GUE and Sidemount position ?

[Kevrumbo]

You say its a technique they don't endorse yet they do endorse it. Its clearly stated in the Quest articles that they endorse it. They just don't teach it as part of their syllabus. UK cave/sump divers almost exclusively use it. But they also almost exclusively dive solo as well. I honestly don't think just connecting them together with a manifold is going suddenly make it viable.

What worries me is that people almost always have the attitude that GUE is going to tell you how to dive for the rest of life. Like they would stop you pursuing Technical Sidemount or Front mounted Rebreather or anything else you fancied. Yes they have a team diving approach and part of that mindset is that people use the same equipment. I get it and it works. But to say that you then have to dive like that for the rest of your life is crazy. You get taught how to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and select the correct tool for the job.

You think if I go on holiday and rent a jacket bc/regs someone is going to take my card and shred it?

Consistency and scalability in a framework that interoperates well with the backmount training paradigm.

If GUE endorses Independent Doubles Sidemount, then quote it "Chapter & Verse" from GUE Standards Documentation V.8 (and not some unofficial politically neutral and apologetic Quest article).

Granted there is nothing in the current standards which covers manifolded doubles sidemount diving either as of yet, but this is the most likely technique and protocol that's consistent and compatible with standardized fundamental DIR backmount diving. . .

 

[Dan_P]

In regards to a HP connection, it might allow equally breathing both tanks, but it would in probably every case compromise the ability to carry out tank swapping in water.

Without the ability to do so, the consolidated gas output, and hence great part of potency, of an isolated sidemount solution, would be lost.

While that may work just fine, it's a great benefit that a LP connection allows me to change the gas in the cirquit when I do staged diving or decompression. Everything remains the same in terms of emergency response, and I won't have to double my stop times if my buddy loses a deco tank.
This is at the core of what I mean with consistent and scalable.

 

[kensuf]

Tank swapping is idiotic.

 

[kensuf]

Let me rephrase this to be politically correct.

On paper, tank swapping sounds like a wonderful idea and one that could potentially save your goose from being cooked.

In practice, it doesn't really work out that well and in reality it is pretty stupid.

 

[Dave Bevan]

If GUE endorses Independent Doubles Sidemount, then quote it "Chapter & Verse" from GUE Standards Documentation V.8 (and not some unofficial politically neutral and apologetic Quest article).

Granted there is nothing in the current standards which covers manifolded doubles sidemount diving either as of yet, but this is the most likely technique and protocol that's consistent and compatible with standardized fundamental DIR backmount diving. . .

They don't support it for team diving as everyone has already said. Its not in the standards because they don't teach it. I'm simply stating that they don't have a problem with people diving sidemount. At the end of the day when you are actually at the point in diving cave or wreck that you can't fit somewhere with your twinset then you are effectively solo diving anyway.

I don't know how you think Quest is 'unofficial' when it is in fact the official magazine of GUE and one of the articles is written by the founder. As for politics? Not sure what you mean?

I really do think that you are desperate to gratify your manifolded sidemount twins or whatever you have convinced yourself is the way you want to go by linking it to GUE but I really don't see why?

I wouldn't worry to much anyway. Its moving on and you are on here having the same arguments that were relevant 5-10 years ago. Technical is going to move away from OC onto RB its only a matter of time. Helium is just going up and up.

I think its more likely to see a Sidemount RB solution than a manifolded sidemount doubles.

 

[PfcAJ]

I think its more likely to see a Sidemount RB solution than a manifolded sidemount doubles.

 

[Dan_P]

Let me rephrase this to be politically correct.

On paper, tank swapping sounds like a wonderful idea and one that could potentially save your goose from being cooked.

In practice, it doesn't really work out that well and in reality it is pretty stupid.

Regardless of system, tank swapping is done every time one goes deco- or staged penetration diving?

 

[Jack Hammer]

Regardless of system, tank swapping is done every time one goes deco- or staged penetration diving?

He's referring to one diver removing the tank from their side and passiing it over to another diver midwater for their use.

 

[kensuf]

Regardless of system, tank swapping is done every time one goes deco- or staged penetration diving?

Not what I was referring to.

There's a "skill" where a sidemount diver donates one of their sidemount cylinders to an out of gas buddy. Frequently this is done in conjunction with the out of gas diver giving one of their sidemount cylinders back to you at the same time. Many people mistakenly think it's something they could do in a real life emergency, but in a real out of gas scenario it probably won't work out that well and will likely just increase the stress in the out of gas diver. A simpler, and more manageable solution, would be to just donate a second stage that is on a long hose to your out of gas buddy and begin your ascent/exit.

But some people think it's a great idea to fix skills deficiencies by introducing equipment problems.

 

[Dan_P]

There's a "skill" where a sidemount diver donates one of their sidemount cylinders to an out of gas buddy. Frequently this is done in conjunction with the out of gas diver giving one of their sidemount cylinders back to you at the same time. Many people mistakenly think it's something they could do in a real life emergency, but in a real out of gas scenario it probably won't work out that well and will likely just increase the stress in the out of gas diver. A simpler, and more manageable solution, would be to just donate a second stage that is on a long hose to your out of gas buddy and begin your ascent/exit.

Ah, I see, thanks
I agree - it makes sense to keep the donation process as simple as possible while consistant with the method used, taught and exercised "from scratch".