any advice for sidemount class

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Sidemount class is epic! I greatly enjoyed mine, but for greatest effect, it's a good idea to do a combined sidemount/intro to tech to really get a feel for the opportunities afforded by the configuration. Most of all, take your time! When I signed up, my instructor grilled me on how much time I would realistically be able to devote to training, and said that realistically around 50 dives would be reasonable to 'really get it' - our class does like 1 or 2 'real' classes every month, then we meet up without the instructor 3 or 4 times during the month to practise the skills learned over and over again. - thankfully we are blessed with free air refills and free access to the Quarry as part of the course.
its kind of going to be a combined class. I will be taking advanced nitrox and deco procedures with the instructor in the spring hopefully.
 
Edd teaches lollipops?

yes, he is the main proponent of them. They work quite well IF they are rigged properly. Rigging them properly is difficult. His preference for them stems from a lot of time on a scooter. If you don't have them lollipopped then you have to come off the trigger to check your pressures since it is a two handed skill which is quite obnoxious. The bungees that are used on big heavy steel tanks tend to be much thicker as well to handle the weight so pulling the whole bottle forward is not easy.

whats an example of something they teach different?

SPG orientation
as a function of SPG orientation, regulator and bottle orientation
lower attachment point for steel tanks. Attachment type is going to be dictated by the type of rig being used as well as the type of tanks. I can dive LP121 steel tanks off of drop d-rings on a Hollis Katana, but others prefer to use butt plates. It truly depends on the rig, the tanks, the helium content, etc. Can't make hard and fast statements about it because they are different.
inflator hose routing and length

Those are fundamental to the basic gear configuration and if you show up with those configuration he will still teach you and let you dive that configuration but then why did you bother taking the class to begin with if you were going to dive differently. You are paying these guys for their expertise and if you go in with preconceived notions it just makes everything that much more difficult.

As I haven't taken Steve's course and have only watched his free content, and have only taken cave dpv from Edd *but have dove with him quite a bit*, I'm sure there are other things that I'd notice if I took the classes, but those are pretty big differences to have in terms of their base teaching styles.
 
I agree with @tbone1004 on this on. As someone who specializes in sidemount diving and instruction, I always teach the why of each item we cover. I also teach a specific config but I tell my students what other options are available and why people choose to dive in that way.

Having a student come in and say "well Steve said this in his video" would annoy me. Let me do what you are paying me to do...teach you sidemount. Feel free to ask about what you may not understand but know that I am going to go over the why and how of all things. Coming in with preconceived notions or thinking you know more than you do because you watched Steve's videos can hinder what I am going to cover with you.

After the course, feel free to watch them and contact me with questions about what you may have seen that differed from what I taught. I am always available to past students for questions and encourage them to learn more, try new things and report back to me on what they liked and didn't like.

And for the record, the comment that "most sidemount instructors don't know what they are doing" is lacking of any evidence to back it up and inflammatory. Do you know "most" sidemount instructors? Do you even know more than 5? Have you discussed the ins and outs of sidemount with them, what they teach and why they teach it that way? I doubt it.
 
To the OP: Go into the course with an open mind and be curious. As said before, pay very close attention to setup of the rig and the cylinders. I have found that students tend to pay attention to the setting up of the cylinders but zone out when you are setting up their rig for you. I think it is the "once it is setup, I won't have to mess with it" mentality that causes this. While that might be true, it is good to know how to make adjustments and why you may need to make them. Knowing your kit on a granular level is key to sm diving IMO.

Do the skills, work hard and then go dive. Get in 10, 20 even 30 dives and then, if you can, share some video of you diving with your instructor to get comments. Most instructors won't have an issue with this. Then they can point out your improvements and things you need to continue to work on.

Above all else, have fun and enjoy the freedom that comes from diving sidemount.
 

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