My venture into Sidemount.

[irishsquid]

...That water looks cold, though. :cold:

I have come to the conclusion that there isn't any water that is warm enough for you.:kiss2:

 

[Jax]

I have come to the conclusion that there isn't any water that is warm enough for you.:kiss2:

. . . I just haven't found enough undergarments for that!

Old German saying: "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

I think I need to go up a size in my dry suit, so I can wear enough undergarments. :laughing:

 

[Insta-Gator]

. . . I just haven't found enough undergarments for that!

Old German saying: "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

I think I need to go up a size in my dry suit, so I can wear enough undergarments. :laughing:

Gizmodo Warmx-electric-underwear

I wonder

 

[Jax]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/so...-carlos-mexico-2-5-september-trip-report.html

Had a great 8 dives! All in sidemount, all off of a boat. Each time, it was easier and easier - right tank suspended on a rope, hook up left tank, and giant stride in. Practice has done wonders!

I still have a few :doh: issues. Hope I'll outgrow them.

Now, here's one for the books: All those times that I would do valve drills, and would forget to turn the valve back on after? I found out by switching regs and going "thwoop", that one's dry! When a couple of hose / swivel O-rings went this weekend, it was SOOOO second nature to execute the valve shutdown. Alos, it was second nature to feather it . . . Everything worked wonderfully and the real-life training was a super confidence builder!

Now, if I can only learn to spin like a sea lion . . .

 

[BKP]

Awesome, Jax... I'm still waiting to go off a boat with my sidemount rig, but I've gotten in quite a few dives up in DiveLand (a local Alabama quarry, which we usually have all to ourselves), as well as Lake Jocassee up in South Carolina (they have a great LDS and boat dive operation, however, we did our dives as shore dives, with mixed doubles).

Slinging the tanks in water is fabulous. And, I agree with you about the valve drills -- I had a similar issue with turning the valves off at depth during drills (lotsa fun), however, it's pretty much muscle memory now, and comes 2nd nature. Same with switching regs every few hundred psi... We also ran bag-shooting practice (I've a single bladder rig, and dive double HP100's -- the bag is mandatory).

All-in-all a great experience, and remarkably addicting... Looking forward to the next boat dive with sidemount...

 

[ianr33]

Each time, it was easier and easier - right tank suspended on a rope, hook up left tank, and giant stride in. Practice has done wonders!

That sounds like a great method. I should try it sometime.

 

[rongoodman]

I've had good luck with these on some boat dives with my Razor. After clipping the tanks onto the waist band and D-rings, I enter with a giant stride and then attach the bungees in the water.

 

[Jax]

That sounds like a great method. I should try it sometime.

That was your suggestion, wasn't it?

 

[BKP]

I've had good luck with these on some boat dives with my Razor. After clipping the tanks onto the waist band and D-rings, I enter with a giant stride and then attach the bungees in the water.

I use something similar - homemade w/ 1" webbing and 1" tri-glides. Haven't had any issues with it (and I can snug it up tight), however, I think I like the sewn approach you have better...

 

[irishsquid]

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Barry, where did you get those snap bolts? I've been trying to locate some of those puppies with no luck.