0.5 calories...have another look, I also needed to, hence i am over 40 ;-)@leadduck huge backplate? they were just wearing a weight belt...
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0.5 calories...have another look, I also needed to, hence i am over 40 ;-)@leadduck huge backplate? they were just wearing a weight belt...
Yes kind sir...I would have tagged you if I were talking about you. But if you want to assume that I was associating you in with the people who came up with this silly idea, that's your own choice.
The intention of my post was not the topic what is the best for "rabbit holes" or extreme restriction diving (whatever you want to call it ),however the further we get into this (videos and articles)..it becomes clear that on this planet we have serious sidemount divers that dive "true sidemount on serious projects using a backplate.
So please, let us be respectful towards each other and keep in mind that your opinion is just your opinion, it is not written in stone and there are more "true" sidemount divers, instructors and IT's
Thank you !
One of the main reasons that I see for diving sidemount is the ability to go through tight passages. You are excited about this product. OK I get that. It has been pointed out by many people that dive sidemount that this product is limited by it's inability to allow you to conform to tight passages without getting wedged in by a long hard plate on your back. This isn't an attack on you but it is a criticism of the useful limits of the product. You have systematically pushed back against the other posters in this thread. You first denied that there was a potential danger and later reluctantly admitted that there might be and took the position that using sidemount in tight passages is somehow an unusual or extreme use of a sidemount system.
If you want to attack the posters that point out flaws in the design of the product that you are promoting then you can't also claim that you aren't promoting the system and that the other posters are the ones that are not being respectful. You aren't doing any favors for the reputation or acceptance of the product.
This happens repeatedly on scubaboard. Promoters of a product,(sometimes connected to the product and sometimes just fans) come on scubaboard and sing the praises of a product. If it seems that they are promoting a product,which is allowed on the board within reason, it is risky because the members of scubaboard count in their ranks some of the most knowledgable divers on the planet. The collective wisdom and knowledge here is surprising. You really never know when you are talking to the people that are on the cutting edge or perhaps have 40 years of experience or more.
What typically happens in these threads is that the community sorts out what is right and what is only a sales pitch. They sometimes see spam where it is a legit posting but over time it always seems to get sorted out by the members. When one or more people get defensive or offensive about the concerns raised regarding a product they are likely to draw strong opposition. When they are diplomatic and open minded about the criticisms they get better results. I could give you many examples of this. People have fought their products into a bad place and others have smoothly overcome opposition by calmly explaining things and accepting that they may not know as much as the members of SB.
I can say for a certainty that nobody knows as much about anything related to diving as the collective knowledge found here so humility is a survival tool.
Lastly, it helps to have a firm grasp of the reality of what is being said. You can't convince others of a history of what has been said that they know to be false. Also, always remember that what is said is done so without the benefit of tone so it is possible to misinterpret the intention of the a post. I hope this helps. I was in a hurry.
This happens repeatedly on scubaboard. Promoters of a product,(sometimes connected to the product and sometimes just fans) come on scubaboard and sing the praises of a product. If it seems that they are promoting a product,which is allowed on the board within reason, it is risky because the members of scubaboard count in their ranks some of the most knowledgable divers on the planet. The collective wisdom and knowledge here is surprising. You really never know when you are talking to the people that are on the cutting edge or perhaps have 40 years of experience or more.
@leadduck huge backplate? they were just wearing a weight belt...
Sorry my mistake, I linked the wrong video and I can't find the one anymore that I meant. Anyway, I don't want to promote backplates for no-mount rabbit holes and I don't think Toddy created his Toddy style concept for this. He wrote in his text that the question about getting stuck with a backplate frequently comes up and that in his experience it's not nearly as bad as people think when they hear about it for the first time. He is a very experienced diver though with some 4,000 cave dives and knows a thing or two about it. I know users of that system in caves (sidemount swimming, not no-mount crawl space) and they see no problem with it.
Another point to consider (regarding the marketing/advertising topic above): Toddy's setup was not designed as a product but as a concept how to convert BPW gear to sidemount. It's a low-cost DIY solution that works for say 99% of backmount BPW divers going sidemount. You may bet that everyone in the industry trying to sell sidemount gear absolutely hates it, and will immediately confirm you how every sidemount diver wants to crawl into tiniest curved spaces where he'll get stuck with a backplate in places where he just pushed through with his helmet and those bulkier and longer tanks a second earlier.
Sorry my mistake, I linked the wrong video and I can't find the one anymore that I meant. Anyway, I don't want to promote backplates for no-mount rabbit holes and I don't think Toddy created his Toddy style concept for this. He wrote in his text that the question about getting stuck with a backplate frequently comes up and that in his experience it's not nearly as bad as people think when they hear about it for the first time. He is a very experienced diver though with some 4,000 cave dives and knows a thing or two about it. I know users of that system in caves (sidemount swimming, not no-mount crawl space) and they see no problem with it.
Another point to consider (regarding the marketing/advertising topic above): Toddy's setup was not designed as a product but as a concept how to convert BPW gear to sidemount. It's a low-cost DIY solution that works for say 99% of backmount BPW divers going sidemount. You may bet that everyone in the industry trying to sell sidemount gear absolutely hates it, and will immediately confirm you how every sidemount diver wants to crawl into tiniest curved spaces where he'll get stuck with a backplate in places where he just pushed through with his helmet and those bulkier and longer tanks a second earlier.