For the life of me I just can't imagine the reason anyone would use "recreation" sidemount. This is an oxymoron.
Come down to the Florida cave country and I'll show you why sidemount was conceived. [emoji16]
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Seriously? redundant air supply doesn't come to mind? Also, wreck diving is a recreational pursuit? that didn't come to mind either?
Since I got my side mount training, it's been my primary setup for most of my dive trips. I use a warm water rig mostly, so it's lighter, easier to pack than a normal BCD and I can fit my regs into my reg bag quite nicely and hand carry them (eliminates weight from my bag, and I've never been called on the extra hand carried item).
for the original poster, dive shops and operators don't have a problem with it, especially if you are bringing your own tanks (you get to move them too).. but for away trips, the only issue I've come across is that most operators don't have any experience with sidemount, so although they set up gear for the backmount crowd, they won't touch your stuff (which works just fine for me). That and be sure that if you use DIN first stages that you check in advance that the operator has tank valves with inserts (be sure to carry the hex wrench equivalent for metric and SAE in your bag) or dedicated DIN valves. You'll find this is tricky. Inevitabily the DM candidates or local hostlers don't get the message and your tanks aren't on the boat, or if you are using EAN, they didn't fill tanks with inserts or DIN with your needed mix. The solution of course is a yoke adapter, but again, that's 4kg to your travel weight, and I've had more than one operator that only carried at most two adapters and then some yahoo shows up to dive without notice using DIN during your week long trip, and you are down an adapter.
So, it comes with it's tradeoffs, I for one won't go back to back mount.
And, there are tricks, you are supposed to breath down your tanks about 750psi at a time, but there are people that will do that for the first 1500 PSI, then breath the other tank light and just dive a full tank and the 1500psi for a second dive allowing them to bring only 3 tanks... (or pay for less EAN)
---------- Post added December 30th, 2015 at 03:41 PM ----------
I am with Lapenta on this (and that usually scares the hell out of me).
There are some people with physical limitations and/or pain issues that walk to the back of the boat, drop in, and we hand the tanks down to them.
These are people who are perfectly competent and even what I would call "excellent divers" when gravity is not working against them so hard.
Chug
Not particularly interested in sidemount.......
yet.
I accept that part of my knee issues is that for lack of a better word, I'm PHAT (FAT). I'm working on that, but it takes time, and my knees aren't waiting.
So, after reading about SM, I opted for it, and let me tell you, last week in Hawaii, I set up my two tanks myself on the way OUT, put on my rig when everyone else did, and waited for the backmount divers to get out of the way before doing my graceful long stride off the back. Then turned around and clipped on each tank, connected my inflator and then waited for the thumbs down and cleared my BCD bladder. As I gently dropped down near the mooring line (in a horizontal position where I could kick and watch the other divers), I ungclipped my shoulder points, connected my bungees, and looped my LONG HOSE in place and clipped it on. I had plenty of time, I was relaxed, and I was leveled off and waiting for everyone at the mooring point when they finished descending.
When I surfaced, I let everyone get out, unclipped the RIGHT post, and swam it up in front of me, handed it out and then unclipped and handed up the LEFT. All in a matter of 60 seconds. Then removed my fins and climbed the ladder without a single tweak or twang in my knees.
I LOVE diving SM, and I love that on my second dive, I had managed my gas so that I only had to move my SHORT hose set up onto a new tank, and could keep the other 100 bar in my RIGHT (long hose) for the next dive.
Again, I don't know for the life of me why someone wouldn't want to reduce stress on their knees, have redundant air, and be able to get in and out from a boat more easily. And shore diving? SM is equally simple shore diving. The worst part about shore diving isn't anything related to tanks, it's putting on and taking off your fins if you have knees like mine.
