. What we have instead is a growing number of instructors who are barely qualified to dive sidemount trying to teach it in an environment it wasn't really designed for. In such cases, the risks and contingencies I mentioned earlier aren't usually taught ... because the people doing the teaching don't really understand them. And you can't teach what you don't understand. This is, to my concern, the biggest real-world drawback of the sidemount configuration ... as it applies to the growing number of people who want to use it for open water diving ...
I agree,and you are reinforcing what I've see too. Because sidemount has become a marketing explosion analogous to nitrox was 20 years ago,people are rushing in to get a piece of the pie,and some are completely unprepared and unqualified to teach it. Reminds of when Chrysler released the first minivan in the 80s. The other manufacturers rushed to get a "piece of the action" and pushed out vehicles that were junk, for example the Ford Aerostar. As consumers we need to be cautious,and as much as we hate to question an instructor,ask them their prior experience level, and their cert date on their teaching c-card. It costs a lot of money for training,and you hope to come away with a skill,not be in the instructors learning curve.
---------- Post added November 16th, 2014 at 05:54 AM ----------
Sidemount is synonymous with innovation. There is no part on my 3 rigs that has not been modified and tweaked. I've made my own plates because I could do it better. I've tried all sorts of bungee systems. I've changed out the wings and inflators. They all suit a different purpose. And I'm not the most innovative in my group. Commercially made or not, they all get modified.
It is cool you found the ability to tweak and adjust your sidemount system,and maybe we use the term innovation differently,but something new and unique I consider innovation. For all practical purposes I see most sidemount systems a copy of each other. Harness, with a wing,and a back plate/rails. I see people making modifications all the time like different material for bungees,different sized wing,different placement of the plate/rail etc. What I see have a tendency to happen is when manufacturers make the equipment,the wholesale innovation is suppressed. Someday somebody needs to get Bill Rennaker and Lamar Hires to talk about the evolution of designs of sidemount because they are more responsible than anybody for leading us to where we are today. Bill has several crates of all homemade sidemount harnesses.and from that with each harness you see unique innovation that occurred and also some cool stuff that we don't really see now. For example my understanding is the reason we have a wing on the sidemount harness is because DiveRite had Transpacs and wings,then married these two together because they were in inventory,but in reality many people will tell you,(including myself from my old harness) that side inflate such as a jacket BC is much better because it has better balance,and streamlined-somebody comes out with that in a commercial harness,that would be innovation-something new and unique not a copy of an old system. Another innovation that I would like to see,and have been working on it,is leg loops like a climbing harness versus a crotch strap. Where I know most people don't add vertical to the diving,this would save having two harnesses,but leg loops would have some advantages for just a diving only harness.
