Ok stupid newbie, thinking bout sidemount

[JamesK]

Kurt,

How were you diving SM? Single or double tanks? Did you dive single or doubles when BM?

Most of my sidemount dives are from a pier with ladder entry. It is narrow like a boat ladder entry/exit point. It has a set of steep narrow steps that go down 4 steps to a platform. The platform is a few feet deep and about 6 feet wide, but 3 feet of that are taken up by the ladder handrails. With single tank SM I have no problems. With double I have to turn sideways. Small price to pay IMO.


Beanojones,

When I had the ring bungees and traditional bungees I had that problem on my harness. Moving over to a loop bungee cured that.

 

[usmarinekurt]

I was diving doubles
trust me it's tough hearing those swinging bottles bouncing off the boat
The BM is just more self contained.

 

[beanojones]

When I had the ring bungees and traditional bungees I had that problem on my harness. Moving over to a loop bungee cured that.

But don't you clip the neck lead up front? Underwater, it's not such a big deal on way or the other.

It's on the surface when the weight is, well, actual dry weight, that the shoulder parts of the harness get yanked on.

 

[JamesK]

I was diving doubles
trust me it's tough hearing those swinging bottles bouncing off the boat
The BM is just more self contained.

you're right about that. back mount has some advantages and that is be of them.

But don't you clip the neck lead up front? Underwater, it's not such a big deal on way or the other.

It's on the surface when the weight is, well, actual dry weight, that the shoulder parts of the harness get yanked on.

yes I do. I still get some pul up of water, but my tanks tend to hang straight down in this setup as opposed to down and on an angle.

 

[DaleC]

I keep hearing about that (pulling the harness apart) but have never experienced it myself. I don't use chest clips for any of my rigs. Dunno? Perhaps wearing heavier exposure suits wherein the shoulder straps set into the material stops that from happening. On land, as James says, the weight of the tanks pulls down not out (at least for me).

I can see double SM on a boat being a pita but single SM is the easiest rig I've ever used (next to my Hawaiian pack).

 

[beanojones]

I keep hearing about that (pulling the harness apart) but have never experienced it myself. I don't use chest clips for any of my rigs. Dunno? Perhaps wearing heavier exposure suits wherein the shoulder straps set into the material stops that from happening. On land, as James says, the weight of the tanks pulls down not out (at least for me).


I can see double SM on a boat being a pita but single SM is the easiest rig I've ever used (next to my Hawaiian pack).

Well part of the issue may just be that I have tried but never put many dives in a BP/W (of the non softpack design), so maybe I am not as good as using it as I should be.

(Yes, everyone should dive the Hawaiian pack to see how simple gear can be. With no wetsuit, and no BCD, the diver has to nail their weighting. (or gauge their weighting for their depth, but then that is not as simple.)The closest I have come to that the using a stage bottle just clipped to a D-Ring on the weightbelt, but then without the tank being locked in place, it is not as secure as the Hawaiian pack.)

Speaking of utter minimalism, have you ever tried Snuba or a hookah? I thought it was gimmicky, until I tried it, and I suddenly saw the appeal. For people who cannot freedive, it would be pretty dang cool.)

 

[decompression]

Well part of the issue may just be that I have tried but never put many dives in a BP/W (of the non softpack design), so maybe I am not as good as using it as I should be.

(Yes, everyone should dive the Hawaiian pack to see how simple gear can be. With no wetsuit, and no BCD, the diver has to nail their weighting. (or gauge their weighting for their depth, but then that is not as simple.)The closest I have come to that the using a stage bottle just clipped to a D-Ring on the weightbelt, but then without the tank being locked in place, it is not as secure as the Hawaiian pack.)

Speaking of utter minimalism, have you ever tried Snuba or a hookah? I thought it was gimmicky, until I tried it, and I suddenly saw the appeal. For people who cannot freedive, it would be pretty dang cool.)

Monkey diving is great, at the end of a day of diving sling a bottle and away you go.....that was the story behind the Z system from UTD, of course it's developed enough now that it fits into their covenants. I remember first hearing about Snuba many years ago and now UTD has introduced its version called...ZUBA.....and it looks pretty cool.

 

[beanojones]

Monkey diving is great, at the end of a day of diving sling a bottle and away you go.....that was the story behind the Z system from UTD, of course it's developed enough now that it fits into their covenants. I remember first hearing about Snuba many years ago and now UTD has introduced its version called...ZUBA.....and it looks pretty cool.

Oh wow, I am in love with that idea!

 

[DevonDiver]

Monkey diving is great, at the end of a day of diving sling a bottle and away you go.....that was the story behind the Z system from UTD, of course it's developed enough now that it fits into their covenants. I remember first hearing about Snuba many years ago and now UTD has introduced its version called...ZUBA.....and it looks pretty cool.

Diving with a single slung stage is nothing new. For true minimalism, play with this:

- Wear a weight belt, with single d-ring on the waist.
- 'Bandelero' a loop of bungee over one shoulder, under the other armpit.
- Sidemount a cylinder using that.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Diving with a single slung stage is nothing new. For true minimalism, play with this:

- Wear a weight belt, with single d-ring on the waist.
- 'Bandelero' a loop of bungee over one shoulder, under the other armpit.
- Sidemount a cylinder using that.

Here's a video that's pretty close to that setup:

Cypress Spring « Rob Neto