is Sidemount diving more safe?

[Stunni]

Hey there,

are there any statistic works who shwos that sidemount diving is more or less safe than back mount?
cause of redundancy or similar?

 

[Blackcrusader]

redundancy just means having more of everything.

 

[Stunni]

Xdeep rulz!

yes, having 2 independent systems makes it more reliable

but again, some experiences where you needed it - more than a final valve drill in bm would have been the s
olution?

 

[BoltSnap]

Are you asking from the point of view of the forum topic; accidents-incidents-near-misses?

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

To answer the question-> I do not think there is any empirical evidence that supports sidemount being safer.

For me it is safer due to my being better able to do valve shutdowns in a timely manner since my Range Of Motion has been degraded due to a rotator cuff injury.

Some people go to sidemount to alleviate or prevent back and/or knee injuries from carrying doubles on their back.

 

[Stunni]

Are you asking from the point of view of the forum topic; accidents-incidents-near-misses?

yep. so where maybe "the normal" would caused fatality or heavier injuries. eg stuck in a wreck, loss of Air.. dunno if DAN and consorts have there a chart...?

 

[Stunni]

To answer the question-> I do not think there is any empirical evidence that supports sidemount being safer.

For me it is safer due to my being better able to do valve shutdowns in a timely manner since my Range Of Motion has been degraded due to a rotator cuff injury.

Some people go to sidemount to alleviate or prevent back and/or knee injuries from carrying doubles on their back.

i often hear i don't have back problems...
ages 30... Doubles on the Wings...
my Doc blew me my ass up when he heard i do diving. has many clients age 50+ with massive backbone degenerations...
na, since 2014 me is only SM.
btw, the wing of the Xdeep is upside down... interesting

 

[Marie13]

My orthopedist is a vacation diver. It was just chance. I’m the first non-recreational diver he’s had as a patient. He was thrilled to hear about SM and that’s what I dive open circuit. I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees, plus sciatica in my left hip.

 

[Angelo Farina]

When doing risk assessments you should always face the problem with the solution.
Side mounting is a partially redundant solution, which is usually adopted as the response to a problem.
The problem is some sort of higher than normal requirements, as related to diving deep, with deco or in overhead environments.
So we are already close or crossing the border of tech diving, which is assumed to be a risky activity.
So, if side mounting is associated with these high-risk diving profiles, generally it should be concluded that the solution adopted mitigates these risks, but they remain inherently larger than diving with low-risk profiles, where sidemounting is generally not practiced, nor needed.
Of course, if side mounting is used also for normal, low risk, recreational dives (for which it is unneeded), then of course it adds redundancy, making the dive safer.

 

[Wibble]

If a medical slant, then yes, sidemount diving is much easier with people with shoulder and mobility issues. If it's easier to do, it'll get done, therefore it's safer than attempting to reach behind your neck to twiddle some very awkward knobs.

Also lighter to carry as the kit is split up.