Drawbacks of Sidemount, compared to backmount diving

[CamG]

Wow one of the major drawbacks I can think of is it allows access to smaller cave / overhead environments.
Just recently I have been local quarry diving and seeing more SM rigs appear.
A big issue is in SM it is possible to access restrictions with more ease but not always the experience or training to get out safely.
I am not being accusatory or bashing anyone just making a observation.

I understand that it is common sense to not do something you are not trained for but then again OW divers are still finding their way into caves.
With the current trend and more SM divers trained and untrained out there we are undoubtably going to see some of this in the future.
Will it be any worse than BM? Probably not but SM will get you further into a tight squeeze than BM.

Lets see what happens and others think.

CamG

 

[Paul S]

Wow one of the major drawbacks I can think of is it allows access to smaller cave / overhead environments.
Just recently I have been local quarry diving and seeing more SM rigs appear.
A big issue is in SM it is possible to access restrictions with more ease but not always the experience or training to get out safely.
I am not being accusatory or bashing anyone just making a observation.

SM rigs are bad because they let you do more. Ok, got it.

I know what you're saying, but by this rational, nobody should have any dive equipment as they might go further, longer, deeper than they're trained to do.
It's sad when it goes wrong, but stupid people are stupid. It's not the equipment's fault.

 

[karstdvr]

Wow one of the major drawbacks I can think of is it allows access to smaller cave / overhead environments.
Just recently I have been local quarry diving and seeing more SM rigs appear.
A big issue is in SM it is possible to access restrictions with more ease but not always the experience or training to get out safely.
I am not being accusatory or bashing anyone just making a observation.

I understand that it is common sense to not do something you are not trained for but then again OW divers are still finding their way into caves.
With the current trend and more SM divers trained and untrained out there we are undoubtably going to see some of this in the future.
Will it be any worse than BM? Probably not but SM will get you further into a tight squeeze than BM.

Lets see what happens and others think.

CamG

You are correct in that sidemount can get you in trouble because it does allow for easy access to restrictions,yet the person may not having the training to resolve the problem. People are learning sidemount configuration,not sidemounting,and there is a true difference. Sidemount configuration is diving the tanks on your side,but with a backmount mentality,while true sidemounting is dealing with restrictions,communication,emergencies etc that come with taking this type of configuration into small,tight areas. Just as in cave diving,entering a water filled hole in the ground can seem so easy,until something goes wrong,then that is when training is needed; sidemount has the same issues because that tight,previously inaccessible area can seem so easy.

 

[beanojones]

3. For less experienced divers, sidemount takes longer to get kitted up and ready to dive. With backmount it's simply a matter of putting the rig on and jumping in.

If you mean double BM, then that is leaving out the bolting the backplate to the bands. If you mean single BM, then you are leaving out fastening the cam strap.

I am not sure anything but inexperience makes SM any more involved in terms of suiting up. And add in the fact that a SM divers can kit up without a bench or buddy, and its much easier.

 

[stairman]

I think observations of those not too experienced with sidemount deters others and thinks its always like that for them. To someone experienced enough jumping off and submerging with the backmounters isnt a problem. If the ladder is wide enough, climbing out and back onboard isnt a problem. On a rec cattle boat I wouldnt even consider it but on a boat setup for Tec divers, sidemounted doubles shouldnt be a problem. They take more tweeking and mcguyvering to get things dialed in initially but soon your kitted and submerged and confy with the config.

 

[CamG]

SM rigs are bad because they let you do more. Ok, got it.

I know what you're saying, but by this rational, nobody should have any dive equipment as they might go further, longer, deeper than they're trained to do.
It's sad when it goes wrong, but stupid people are stupid. It's not the equipment's fault.

Sorry Paul sort of missed my point of my comment.
I never said SM was bad because it would let you do more.
My point is the ease at which it can allow you into small areas that are difficult to get out of.

I understand that not all SM are Tech. divers BUT SM was born from Tech. divers that is a fact.
I dive both configurations but have learned to grow my experience and awareness accordingly.
Some of the things I am seeing OW SM divers doing is very risky as far as wreck penetration and so on.
It is no skin off my nose but the recovery divers and family left behind I do feel sorry for.

CamG

 

[nielsent]

+1 to the comments made by Dive-aholic...

Kitting up is the big issue when you start, and it takes some time to get used to dealing with it, but as in all things it does get easier. Also, compared to backmount, there is more time spent at the beginning of the dive kitting up. With backmount, you spend much of your kit preparation at home (mounting cylinders into bands with manifold, setting up regulators, etc.) and then put it in your vehicle and go.

Trim is difficult, but its especially nightmarish when you have nobody else around with experience in trimming a sidemount rig. I have been diving with people who can video tape me in my righ then analyze that after the dive to make corrections.

Modifications to any system is the other one, everyone does it differently, you can even buy pre-made modifications, but with no instructor around, it also requires a mechanical aptitude and a video camera.

Though for me, half the fun is the frustration of adjusting the system after every dive. Some day it will be keyed in, but I have really enjoyed gaining the experience through trial and error.

 

[billgraham]

To me, the concerns expressed sound like lack of time diving the rig. If you're not trained for caves, stay out of caves. That's true in backmount or sidemount. Stage bottles are easier with sidemount. Gearing up takes the same amount of time. It's better for boat ladders because you can hang one tank on an equipment line, I've been doing that a lot. Gate is narrow? Turn sideways. It's not a "better or worse" thing, it's what you prefer. The comments about more drag in sidemount are just silly because there's no comparison, you're way more streamlined and it's MUCH better in any kind of a current situation. It takes more time to set up, learn, and get familiar with but (in my opinioin) once it's sorted out, it's the most flexible, most comfortable OC system there is. I'm not sure I think the open water sidemount class is a wonderful idea, but that's just my opinion.

 

[DevonDiver]

Kitting up is the big issue when you start, and it takes some time to get used to dealing with it, but as in all things it does get easier. Also, compared to backmount, there is more time spent at the beginning of the dive kitting up. With backmount, you spend much of your kit preparation at home (mounting cylinders into bands with manifold, setting up regulators, etc.) and then put it in your vehicle and go.

I'm not sure I understand this?

At dive center/home, the SM diver configures their bottles. Cam-band on, tank bands on, regulator on, stow hose.

They go to a dive boat, put on their BCD, mask backwards on the forehead, fins there - ready to go, able to move around on the boat, not encumbered, not at risk of catastrophic topple...

and then...

Lower clip, bungee left, spg connect, short hose around neck into bungee.
Lower clip, bungee right, drysuit connect, long hose around neck

Along the lines of... click, twang, snap, click twang, snap..."I'm ready, lets go...."

Is this "time to get kitted up" meant to reflect familiarity with kit (the people witnessed when drawing this conclusion were not slick with new skills), or is it being proposed that equipping with sidemount is sufficiently complex to be counted as a definitive drawback to the configuration?

Most of the time, I attach my tanks in the water (nice, I know). I'm more comfortable on the boat.. typically put my BCD on at the dive center and wear it to/on the boat. Ready to go at the site, just hop in the water, passed two cylinders.. a few seconds... and ready. I'm normally waiting for the back-mounted divers, who're still huffing and puffing on the boat.

Not sure why my experience seems so directly opposed to other views expressed here?

 

[Paul S]

Not sure why my experience seems so directly opposed to other views expressed here?

If you know what you're doing then, as you say, most of the setup is done early.

If you don't, you're going to be trying to rig cylinders just before you jump and not making friends.