Sidemount and helmets in open water

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Razorista

Contributor
Messages
728
Reaction score
72
Location
Germany
# of dives
1000 - 2499
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.
 
Helmet in open water? Never seen it. Even in overheads a helmet is a tool, if the job requires it, wear it.
 
Just tell people you're a massive Steve B. fan and that's the reason you're wearing the helmet and they will understand.
 
why do you need a canister light in a lake? I use a helmet for mounting lights, but that is very much specific to penetration type diving. In open water I see no need for it, and don't bring my canister unless I need the burn time, which is only on cave dives. In ocean diving, I carry a few backup lights and it's good enough
 
Most divers use cannister lights here @tbone1004
Using mostly small handheld lights I already was an exception often enough.
The typical lake diving light here is a 1000 lumen and up cannister light and also camera lights exceeding 5000 lumen.
Rec divers not using cannister lights use strong and large hand-held LEDs with equivalent power to cannister lights with shorter runtime or old 'drum-style' halogen or HID lights.

I own a few very good handhelds, but on some dives I was starting to repeatedly get into trouble with their burntime at full power compared to the other lights in the group with a lot of additional power settings different from my 'on-off' solutions with no half power settings.
So I more or less have to use a cannister light myself now.
Though I often also dive with groups using only hand-helds, I 'believe in' using one and the same equipment for every dive, I try not to change anything except tank and regulator configuration and only when it is really required.

As I said @decompression, I think I require the helmet now on every dive. For it's primary purpose as a place for mounting lights.
I also dive several lakes with model boat enthusiasts however, where I also value the potential protection and have even used one without lights mounted to it a few years ago.

@Bennno
No, people I take seriously would not count that as a valid reason.
 
I like my helmet set up... for night dives, I can see using it in OW. But mostly, I use it for cave diving. I don't side mount in OW either. Too much work.
 
So, more to your question, I haven't seen any open water divers, on the west coast of North America, east coast of North America, Canadian/US lakes and rivers, carribean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean or anywhere else I've dove wear a helmet in open water. I would certainly question its use but if a logical, thought out answer was given that made sense, I'd be fine with it. Just don't shine it into my eyes.
 
I am diving only open water @NetDoc and only sidemount. I do not own any backount equipment anymore.
 
I am diving only open water @NetDoc and only sidemount. I do not own any backount equipment anymore.
In the Keys it's earned the nickname 'wide mount'. Not so much fun doing some of the wrecks. Moreover, getting back on the boat's a bit of a problem.
 
...Just don't shine it into my eyes.
That was thought off in the lights construction.
The helmet mount can turn 360 degrees, so I will be using the light mostly pointing downward by 45 to 60 degrees.
Since I am often not careful enough where I shine my hand-mounted lights, my regular buddys will probably think it an improvement :wink:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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