drysuit inversion in sidemount?

[Reku]

Do floaty feet just not happen with sidemount? I have read almost everything there is to read about drysuits and sidemounting, I've never seen anyone even mentioning it. Maybe it's because sidemount divers are generally more balanced than other tank setups so the feet don't rise up and carry you away? Or maybe those who have decided to sidemount are generally more experienced divers who know how to deal with drysuits better? I'm just curious.

 

[decompression]

I think you're on the right track. I haven't taught many courses where the students weren't squared away with drysuits, 33 F water will do that. As well most interested in SM are usually experienced, let the newbies take underwater basket weaving. It's not always the case and there is more and more interest in SM for OW. I am able to teach OW in SM but there hasn't been a call for it yet in my market, however other instructors have been in other locations.


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[karstdvr]

Interesting, I have seen people who can't trim out well in sidemount, so they actually use "floaty feet" to help the problem. Use air in feet to fix a trim issue is like training wheels on a bicycle, need to fix the real problem,not cover it up.

 

[mddolson]

As a newb, (sidemount for 2 yrs) I never had any issues, in support of decompression's statement ,: I've been viking diving a drysuit for 25 years, & have that pretty much squared away.

Mike D

 

[tbone1004]

what Kelly said above. The natural trim of singles if mounted correctly is slightly head down due to the valve and first stage. Doubles are even worse. Sidemount because everything is shifted down tends to pull your feet down so many will dive drysuits and pack extra air in the feet to help correct trim. That said, it is also likely an experience thing, but the gear configuration is certainly much more forgiving to drysuit diving than backmount.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

I agree with what's been said....it's either being experienced in a drysuit or the lower center of gravity of sidemount and a little air in the feet to balance it out.

 

[73diver]

I am still looking for the 'perfect' trim. The nice thing with sidemount is that there are numerous options to move weight around the harness. I use two different sets of tanks. For me, each set has a particular weighting scheme to manage buoyancy and trim. I have noticed that as I consume the air from the tanks, my 'center-of-gravity' slowly moves forward. This is most pronounced in shallow water when the drysuit and BCD are nearly empty and the tanks are 1000 psi or less. When I have set my trim for the end of the dive, I have felt a little 'tail heavy' at the beginning of the dive and not as streamlined in the water. I'm still searching and experimenting.

 

[Dhboner]

Trimming out in sidemount is MUCH easier than in backmount. I can slide my bottom clip up or down to push the tanks weight forward or back. You can experiment with this on a dive before you even move the cam bands by pushing the valves back with your elbows or pulling them forward and see how your trim changes while hovering. If you find you trim out better when the valves are more forward then you can move your cam band closer to the bottom of the tank. This works really well with steel tanks (I have never sidemounted aluminum tanks so I can't speak to those)

 

[Subcooled]

When I dive with 12L/232bar steels I don't need gaitors. When I dive with 7L/232bar steels do I prefer gaitors. The balance is slightly different.
(old school harness: no buttplate, no handles, weights on belt - certain benefits, certain drawbacks)

 

[Razorista]

In backmount you are 'hanging' below your equipment, it is harder to stretch the body horizontally without a lot of practice and comments from fellow divers.
Sidemounters have it a lot easier to get back, legs and hips in a straight line.
Drysuit and sidemount work very well together, each helps with mastering use of the other one.
In sidemount it also is always easier to rotate around your center of mass, so with floaty feet you just put them down without most of the problems backmounters face.