directing valves inside (to the chest)?

[tbone1004]

I have a Perdix AI and 2 transmitters with my SPGs bungeed back to first stages. For some reason I’ve not yet figured out, it’s easier for me to get bungees (loop bungees, SMS75) around valve knob with first stages down. Did one dive with first stages up and it was horrible with the bungees.

lengthen the loops and try to get them on the "inside" part of the valve if you have manifold style valves. Say valve knob is out, first stage is in the middle, and the stem that would normally go to the manifold in doubles is against your chest, you want to reach around the valve knob *also makes it easier to turn if you have to feather*, then around the back of the first stage, and hook it over the stem. It also helps to rotate the tanks up and into you which helps keep them snug to your body and puts the tank somewhere around a 45* angle which I also find much more comfortable

 

[Scuba_Aaron]

You willl find a lot of people dive with knobs out and 1st stages down, even in the caves. I currently have mine this way, but have also experamented with having knobs pointed downward and 1st stages inboard, clocked at an angle.

I think Brian Kakuk has a good video that shows this configuration. One advantage of this configuration, is that it allows SPGs to point up/inward and sort of rest right between my armpit and clavicle area.

I suppose if you are not diving extreme restrictions, the down config would work OK.

 

[Scuba_Aaron]

I have a Perdix AI and 2 transmitters with my SPGs bungeed back to first stages. For some reason I’ve not yet figured out, it’s easier for me to get bungees (loop bungees, SMS75) around valve knob with first stages down. Did one dive with first stages up and it was horrible with the bungees.

I have found through experimentation that the down config is also easier in manipulating the tank forward whereas with them up the bungee interferes with the hoses especially with my necklaced 2nd stage.

 

[tbone1004]

@Scuba_Aaron

first stages down work just fine in extreme configurations

and first stages up works just fine pushing bottles forward, all in the rigging

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I’m a beginning SM diver but it really isn’t that difficult to manipulate valve knobs with them outward.

Oh, and I have my first stages pointing down (right/left valves). It just happened that way. I’m doing OW diving so I don’t have to worry about cave damage.

So you know you have your gear set up wrong and your ok with that? You know you are creating bad habits - and your ok with that? Be smart and buy the correct gear, and dive that gear/configuration correctly.

 

[Scuba_Aaron]

@tbone1004 So all is good

 

[tbone1004]

@Norwegian Cave Diver why is that set up wrong?

@Scuba_Aaron there is no "standard" sidemount configuration like their is with backmount for technical diving. There exists four schools of thought with two of them being near identical. They will likely standardize to those two configurations. One is the way "Edd" made popular which is first stages down, SPG's sticking up. This configuration is not forgiving to poor tank rigging and is not compatible with the way the "Razor" crowd dives their cylinders. They dive SPG's down which is properly obnoxious if you have your tanks rigged truly in sidemount because they are so far back. It is a two-handed operation to read the spg's.
If the first stages are facing down and you have the tanks rigged properly, even in LP50's, your body hits the floor first, then the tank wall if you are going straight down. If you go into something, your shoulder hits first, so there is no real risk of the first stages getting destroyed.

 

[Scuba_Aaron]

@tbone1004 I was agreeing with you, I know there is no standard configuration, be happy with what you dive

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Diving regs down in a cave would be a dumb idea. And reading your SPG's as they lay on top of a tank is easy - and they also are better protected.

 

[tbone1004]

Diving regs down in a cave would be a dumb idea. And reading your SPG's as they lay on top of a tank is easy - and they also are better protected.

come to Florida and tell that to some of the big name explorers that have been doing that for over a decade. It works just fine.
Reading them is easy if you aren't using loop bungees. If you're using loop bungees properly it's a right PITA with heavy bottles and near impossible to do with one hand