GUE and Sidemount?

[00wabbit]

Sounds good.

Is is there a medical reason for Edd not putting tanks on his back or does he have his other reasons?


Sounds like like I need to go spend some time with Edd.

 

[tbone1004]

he thinks backmount is pointless and he has no use for it with the dives that he does, so he won't put them on his back because someone told him he had to. He is perfectly capable of carrying whatever on his back, he just doesn't want to. Personally I see no problem with that. I dive doubles regularly including all of the NC coast diving I do and all teaching. I prefer sidemount in caves, though somehow Victor who commented up here got me to dive 104's wet in Orange Grove a few weeks ago, though that was because I knew how long it was going to take us to breathe the damn things down in a pool to breakdown for sidemount.

Paul has shoulder problems, one has been replaced, the other is on it's way, so he'll throw a breather on his back, but can't carry doubles and manipulate the manifold like he used to, so he's sidemount exclusive in OC. Edd only teaches out of Mariana, and I don't know if there is anywhere to do deco not in a cave up there but I'm suspecting not. Peacock might be better for you to head down to crank both out at the same time. Paul has certified quite a few of the big name cave divers, and is an overall nice guy.

Paul Heinerth in Hudson, Florida 34667 - "Teaching fun and safe diving since 1977"
website needs a little help, but it is what it is.

CAVE ADVENTURERS INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SCUBA TRAINING FACILITY
Edd's site, no guarantee you'll actually train with Edd, but his staff instructors are top notch as well

 

[TSandM]

The idea that Edd is medically incapable of handling backmounted doubles makes me snort. You have to have seen Edd . . . I think he could bench press his truck, while sipping champagne from the other hand. He's just made a decision about his preferred equipment, just as GUE has made a decision about theirs.

 

[00wabbit]

I've seen Ed's in pictures and videos. I figured he had a reason, but you can't tell if someone has a shoulder injury or something.

 

[rjack321]

The idea that Edd is medically incapable of handling backmounted doubles makes me snort. You have to have seen Edd . . . I think he could bench press his truck, while sipping champagne from the other hand. He's just made a decision about his preferred equipment, just as GUE has made a decision about theirs.

Ummm yeah, have you seen his "home" gym?

 

[TSandM]

No, but I've seen Edd. I rarely hear what he says to me -- I'm too fascinated with his deltoids

 

[kr2y5]

TEAM is the center of GUE. Standardization is a big part of making a really effective, elegantly functioning team. They will sacrifice SOME of that at the very highest levels, where the exigencies of the dive require it and the skills of the divers can make up for the loss. But again, 90% of the diving that is out there to do can be done in standard gear, and the payoff for doing so is huge.

If we accept the idea of beginning with the end in mind, though, and aim at standardizing on a configuration that is more versatile, why not standardize on sidemount, instead of backmount? My understanding so far was that, a sidemount configuration is strictly more versatile than backmount, and the ability to see valves, protect them from the environment, and operate them without difficulty, makes it more safe. What is the rationale behind choosing backmount as a basis for the GUE platform?

 

[Razorista]

...why not standardize on sidemount, instead of backmount? ...

Because nobody has been able to define universally (or even locally) accepted standards for sidemount yet?

 

[Centrals]

My understanding so far was that, a sidemount configuration is strictly more versatile than backmount, and the ability to see valves, protect them from the environment, and operate them without difficulty, makes it more safe.

It is the versatility of the system that make it impossible to standardize.
BTW, how many SM divers would use THE distribution box?

 

[flots am]

Because nobody has been able to define universally (or even locally) accepted standards for sidemount yet?

The important stuff is completely standardized: Each tank has a reg. Find the tank you want and breathe it.