Backrolling off a boat, negative entry

[DaniDives]

Hi folks,

My name is Dani and I'm new on the forum.
I've been diving backmount since I was a kid, but recently got into sidemount diving. I love it, it's way more convenient when guiding dives and saves me my back.

I've been practicing with my gear a lot lately, but haven't had the chance to do a back roll off of a boat yet. I'm not that nervous about a positive water entry, but in September I'll be going on a liveaboard where most dives will be started with a back roll off the zodiac, doing a negative entry descent.

Now that freaks me out a little... Are there any lifehacks/tips you could spare me to not make my first entry a disaster?

Cheers!

 

[jale]

Hi
Just relax and that's it
Maybe a clip at the neck of the tank (or piece of line and a double-ender), clipped to the chest d-ring may help in case the entry is a bit "sportish".
That way, if one tank comes out of the bungee, it won't go far and you can concentrate on other things. Just unclip the tanks on the way down and push them back under your armpit. Useful also if you need to go back on board with tanks on you.
Also, before rolling back, put the valves under your arms as some people get the valve in their face

 

[lermontov]

Also, before rolling back, put the valves under your arms as some people get the valve in their face

yep this is a possibility -use your elbows to brace them

 

[DaniDives]

Good tips! I usually use the bungees with clip around the tank neck, as I don’t dive with designated sidemount tanks. If I bungee my tanks, the other size of the handle of the tank is usually too short to properly hold the bungee in place (am I making any sense at all? lol!)

When I face that problem I usually loop the bungee around the tank handle twice. Is that a safety hazard?

 

[lermontov]

Good tips! I usually use the bungees with clip around the tank neck, as I don’t dive with designated sidemount tanks. If I bungee my tanks, the other size of the handle of the tank is usually too short to properly hold the bungee in place (am I making any sense at all? lol!)

When I face that problem I usually loop the bungee around the tank handle twice. Is that a safety hazard?

it may mean extra fiddling if you want to unclip in the water and pass them up to the boat but just make sure the bungee doesnt get jammed under the valve handle

 

[The Chairman]

The "fall" isn't great enough from a RIB and these will probably AL80s. Easy enough to manage. I probably have about 70 dives off of RIBS like that. getting in is way easy but departs from their methods a bit. While I'm floating, I stow my hoses on each tank and release the rear. As the boat comes up to me, I detach the neck and send up each tank individually. I still have a BC on, so I don't remove any weights I have. I just kick up into the boat and am ready for the ride back.

BTW, I usually put 4lb weights on the butt end of each AL80 to keep them down when they get light. It gets it off of me as well. Obviously, I don't any weight if I'm diving steels.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Hey Fellow Dxb resident!

I SM off zodiac's when on vacation, it's no issue. occasionally a bolt snap might come off, but that's easy to sort on the descent.

I personally don't buy into Neg entry, even when I was diving in the raging currents of Komodo we had time to make a quick okay check at the surface (I'd given my mask a fast rinse) and then descend, doing a bubble check on the way down at 6m

Obvs a quick check means don't faff at the surface, but as a fellow instructor you know that

 

[ofg-1]

First, isn't a negative entry an exit? Second, tank size matters. The larger the tank, the more likely it will smack you as you roll off. Get in a pool, practice rolling over on your back. And side. Practice ditching and donning tanks and routing hoses floating neutral in the water. Pete is correct, 80's are pretty easy off a Zodiac if you tuck them tight in your arms. Lp 50's are better.

Side mount was developed as a specific tool for a specific purpose. It is not the be all, end all gear configuration.

 

[scuba-flea]

I went through the Steve Martin sidemounting.com course before I went out with one of his instructors for the actual training. We didn't do boat entries at that time but I have since done them and he had a video about them where he did advocate the clips as others have described. He did demonstrate and I have used a kind of sit and spin method. I forget what he called it. You get ready sitting next to other divers and wait for one to back roll in. Once a space is clear and the water is clear behind you, just throw one leg over the side then the other then just a slight lean for a heads up entry.

 

[The Chairman]

I personally don't buy into Neg entry

I never overweight myself if I can help it. Obviously, with twin steels as I dive in caves, I am very negative and dive a dual bladder wing.