I am interested in the international situation when it comes to acceptance of sidemount divers wearing helmets at open water sites.
Here in Germany it is much like wearing a kilt at a dive site outside Scotland or something comparable.
Even in cave diving the majority seems to think helmets to be anything from unnecessary to dangerous, but consistently only important in a discussion in cave diving, not open water.
Reason: I just bought the gosidemount light this week and it's contruction is optimized for using it with a the helmet mount.
I had thought it to take some time to adapt to it, since I had not been using a helmet mounted tank-light for a year.
Actually though, it took 2 dives for me to instinctively attach the light to the helmet mount, whenever I do not need to carry it on the back of the left hand.
That will mean for example that I will want to have it there for large parts of most daytime dives and even on rare night dives with good visibility.
I will most likely try to never go without the helmet now, might even remove the boltsnap on the light head again.
Would be very irritating to try to mount the light head on instinct when not wearing the helmet.
I am the only one I know to regularly wear any type of diving helmet around here, though.
Many own one, use it for cave dives or under water work, absolutely nobody I have met would wear it at a lake.
Speaking for myself, as a sidemount diver in sidemount diaspora, I personally got used to almost any reaction I might get at some few dive sites, but people with me often aren't.
I expect to have some 'interesting' discussions in the near future and want to be prepared if I have to repeat that anywhere I might travel.
Here in Germany it is much like wearing a kilt at a dive site outside Scotland or something comparable.
Even in cave diving the majority seems to think helmets to be anything from unnecessary to dangerous, but consistently only important in a discussion in cave diving, not open water.
Reason: I just bought the gosidemount light this week and it's contruction is optimized for using it with a the helmet mount.
I had thought it to take some time to adapt to it, since I had not been using a helmet mounted tank-light for a year.
Actually though, it took 2 dives for me to instinctively attach the light to the helmet mount, whenever I do not need to carry it on the back of the left hand.
That will mean for example that I will want to have it there for large parts of most daytime dives and even on rare night dives with good visibility.
I will most likely try to never go without the helmet now, might even remove the boltsnap on the light head again.
Would be very irritating to try to mount the light head on instinct when not wearing the helmet.
I am the only one I know to regularly wear any type of diving helmet around here, though.
Many own one, use it for cave dives or under water work, absolutely nobody I have met would wear it at a lake.
Speaking for myself, as a sidemount diver in sidemount diaspora, I personally got used to almost any reaction I might get at some few dive sites, but people with me often aren't.
I expect to have some 'interesting' discussions in the near future and want to be prepared if I have to repeat that anywhere I might travel.