My AN/DP/Helitrox course
- Thread starter Marie13
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
There are no shoulder pads on my harness. I have the DR Deluxe harness. It has the quick release on the left shoulder I wanted. Much easier to get out of it. I took the chest strap off recently.
Dive Rite Harnesses for Backplates | Dive Gear Express®
Dive Rite Harnesses for Backplates | Dive Gear Express®
OP
Well, yesterday was interesting. A number of people around me seem to think that SM is the answer to my issues with doubles weight and the boat ladder as well as valve drills.
Through a very weird series of personal connections, I will be diving SM off a boat with a well regarded tech instructor elsewhere in the Great Lakes region, who offered their time to dive with me when someone I know happened to mention my struggles. This instructor is used to diving SM off a boat, so having someone show me the proper and efficient way to do it is key.
I happen to have one set of HP80 singles that still have left/right valves. We'll reconfigure my regs with bits (such as hoses or SPG) loaned as needed. I'll be loaned a SMS75, which is what I had when I did SM two years ago. I sold mine.
My tech instructor is aware and I have his blessing. He dives SM plenty himself and has current SM students, so if I decided to switch to SM, that wouldn't be an issue.
Through a very weird series of personal connections, I will be diving SM off a boat with a well regarded tech instructor elsewhere in the Great Lakes region, who offered their time to dive with me when someone I know happened to mention my struggles. This instructor is used to diving SM off a boat, so having someone show me the proper and efficient way to do it is key.
I happen to have one set of HP80 singles that still have left/right valves. We'll reconfigure my regs with bits (such as hoses or SPG) loaned as needed. I'll be loaned a SMS75, which is what I had when I did SM two years ago. I sold mine.
My tech instructor is aware and I have his blessing. He dives SM plenty himself and has current SM students, so if I decided to switch to SM, that wouldn't be an issue.
If you do end up deciding to go the sidemount route, consider trying some of the newer rigs like the XDeep or the Katana 2. When I see divers with the older Hollis rigs most don't look as streamlined as the people diving newer rigs.
But valve drills are trivial with sidemount. You turn off the side where bubble are coming from, and if it doesn't fix the issue, you turn off the other side while turning back on the side you shut off.
But valve drills are trivial with sidemount. You turn off the side where bubble are coming from, and if it doesn't fix the issue, you turn off the other side while turning back on the side you shut off.
I wasn't aware of any universally well regarded sidemount instructor in the midwest. Mind sharing her/his name? It might be worth trying to find a mentor rather than this attachment to it being an instructor. Even most of the good local RB divers sidemount their bailout better than the local instructors sidemount.
JBFG
Contributor
I can say that if you have such shoulder mobility, the Xdeep will be very hard to reach the central dump on your butt, especially with glove rings on! I couldn’t reach mine.
kanata 2 is the way to go in my opinion. Shoulder and side dump are slick to use.
kanata 2 is the way to go in my opinion. Shoulder and side dump are slick to use.
OP
I know - I did my SM class two years ago. As for which SM BC, I’ll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.
As an early adopter of the stealth and a huge xdeep fan, sadly I have to agree. Biggest issue for people in the stealth is reaching the dump. I had problems at first, but fixed my minor shoulder mobility issues. For someone with chronic issues such as marie says she has, the xdeep isn't ideal. I can also recommend the Dive Rite sidemount harnesses. My wife loves her LS.
OP
I don’t have shoulder issues. I can reach the valves but it seems to be more a technique issue than anything. My issues are my knees/sciatica.
I was NOT looking to go back to SM. This just sort of fell into my lap. Apparently some of the locals have been conspiring on how to help!
I’m not going to refuse the help that was so kindly offered.IL finally went into phase 4 of reopening Friday. I was at the gym the very same day and today. Got to commune with the recumbent bike again. Very happy I can workout again. Trying to do it at home is not my favorite thing.
I don’t have shoulder issues. I can reach the valves but it seems to be more a technique issue than anything. My issues are my knees/sciatica.
I was NOT looking to go back to SM. This just sort of fell into my lap. Apparently some of the locals have been conspiring on how to help!
IL finally went into phase 4 of reopening Friday. I was at the gym the very same day and today. Got to commune with the recumbent bike again. Very happy I can workout again. Trying to do it at home is not my favorite thing.
Gotcha. I knew you had some physical concerns. I think this threads gone in so many different directions I lost track of what the issue was. I love sm, but I don't know if I'd enjoy it off of a boat regularly.
I struggled with valve drills for a very long time. I could do them just not as pretty or as quickly as I would like. Not bad enough to have an instructor tell me it was a problem. It could just always be much better. After all was said and done it was a combination of poor mobility in my shoulders linked to very tight lats, my drysuit and undergarment combo, needing to lose weight, and my technique being fine tuned. Year after year it got better and hints and tips from some gue instructor friends (I'm not a gue diver) helped alot. I suspect you're in my same boat: your valve drills could improve but aren't dangerously bad and with time it will get better. I suspect like me you're also very hard on yourself.
I will say I love diving sm and most of my diving has been sm. I think the annoyances of sm on a boat have kept me from doing it. But if you're diving in an area where the crew are used to sm divers, then you should be good. Down here they look at sm boat divers as an annoyance.
Similar threads
