Plummet
Registered
Hi! I've never dived sidemount before, and have some questions. I haven't dived much at all actually, so bear with me here.
The idea of a minimalist sidemount setup appeals to me, such as this: New System - The Deco Sidemount
From what I have read (The Two Schools of Sidemount Diving Heritage), that type of setup is considered "British" style (rather than "American"), and is typically used with aluminum cylinders (rather than steel).
However, out here in northern California, backmount divers seem to often use steel back plates and steel cylinders to compensate for the drysuit or 7mm wetsuit + 7mm vest.
So does anyone have thoughts on using a minimalist sidemount harness/wing with a drysuit or thick wetsuit in cold saltwater? It seems like one would have to use either steel cylinders, or aluminum cylinders with more weight, neither of which seems generally done.
And isn't the UK cold? Also, the 2008 CDG manual says that steel cylinders are common for UK cave diving (and it has a different, probably older, definition of "British" vs "American" harness styles).
The idea of a minimalist sidemount setup appeals to me, such as this: New System - The Deco Sidemount
From what I have read (The Two Schools of Sidemount Diving Heritage), that type of setup is considered "British" style (rather than "American"), and is typically used with aluminum cylinders (rather than steel).
However, out here in northern California, backmount divers seem to often use steel back plates and steel cylinders to compensate for the drysuit or 7mm wetsuit + 7mm vest.
So does anyone have thoughts on using a minimalist sidemount harness/wing with a drysuit or thick wetsuit in cold saltwater? It seems like one would have to use either steel cylinders, or aluminum cylinders with more weight, neither of which seems generally done.
And isn't the UK cold? Also, the 2008 CDG manual says that steel cylinders are common for UK cave diving (and it has a different, probably older, definition of "British" vs "American" harness styles).