I attached the weights to the tanks how I have designed a weight system just finishing up some fine tuning before I put it on the market However with AL 80's you need some weight on the tank to off set the postive Buoyancy of the al 80
An evolution in diving style - beyond BP/W, ultralight sidemount rigs
- Thread starter FIXXERVI6
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FIXXERVI6
Contributor
scubasteve68
Registered
I have been diving the Nomad since 2007. I wore my first one out this year and just bought a new one. (ripped the aircell cover and wore thru the d-rings loops where the bungees connect in the back of my transpac). It only had around 1000 dives!!! I can tell you all this, I have seen other rigs and I am just not convinced there is one that is better than the other. It will all come down to personal choice and fit. I am glad DR still sales all the parts to put the Nomad together. Not a fan of the new EXP. Anyway, I have read all the thread and will give my thoughts.
First, Thanks to FIXXERVI6 for the post. You have started a great topic. Thanks for being honest about your experience and skill. I have seen a few guys who went out and bought Side Mount rigs and somehow it made them experts. Not the case with sidemount. As you read the post, you will notice one thing always being repeated. I am working on figuring out a way. Like with the foot tall hole in the boat, I have no doubt you will figure it out. I have made it through the side cockpit window of the plane at CSSP. I am speaking of the smaller of the two. Then I came out the small opening just behind the cockpit on the top of the plane. All done in a set of 85 steels. Just keep going you will get there. Determination is why we are where we are today. I am glad to see others in the world with it.
Getting into my mods. I have switched several things on my rig. First is the LP inflator. I switched it with the lower dump. So now I wear my LPI coming from the bottom left side up accross my chest and is held in place with a loop of cave line tied to the strap ring on my right. This way I can access my drysuit and LPI with either hand. It came about when I had my LPI hose loop over a ceiling stone in Gator Hole. While it wasn't a big issue, I was stuck there for awhile until I was able to free it without damage. I have seen many elbows get broken from the way it mounts on the aircell of the nomad. I found it to be better protected if placed lower. Once again, it took some getting used to but I would never dive it in the factory setup. I tried it the other day. Was not for me. Then I have repositioned all the doghouses and d-rings on the waist strap. I have made mine adjustable on the fly. I have gone from mounting my light on the waist strap to mount accross the top of the butt plate. This got the light out of my side and really alows me to manuver my tanks with ease. (not as much bulk there now). Then I should mention the chokers. DR came out with chokers about a year ago or so. I really just didn't care for them. Now I see guys placing an extra choker clip around the tank valve and then attaching it to the dring ring and then using the bungee also. I just dont see the need. It is supposed to keep the tank from being lost of it slips out of the bungee. I have over 1000 dives in Side Mount and have never had a tank slip out of a bungee. All I can say is seek training on the proper use of a bungee if this is your way of mounting a tank. I follow the rule, if you don't need it don't take it. This is cave diving afterall. Of course it is now the prefered method for many wreck divers. I guess if all you dive is open water then having a choker clip to keep you from loosing you tank and injuring a diver below may not be a bad thing.
Now to the AL 80 topic. I have been diving Al 80's with mine since early 08. I have found that adding 2 or 3 pounds onto the cam band will offset the bouyancy of the tank. I only dive this in Mexico as steel tanks are not readily available. I have been in Aerolita, C1 and a few other on the Island and just almost all the cenotes on the mainland in Side Mount. I can tell you, there are many unexplored places in all of them. I have also found that sliding the cam band all the way down will help if you dont like the weight. However, I dive a 3mm in Mexico so the added weight is not a big factor to me. Seeing all the unexplored holes is.
So the bottom line is, Side Mount is an evolution. Keep working it until you are comfortable with it and not the guy who is teaching you. He is not you and while he will have good advise and get you started, most of the time his way will not be yours unless you take your training from Hitler. I myself have taught many folks to dive Side Mount. I can make all adjustments in the water and get them close to where they need to be but I always tell them the fine tuning will be their doing. I can give them pointers based on what they tell me is not comforatable to them but ultimatley it will be time and changes that will cure the issues.
As far as the training thing. Thanks to all who have completed training thru me. I can tell it is working from the repsonses I recieve and the amount of referals I get. You guys are the ones who make it all worth while. While I will never hold myself as the expert, I do have in depth knowledge from diving experience that can not be bought at the local book store. I enjoy passing what I have learned on to others and am glad to be a part of the new world of Side Mount diving. To answer one last question I have been ask many time....No I did not author a Side Mount outline. I was too busy gaining experience on my many 3-4 hour cave dives around the world. I guess I could have started it as soon as I bought my Nomad but then all I would have done is cheated myself out of the fun I have had diving and gaining experience and cheated you, My Customers, out of the real training only experience will bring. I just can't find it in myself to bounce 25 dives a day at CSSP because I need the dives to move into the next step or go 132 feet in a cave and call it a cave dive because I need to get my outline to the training agency before someone else does. Come on Guys are we not all in this for the fun of it. Where is the fun in driving all the way to Florida or flying all the way to Mexico or where ever it is you dive just to see the first 130 feet of a cave. And don't forget the cost of getting there.
One last note, Yes there is a Side Mount experience class on September 12th at CSSP being put on by Si Scuba and Dive Rite. They will have several instructors and divers with thousands of hours of experience in sidemount for your benefit. Just look for all the side mount divers. The best thing about it, is it is FREE!!!! Just pay for park entry. I encourage all who dive it or want too dive it in the future to come on out and give it a whirl. Afterall the future of diving is not tomorrow, it is now! Get all you can. Just be safe, be happy or just don't be.
First, Thanks to FIXXERVI6 for the post. You have started a great topic. Thanks for being honest about your experience and skill. I have seen a few guys who went out and bought Side Mount rigs and somehow it made them experts. Not the case with sidemount. As you read the post, you will notice one thing always being repeated. I am working on figuring out a way. Like with the foot tall hole in the boat, I have no doubt you will figure it out. I have made it through the side cockpit window of the plane at CSSP. I am speaking of the smaller of the two. Then I came out the small opening just behind the cockpit on the top of the plane. All done in a set of 85 steels. Just keep going you will get there. Determination is why we are where we are today. I am glad to see others in the world with it.
Getting into my mods. I have switched several things on my rig. First is the LP inflator. I switched it with the lower dump. So now I wear my LPI coming from the bottom left side up accross my chest and is held in place with a loop of cave line tied to the strap ring on my right. This way I can access my drysuit and LPI with either hand. It came about when I had my LPI hose loop over a ceiling stone in Gator Hole. While it wasn't a big issue, I was stuck there for awhile until I was able to free it without damage. I have seen many elbows get broken from the way it mounts on the aircell of the nomad. I found it to be better protected if placed lower. Once again, it took some getting used to but I would never dive it in the factory setup. I tried it the other day. Was not for me. Then I have repositioned all the doghouses and d-rings on the waist strap. I have made mine adjustable on the fly. I have gone from mounting my light on the waist strap to mount accross the top of the butt plate. This got the light out of my side and really alows me to manuver my tanks with ease. (not as much bulk there now). Then I should mention the chokers. DR came out with chokers about a year ago or so. I really just didn't care for them. Now I see guys placing an extra choker clip around the tank valve and then attaching it to the dring ring and then using the bungee also. I just dont see the need. It is supposed to keep the tank from being lost of it slips out of the bungee. I have over 1000 dives in Side Mount and have never had a tank slip out of a bungee. All I can say is seek training on the proper use of a bungee if this is your way of mounting a tank. I follow the rule, if you don't need it don't take it. This is cave diving afterall. Of course it is now the prefered method for many wreck divers. I guess if all you dive is open water then having a choker clip to keep you from loosing you tank and injuring a diver below may not be a bad thing.
Now to the AL 80 topic. I have been diving Al 80's with mine since early 08. I have found that adding 2 or 3 pounds onto the cam band will offset the bouyancy of the tank. I only dive this in Mexico as steel tanks are not readily available. I have been in Aerolita, C1 and a few other on the Island and just almost all the cenotes on the mainland in Side Mount. I can tell you, there are many unexplored places in all of them. I have also found that sliding the cam band all the way down will help if you dont like the weight. However, I dive a 3mm in Mexico so the added weight is not a big factor to me. Seeing all the unexplored holes is.
So the bottom line is, Side Mount is an evolution. Keep working it until you are comfortable with it and not the guy who is teaching you. He is not you and while he will have good advise and get you started, most of the time his way will not be yours unless you take your training from Hitler. I myself have taught many folks to dive Side Mount. I can make all adjustments in the water and get them close to where they need to be but I always tell them the fine tuning will be their doing. I can give them pointers based on what they tell me is not comforatable to them but ultimatley it will be time and changes that will cure the issues.
As far as the training thing. Thanks to all who have completed training thru me. I can tell it is working from the repsonses I recieve and the amount of referals I get. You guys are the ones who make it all worth while. While I will never hold myself as the expert, I do have in depth knowledge from diving experience that can not be bought at the local book store. I enjoy passing what I have learned on to others and am glad to be a part of the new world of Side Mount diving. To answer one last question I have been ask many time....No I did not author a Side Mount outline. I was too busy gaining experience on my many 3-4 hour cave dives around the world. I guess I could have started it as soon as I bought my Nomad but then all I would have done is cheated myself out of the fun I have had diving and gaining experience and cheated you, My Customers, out of the real training only experience will bring. I just can't find it in myself to bounce 25 dives a day at CSSP because I need the dives to move into the next step or go 132 feet in a cave and call it a cave dive because I need to get my outline to the training agency before someone else does. Come on Guys are we not all in this for the fun of it. Where is the fun in driving all the way to Florida or flying all the way to Mexico or where ever it is you dive just to see the first 130 feet of a cave. And don't forget the cost of getting there.
One last note, Yes there is a Side Mount experience class on September 12th at CSSP being put on by Si Scuba and Dive Rite. They will have several instructors and divers with thousands of hours of experience in sidemount for your benefit. Just look for all the side mount divers. The best thing about it, is it is FREE!!!! Just pay for park entry. I encourage all who dive it or want too dive it in the future to come on out and give it a whirl. Afterall the future of diving is not tomorrow, it is now! Get all you can. Just be safe, be happy or just don't be.
Crazyduck
Contributor
Before the Nomad system was released on the market a lot of people used trek wings or other wings that would have the necessary lift needed. In fact there was a cottage industry in taking certain wings and refitting them to custom harnesses before the commercial units came on the scene.
One of the benefits of the Zeagle wing is the tabs on the side of the wings which allows the diver to clip the wings towards the waist. I have a out of production wing and that is a major benefit of the wing. I can attach it to the waist easily. The serious down side is the attachment for the wing is custom and forces the user to use a Zeagle backplate.
On most of the major manufactures they use the same attachment point for the shoulder elbow as the wing dump on the bottom of the wing.
The threads should be carefully tested as not to cross thread them.
The Armidillo did this and that unit was a custom Zeagle production run for Curt.
I am glad to hear that SI Scuba is supporting sidemount diving. I was not aware that the class was available through the shop; good to know.
Andrew
One of the benefits of the Zeagle wing is the tabs on the side of the wings which allows the diver to clip the wings towards the waist. I have a out of production wing and that is a major benefit of the wing. I can attach it to the waist easily. The serious down side is the attachment for the wing is custom and forces the user to use a Zeagle backplate.
On most of the major manufactures they use the same attachment point for the shoulder elbow as the wing dump on the bottom of the wing.
The threads should be carefully tested as not to cross thread them.
The Armidillo did this and that unit was a custom Zeagle production run for Curt.
I am glad to hear that SI Scuba is supporting sidemount diving. I was not aware that the class was available through the shop; good to know.
Andrew
It was there before Adam left the shop for several months.
I think to the general public sidemounts are a bit like rebreathers.......they know very little about the suject and to what benifit of diving they fit best. I think like CCR the sidemount still has a way to go prior to it becoming mainstream diving. I persl. will still use doubles for now.....CCR$$$$$,,,,,sidemounts maybe a set-up in the future. Fixxer has kindly offered to let me try a set of his at some point,,,,I have used a set 2 years back down at the Blue Lagoon.
Andrew, you been in the water much since Coz.?
Last edited:
OP
FIXXERVI6
Contributor
scubasteve68
Registered
Thanks CrazyDuck. Yes I support Side Mount. We keep the Nomads in stock and rental. So you are welcome to pop in anytime.
As far as the Side Mount being like a CCR, I dive them both and I do not consider them even remotely close. Seeing how I am usually in Side Mount 95% of the time, the general concensus is most look at Side Mount as a new method of carry bottles. While the CCR is a whole new way of diving. Since it was mentioned, I will clear up the myths. Side Mount has been at SI Since September 2007. I believe there were others who were using it way before the one mentioned by Alan. Not sure if advice is what you seek or you just what to chat.
As far as the Side Mount being like a CCR, I dive them both and I do not consider them even remotely close. Seeing how I am usually in Side Mount 95% of the time, the general concensus is most look at Side Mount as a new method of carry bottles. While the CCR is a whole new way of diving. Since it was mentioned, I will clear up the myths. Side Mount has been at SI Since September 2007. I believe there were others who were using it way before the one mentioned by Alan. Not sure if advice is what you seek or you just what to chat.
I have a dive buddy that built his own side mount rig.....I was with him on his first dive and I must admit he did great in skill and the rig only needed some minor tweeking. I saw 2 fellows in sm at CSSP ,both were new gear and they were steel tanks. CCR have been around for many years in the military.....they date back a number of years,,,course great improvements have been made that is now allowing the public diver get into that form of gear-cool. What's down the road for this sport??? 
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