SideMount Setup Fine Tuning

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Awesome, it really feels like things are falling into place...I just feel like the setup tips you all have provided [JohnnyC, thanks but no courses in my area] are making sense and I "get them".

I just got to work but am very motivated to head home and disassemble the shoulder straps and get them where they need to be. Ugh...I will be diving with a local SM diver this weekend, hopefully, that seems to have a ton of experience with SM [they are not on this thread].

As far as the long hose reg...I was taught to clip it off to the short hose reg bungee that goes around your neck...anyone have an issue with that? I have seen it clipped off to the upper d ring...but it was my preference when I took my PADI tec course.

I'm getting close...this is all useful info that others can browse as well :)
 
Clip the long hose to the r upper dring when not in use.

Clipping it off to your necklace doesn’t make any sense to me and I’ve never seen that.
First it’s clipped to something soft and movable, not easy to unclip and find when needed in a pinch. Upper dring is static and a hard point, easy to find, easy to unclip and clip. I like using 1” fixed drings on my shoulders. Don’t have to worry about them moving and low profile.
 
Dude, what part of Don Pierce in Seattle or John Nunes in BC did you miss, how many pages ago? If you can't even be bothered to spend one day traveling to see an instructor for even an hours worth of pool time, you should just go back to backmount.

You've wasted more time dicking around here than you would have if you had actually spent the time to drive to BC and get an hours worth of private instruction.

We get it, you just wanna be a cool sidemount guy, you don't actually want to understand what you're doing, you just want other people to fix the problems you created yourself.
 
Well, you are free to comment elsewhere, JohnnyC.

Personally, I very much appreciate the comments and sharing of information here :)

#teamwork!!
 
Dude, what part of Don Pierce in Seattle or John Nunes in BC did you miss, how many pages ago? If you can't even be bothered to spend one day traveling to see an instructor for even an hours worth of pool time, you should just go back to backmount.

You've wasted more time dicking around here than you would have if you had actually spent the time to drive to BC and get an hours worth of private instruction.

We get it, you just wanna be a cool sidemount guy, you don't actually want to understand what you're doing, you just want other people to fix the problems you created yourself.
I would only recommend Don for the Xdeep, which Andrew does not have.

Yes, I early recommended John Nunes, but then there can be issues of availability of John, Andrew's non diving responsibilities. Nothing wrong with asking questions (though Andrew, sign up for Steve Martin's videos and watch BEFORE you make the drive up I-5).

Pool availability is very difficult and expensive. Divers are not welcome at many pools.

@Andrew Dawson, if you get more heat, just head over to SM groups on FB.
 
Hi Kosta, thank you!!

Yeah, the reasons I switched to SM:

My 2 kids, wife, full time job, volunteer work and old house takes up most of my time.

I do a lot of solo diving [as it is hard to coordinate buddies]...BM and a pony bottle just was not really igniting my passions anymore especially in the solo context...

I have had significant lower back issues and to avoid surgery...I need to reduce large loads on my back [no twins especially and SM so far is pretty good].

I wanted to do Don's course...but I am not able to afford a new Xdeep BCD and the course...and the time. I have reached out to him to get more info, but have not heard back, yet....same issue going to Canada to do a course...it is their and my availability...our mutual friend from Vancouver Island has helped me an absolute ton online as well :)

The Steve Martin course looks awesome, is $200...and there are some vids on youtube that cover a bit of what I was looking for...so have not made that leap yet. I thought about getting the PADI SM manual...but, may just do the Steve Martin course soon.

Scuba has helped me through some very, very dark times in my life, it is part of who I am [i also have a B.S. in Marine Ecology]...and I am willing to wade through the process to learn SM :)

Besides, with the help of SB, I am close! I will head over to the SM groups on FB just as a place for more info :)

This thread has also introduced me to many of the folks on here :)
 
The Steve Martin course looks awesome, is $200...and there are some vids on youtube that cover a bit of what I was looking for...so have not made that leap yet.

You can try other vids. There are probably some good ones. But Steve's course is systematic. Good instruction isn't cheap, though the value/cost ratio is quite high. It is cheaper than AOW around here which teaches you practically nothing.

I thought about getting the PADI SM manual...

Now you are trolling. The only value of that manual is for lining bird cages.
 
OK cool, I will go for Steve's Course :)

Now you are trolling. The only value of that manual is for lining bird cages.

LOL but I liked the picture on the cover!! :p I did like their PADI Tec Deep Diver manual...had good info on gear layout :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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