Getting into deco diving, questions on things being taught and standards

[halocline]

At this point I have no idea what specifically the OP was/is describing.

 

[lavatiger99]

Sorry, I am getting confused. I don't dive SM, but I think if you clarify everybody will get a better picture.

I am assuming you are in the nitrox or maybe normoxic trimix realm, so no travel gas. Three quick ones:

1. How many tanks are you using during the course?
2. How many deco-stages, where are they (left, right, or both sides?), and which hose (long/short) are you using for each of them?
3. How many bottom/main tanks are you using, where are they (left, right, or both sides?), and which hose (long/short) are you using for each of them?

EDIT: how could the necklace entangle, where, and in which situation?

1. Four
2. Two deco bottles, 50% on left, 100% on right, both short hoses
3. Two AL80 bottom/travel gasses of 21% O2, long hose on left, short on right

 

[lavatiger99]

Thank you, you have all answered my questions! Appreciate it!

 

[RainPilot]

The "Lean Long Left" they were referring to Long hose for main tank on left, lean deco on left. Not putting anything but bottom gasses in main tanks (sorry for the confusion). I see that lean left rich right seems to be common, and have no issue with that.

They are teaching thru TDI (I did sidemount via TDI as well with different instructor). I'm diving side-mount.

So I will not get any strange looks if after this course I put my long hose on my right, with some slack around my neck (that's the motion I thought the S drills came from), and short hose on left +/- necklace?

Thanks!

The "industry standards" for Sidemount, in as much as they exist, are generally a config that mirrors back mount doubles (long hose from right tank, short hose on necklace from left) but that is not everyones cup of tea.

Common variations I have seen:

2x long hoses, nothing behind neck, each reg clipped to shoulder d-ring on same side. This has the benefit of nothing rubbing behind your neck, and also each reg is donatable. Does require left right regs (Diverite does a left feed second stage, also any of the Poseidons will work)

Long from left, short on necklace from right. This is how I personally dive, benefit is that theres nothing crossing across your body and its easy to set up so there is no risk of long hose capturing by stages etc, you do lose a little length of the hose if youre single file sharing in an overhead as the long hose has to cross from your left to the receiver's right side, I dont dive situations where that is a concern so I am not too worried about it.

There are a bunch of others, but these two are the most common I have seen, the variations do tend to cluster in areas (someone has an idea and convinces others it works in their environment and it becomes "standard practice" for that group/location).

You will not get strange looks for your hose routing, as long as you have a long donatable hose and a backup you can get to easily, without everything dangling and running all over the show.

Lean left, rich right isn't even remotely a standard, there are a lot that use it but you have the DIR adjacent sidemount community that follow all stages should be breathed off the left side with no assumption about the contents.

In my experience, outside of DIR circles, lean left rich right is pretty close to a standard for deco gases, with some caveats:
Don't use stage position as a means of identifying gas, same as coloured regs etc
If you're scootering, stages should be on the left ideally to avoid slipstream induced free flows
If your long hose can be trapped, keep stages left.