sunny_diver
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How easy is it to dive sidemount at the Catalina Dive Park?
Sidemount at the Catalina Dive Park?
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runsongas
Contributor
as easy as any other place with stairs
missionmtb
Contributor
You have to mount your bottles before you go down since you can't stage them at the water like other places with stairs on account of the waves/people. Clip them however you would for a giant stride.
I don't think I would want to exit those stairs in sidemount. I remember basically getting the waves pushing me onto the stairs and then holding onto the railing for dear life before scrambling up the stairs above the wave height.
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sunny_diver
Registered
I don't have sidemount experience. Could you just swim out each tank, one at a time, and attach them to one of the permanent buoys? Then enter with your fins and harness and then attach the tanks?
Reverse the process when exiting?
Reverse the process when exiting?
missionmtb
Contributor
These aren't strictly public buoys so I wouldn't. They're used for classes and I doubt the instructors would appreciate the wear and tear, obstacle etc. You'd likely get a talkin' to. They're also a ways from the entry so you'd be swimming them over, not a great plan.
Side-mounting a pair of 80s at the park is sort of impractical IMHO but doable if you're a. pretty big and b. experienced. The burden combined with the hike and the potentially rough entry make it sub-optimal though so you'd have to be pretty determined to dive this way. As you add configurations in your dive career you'll hear the phrase "right tool for the job" and I'd say there are better tools for this entry, like a single tank BC and a pony if you're staying a while.
That being said, I dive a rebi and small bailout and it gives me the opportunity to do some cool dives and stay quite a while with the GSBs. Is it the right tool for the job? Probably not, but I'm determined.
Side-mounting a pair of 80s at the park is sort of impractical IMHO but doable if you're a. pretty big and b. experienced. The burden combined with the hike and the potentially rough entry make it sub-optimal though so you'd have to be pretty determined to dive this way. As you add configurations in your dive career you'll hear the phrase "right tool for the job" and I'd say there are better tools for this entry, like a single tank BC and a pony if you're staying a while.
That being said, I dive a rebi and small bailout and it gives me the opportunity to do some cool dives and stay quite a while with the GSBs. Is it the right tool for the job? Probably not, but I'm determined.
undrwater
Contributor
Call the shops on the island and ask their thoughts on the matter?
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- The buoys are downlines for instruction only. That means no safety stops hanging on at the bottom of a line, and please don’t pass too closely underneath. All of your bubbles are now in the faces of brand new divers and that can cause real difficulties for them.
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