GUE and Sidemount position ?

[PfcAJ]

Please, elaborate.

"I don't wear a seatbelt. It's totally safe. Never had a problem".

 

[Daedalus]

If the z system is so great is there anyone using a set of backmounted independent doubles to drive it rather than manifolded doubles?

 

[Patoux01]

Haven't trained on one, haven't dived it, and I'm not aware of any safety record for it.
That's all I can fairly say about that.

What it meant is:
There's only 1 user (me), and I'm not dead (yet), therefore it's safe. Imo there's too few dives done on such a system for one to say "it has a perfect safety record". It kinda makes it sounds like the APOC, the best safety record for a rebreather on the planet because there's 2 units, sitting in closets.

 

[Darghu]

Today, Which Sidemount system are a good / close candidate to become a well standardized gear ?

 

[DevonDiver]

Please, elaborate.

An analogy:

You currently have a 100% safety record on trimix CCR dives beyond 150m/492ft.

How safe would you be to complete a trimix CCR dive to 150m/492ft tomorrow morning?

 

[Darghu]

I would say unless there are a top famous-fabulous wreck I should not miss in my life, I would not go beyond 150m - for sure I would complete a trimix CCR training, but I would better go Cave diving.
Totally open to CCR / Sidemount / DPV / Survey / Photo-Videography

 

[DevonDiver]

Today, Which Sidemount system are a good / close candidate to become a well standardized gear ?

I think the English (Mexican cave) style of harness is very slowly establishing dominance in the global market. XDeep, in particular, are starting to make sales in the USA....where American (Florida Cave) has traditionally been the sole approach. Hollis releasing a more Mexican style rig, the Katana, hints at a potentially changing trend in the USA.

I'd guess that 99% of sidemount dives are done with independent manifolds. I've never heard of anyone outside of UTD using, or recommending, the Z-system or other manifold approach.

With independent cylinders, I'd suggest that the overwhelming majority of trained sidemount divers are using the Hogarthian inspired long-hose and bungee-necklace short-hose regulator approach.

In short, I'd predict that the general approach epitomised by the likes of Steve Bogearts and Steve Martin would be the long-term future global trend.

Of course, we don't know what new ideas might be innovated in the future... but I think the foundations are set for a globally 'accepted' solution; like has happened with Hogarthian/DIR backmount.

 

[Dan_P]

if you want proof that that is a fact and not an opinion, go watch his response to the complete and utter bullsh!t that is his decompression theory, that was disproven by experiments and what we currently understand about decompression, but he says it's better anyway and that it is because he says it is

My point about the data sample is in alignment with yours about hours in use - for the time being, zero is still zero.

The Ratio Deco-conversation related to that project is covered elsewhere, so I won't get into that here, but I can advice anyone interested in that project and specifically the findings, to read the conclusion of the rapport and then determine if anything has been disproven rather than take my word for it, or anyone else's.

 

[PfcAJ]

"Zero" without context tells us nothing.

"Zero" with a super small sample size while guys with huge amounts of experience think it's a bad idea does tell us something.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

the big problem with arguing for the Z-systems safety record is the lack of hours that it really has in a cave environment since almost no-one uses it.

This is the biggest red flag for me. We all know that we don't know what we don't know. When it comes to caves/difficult wrecks, I have no clue what I don't know. Maybe the z-system is perfectly safe. I don't think it has the track record to make that claim. It isn't about proving that it is unsafe (others have pointed out issues), but the burden of proof is on proving that it is safe. It is my life, not yours. I will still look at it, but I'll be asking a lot of questions on what do you do in many situations. The reality is, by the time I feel that I know enough to consider going with the z-system, I'll probably be quite adept at traditional sidemount, have a wide collection of dive buddies, and will probably stay that way.

In short, I'd predict that the general approach epitomised by the likes of Steve Bogearts and Steve Martin would be the long-term future global trend.

And this is one of the reasons why I'm 99.9% sure that I'll stick with traditional sidemount, as I'll be compatible with more cave divers.