Question SM advise

[Jatinder]

Hi, I'm a new diver with less than 20 dives. I'm taking drysuit and AOW course this summer. I want to delve into SM and Ice diving as well.

I'm planning to go into Rec SM because double BM tanks would be too heavy for me. (5'8" #150)

Any recommendation to learn SM here locally (Instructor or Agency near/around Ottawa). Would it be advisable to get into a course first and then start with a mentor or just start with a mentor directly?

Also, any recommendations on reg set is welcome as well for eventual Ice diving.

Your thoughts?

 

[Subcooled]

Thanks for all the replies.

I can see most people here are advocates of double backmount.

Because that is a very common setup and a bearable setup to most.
You should ask a thousand flies if poop is nice.
They will say: yes!

OK, backmount is great for many things but sometimes sidemount is just better.

 

[Dody]

Maybe, some advice on how to carry cylinders would be useful. I have rougly the same morphology than the OP. 1.77m, 70 kilos and I am pretty fit. I have no problem walking several hundred meters or climbing stairs with a twinset 2*12 liters before a dive. However, after a dive, this is another story. On a shore dive, walking on stones, unbalanced, then, climbing on a ladder then stairs and walking 200 meters is a dreading thought. If I dive with a DS, I ask them for assistance but when I am just with a buddy, it almost spoils my dive. And I only carry 4 kg of lead.

 

[Marie13]

Maybe, some advice on how to carry cylinders would be useful. I have rougly the same morphology than the OP. 1.77m, 70 kilos and I am pretty fit. I have no problem walking several hundred meters or climbing stairs with a twinset 2*12 liters before a dive. However, after a dive, this is another story. On a shore dive, walking on stones, unbalanced, then, climbing on a ladder then stairs and walking 200 meters is a dreading thought. If I dive with a DS, I ask them for assistance but when I am just with a buddy, it almost spoils my dive. And I only carry 4 kg of lead.

Maybe you need to up your cardio and do some barbell/dumbbell squats. Or choose different dives sites.

 

[lermontov]

you dont really need a reason to go sidemount or to justify your decision just do what you want, if sidemount was the norm before backmount came along nobody would blink an eye. Too many people trying to tell us what to do in life as it is .

 

[Dody]

Maybe you need to up your cardio and do some barbell/dumbbell squats. Or choose different dives sites.

I should stop skipping breakfast

 

[VikingDives]

Hi, I'm a new diver with less than 20 dives. I'm taking drysuit and AOW course this summer. I want to delve into SM and Ice diving as well.

I'm planning to go into Rec SM because double BM tanks would be too heavy for me. (5'8" #150)

Any recommendation to learn SM here locally (Instructor or Agency near/around Ottawa). Would it be advisable to get into a course first and then start with a mentor or just start with a mentor directly?

Also, any recommendations on reg set is welcome as well for eventual Ice diving.

Your thoughts?

What do you want to do that requires additional tanks? If you're planning to do tech diving, it's probably better to consider tech sidemount training.

I dive SM because I can't reach my left valve - so BM isn't an option. Sidemount is cool, but for most rec dives, unnecessary. Additionally, the learning curve is a lot shorter with a pony bottle.

I dive an xdeep Stealth, and I love it. I don't love their pouch though. I use a razor pouch.

 

[Imla]

Might be a stupid question... but Al80 in Ottawa?? What is the reasoning behind aluminum cylinders in dry suit territory?

 

[Bierstadt]

New diver, already thinking drysuit, ice diving, and sidemount, that's cool.

I haven't used backmount since I switched to sidemount; however, sidemount is another level of complexity beyond single tank backmount. Obviously there are twice as many hoses, twice as many actively used regulators, etc, but also a sidemount rig is a finely tuned instrument matching the diver using it, with a lot more strings and straps to manage compared to a backmount setup. It's great in the end, but the learning curve is steep. You've got under 20 dives. If you are a normal diver you need to learn to be a diver first, which is most easily done in single tank backmount. If you are a natural, then get yourself a skilled sidemount instructor and explain what you want to accomplish. They can pace you and develop your skills.

If you want to futureproof your kit, make sure to buy cold water regs with rotating turrets and tanks that are suitable for sidemount - Faber lp85's are the current gold standard for sidemount tanks in the Great Lakes; al80's are good tanks, but not for deep wreck diving in the Great Lakes. That way if you start with a BM bcd the only thing you're not using when you go SM is the bcd and a few hoses. You've got a lot of fun diving and great learning ahead of you, so good luck.

 

[rddvet]

Thanks for all the replies.

I can see most people here are advocates of double backmount. But with my limited experience/knowledge, after using single AL80, I was thinking I can't lug around 2 of these cylinders, let alone 2 steel tanks. Smaller sizes might be available but I don't know if they are available here for renting as I haven't seen them. I'll talk to LDSs in the area.

I could get more experience with single BM and then progress to SM but my thinking was to not waste time/money on one setup and then purchase another. If I was going to end up with double tank SM, might as well start with single cylinder SM. Why not save my back as well...

@BoltSnap Thanks for the advice. Maybe local divers can point me to a great SM instructor.

@Rol diy @rongoodman Thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can try them

For ice diving, how are DiveRite XTs from DGX?

There are many pros and cons to bm vs sm. It seems like sm has become this magical thing that makes diving easier for people. It doesn't. It has it's own negatives: more walks to the water, not allowed on many boats and can be a pain when it is, fiddly gear, etc. There are also negatives to doubles. Your size and weight isn't one of them. My wife's 5'3" 105lbs and can handle doubles easily. If a set of doubles is unwieldy, focusing on your physical health and strength should be priority 1.
I would suggest just go dive and have fun and learn some things you don't even know you don't know yet. Most people at your level are barely diving in horizontal trim. Learn to dive in trim with effective fin kicks and perfect buoyancy. Once you get there, start thinking of advanced principles such as doubles, sm, or deco classes.

 

[Marie13]

What do you want to do that requires additional tanks? If you're planning to do tech diving, it's probably better to consider tech sidemount training.

I dive SM because I can't reach my left valve - so BM isn't an option. Sidemount is cool, but for most rec dives, unnecessary. Additionally, the learning curve is a lot shorter with a pony bottle.

I dive an xdeep Stealth, and I love it. I don't love their pouch though. I use a razor pouch.

Recreational SM class *before* tech SM class. The tech SM class adds deco bottle(s). OP doesn’t need that right now. If he takes up SM now, he needs to get the basics down and then look at a tech SM class when he’s thinking about tech, which is a while down the road.