divers on this forum I gather. Maybe the wrong forum to post this in the first place.

 

[Hartattack]

tbone’s answer set me off… I do look for an input. Not on myself but on the idea of a SM setup on a safari boat. Try to search YouTube for this and you won’t find answers. So people keep using what is known to them in their answers and not what’s addressing the problem. Like the BS with SPGs which really set me off. I probably wasn’t clear but I am looking for the best solution for a loner diver on a safari boat where water conditions allow for relatively risk free self supported dives with the need to carry additional equipment. This type of dives is miles away from say cave dives or some other technical dives which are probably the main domain of SM divers on this forum I gather. Maybe the wrong forum to post this in the first place.

Hi Roman,

I don't think this is the wrong place for your question; in fact, it's a great question to ask. However, with that said, I'm not sure if the type of Side Mount you use is the best tool for the job. Your example video looks like it causes unnecessary task loading and gas consumption when one would rather spend that time taking photos or setting up their shots.

I linked to GUE Fundamentals because this course and others like it will give you an excellent base to work off to provide you the needed skills and development to get more enjoyment from your dives. In addition, it will provide you with the skills necessary to plan and execute the dives you intend to do safely.

 

[tbone1004]

tbone’s answer set me off… I do look for an input. Not on myself but on the idea of a SM setup on a safari boat. Try to search YouTube for this and you won’t find answers. So people keep using what is known to them in their answers and not what’s addressing the problem. Like the BS with SPGs which really set me off. I probably wasn’t clear but I am looking for the best solution for a loner diver on a safari boat where water conditions allow for relatively risk free self supported dives with the need to carry additional equipment. This type of dives is miles away from say cave dives or some other technical dives which are probably the main domain of SM divers on this forum I gather. Maybe the wrong forum to post this in the first place.

Why did it set you off? You asked not to be too hard on you since you are new to diving and new to sidemount diving, and specifically asked for comments about this system. Based off of over 10 years of sidemount experience, I gave you my comments. Those 10 years are primarily in caves, but include RHIB's where I make one of two exceptions to my "no sidemount on boats" rule *the other exception is when using a boat to get to a cave*.
Caves are the main domain of sidemount divers everywhere in the world, it is where the configuration was created for and is still where it is best implemented. The configuration is ever-evolving amongst open minded divers and instructors as we are continually seeking better solutions.

As we explored transmitters again when Shearwater came out with their solution we started with redundant analog SPG's until we realized that it did not make sense. The added failure points did not make sense. If the transmitter fails, the dive is over and you either have enough gas to get home, or you don't. The short hoses left around the same time because again, the added failure points brought no benefit if you handled the bottles properly and configured your regulators properly. In this case, you are actually exposing the transmitters to more risk of damage because instead of being tucked underneath the first stage within the recess of the crown, it is now sitting proud against the side of the tank and since everything on a rhib is constantly bouncing around, it could very easily get crushed.

The attachment method of your right bottle in particular creates more risk to you as a diver by doing a back roll entry with a loose tank. You don't have enough hands to safely hold the bottle, the camera rig, and your mask. If you had them attached at the d-rings, you can safely roll back in without the hassle of looping a bungee over. You are increasing the work required and the risk of losing a bottle by fully detaching it just to deploy the regulator. Alternatively, the second stage would be clipped off before you roll and all you would have to do when you got horizontal is snap the bungee over the valve. Again, this comes from not only a decade of my experience, but that combined with many others over the years of getting off of a rhib in sidemount.

This video is a clip from Steve Martins courses and includes getting into the water from a RHIB. Note that everything is secure prior to entry.
and from Michur which is not from a RHIB but from similar conditions and very detailed similar to your video. This is close to how I do it.

You are headed down a very exciting path and your passion is a good thing, but you need to keep an open mind, particularly from those that have been at it for a very long time with a tremendous amount of experience. I have more days spent underwater than you have total dives and I am still one of the younger divers and instructors in my circle. It is important to see what everyone else is doing and really understand why you are doing everything that you do.

 

[Paul M]

@tbone1004
I was hoping somebody would provide Steve and Tomasz as good examples.
Its benefitial to subscribe to their channels and moreso to Steve's video training website. Steve website is not just for SM.

 

[SlugLife]

Critiques& suggestions:

• The beginning of the video feels like in-your-face marketing of those transmitters.
• The pauses audio is a bit abrupt, maybe mute the recorded audio and use music, or narrate over the video.
• Agreed with the stowing hoses suggestions.
• Have you considered also clipping the camera equipment, before entering the water? It seems like you're at risk of dropping it, if you happened to need both hands for some reason or got disoriented.
• Is there an advantage to clipping the regulator before the tank? Intuitively, it seems like clipping the tank first, then routing the regulator would produce more consistent results.
• A narrower focus and defining your audience might help instruct better. For example, you would have been better off addressing only one topic: (1) liveaboard sidemount etiquette (2) boat dive with a camera-rig (3) donning sidemount system on a boat (4) your specific equipment setup. To understand what's going on in this video, you'd have to know a decent amount about sidemount already.

Positives:

• I always appreciate more people showing how side mount works.
• Video quality is fairly good & easy to follow.
• Don't get discouraged if feedback initially is a little rough, we all start somewhere, and this seems like a decent start. Go watch the early uploads of most popular channels, they all start similarly. (Many YouTube channels delete their early uploads, hah)

Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to seeing more from you.

 

[Marie13]

@roman50

What made you take up SM?