Sidemount SPG hose and routing

[Robert H. Diver]

What SPG’s do you have?

 

[Dann-Oh]

I have bee diving with 6" rubber hoses lollipop style. I felt like my chest area was too cluttered; dry suit inflator, LPI, 2x spgs, eventually ill be adding a camera rig when I'm more confidant in my sidemount skillset.

This weekend I will be trying out my 6" rubber hoses point back along the tank. I currently have it rigged and zipties so that the spg is on the backside of the first stage but Im not too sure if I like it like that. I might remove the zip ties for this weekend.

 

[grantctobin]

Thanks for those pointers, really useful.

Most of my underwater activity is spent using a rebreather. It's only for this cave course that I'm going back to sidemount. Having said that, it's probably easier to fly with sidemount kit than the Revo, so all's not lost.

Think I'll try a couple of 6" stiff hoses -- need to replace a couple that have massive boils on the hose as they're leaking.

Hadn't thought about the slight angling of the regs which I also do with sidemount. Have a couple of Mk25's for the sidemount config where the "fifth port" has the short LP hose for BCD and drysuit. Will be interesting to try the lollipop method and see if that is more convenient.

Wasn't looking forwards to jumping in the local diving pond -- Wraysbury near Heathrow, London. The good thing is they allow solo open circuit, so I can fill my boots with laying line in there. Oftentimes the visibility is so bad in there it's like diving blindfold!

I’m not sure which instructor you’re using in Mexico, but it’s very unlikely they will encourage (or even permit) the use of bottom feelers/upward mounted SPGs. The history of that style of mounting was steel cylinders with valve outlets pointing towards the ground when in a horizontal diving position. In a current era Mexico style setup, upward hoses will be poking into your armpits, torquing your cylinders, and ensuring the valves+regs do not end up in the correct position.

6” or 9” rubber, flat against the cylinder, with 9” narrowly taking the win in the event short distance vision is beginning to deteriorate.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

I am sure it will be add tremendous value to this thread, but

lollipop style spg routing is the ugliest thing in existence

 

[SlugLife]

Most of my underwater activity is spent using a rebreather. It's only for this cave course that I'm going back to sidemount.

Personally, I'd just contact the instructor and ask them what they prefer for the course, and just do that for now. That's even if the course is perhaps a number of months away or you haven't quite signed up yet, I'd still expect them to respond to one or two basic questions like that.

 

[Wibble]

What SPG’s do you have?

Have all types of SPG. The larger 52mm/2" and 63mm/2½" ones with glass screen that are clear and very easy to read. However they're large, thick, heavy and prone to the glass smashing.

Will probably use the MDE/Apeks/Halcyon/generic low-profile ones with the raised plastic cover. They’re smaller and lighter, but work well and don’t smash -- haven't had one fail on me yet.

Obviously don't use the thick rubber boots. DIR people told me not to and who am I to argue

 

[halocline]

I'd avoid any plastic on the SPG for cave diving in MX. You're going to be dragging those tanks over limestone for the entrances/exits. (I didn't see if you posted you're going to MX, but some other reply seemed to imply that) I use 9" regular hoses routed straight down along the tanks. The hoses are short enough to stay in place. The tank bungee goes over the SPG hose but otherwise they're not secured and they don't need to be. I tried 6" hoses, they're a little harder for me to grab and view. They are a bit more streamlined so you might start with those.

Most of my friends down there are going AI but I'm resisting. I'm cheap. I use 1 3/4" glass/brass SPGs like these: DGX White Face Premium SPG, Naked

and hoses like these: High Pressure Rubber Hose

 

[Wibble]

Personally, I'd just contact the instructor and ask them what they prefer for the course, and just do that for now. That's even if the course is perhaps a number of months away or you haven't quite signed up yet, I'd still expect them to respond to one or two basic questions like that.

The full-cave course is one thing, but I also have spent the last three seasons diving only on the rebreather. OK, had 5 superb dives in St Lucia in 30c/86f on single-cylinder open circuit complete with DiveMasters hearding the group like policemen. Have the '23 season lined up with lots of deep wreck diving plus many other wrecks at shallower depths.

Am doing the full cave course late in the year for a challenge and something to focus upon. It's also a longstanding bucket list item. There's very few caves in the UK; loads of sumps and mines, but very few open-access caves with pretty decorations -- poor visibility is a feature of UK caves.

I'm never going to be someone who's pushing the boundaries in caves; more like I'll be paying a guide to take me to the good stuff in some foreign clime. As ever, the guide's there to lead but not to hand-hold.

Refining my sidemount diving -- my favoured OC format -- will be useful for all types of diving, e.g. bailouts, deco, etc. The cave preparation will be in a crappy poor visibility lake; an excuse to lay loads of line. That place only allows solo OC, not rebreathers. Thus, when the sea is off limits due to the cursed weather Gods, that crappy lake beckons.


The original question as posed was a bit of a newbie question. TBH it's been 3+ years since I've dived sidemount and I couldn't remember how I rigged it! I've even put the Mk25's in for a service and putting the tins into test!

I'm pleased that the responses didn't come up with anything radically different to what I've already been diving. For a laugh -- and to wind up @Underwater Tourist -- I'll try the lollipops, then revert to the downward longer hoses which I used to use.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Have all types of SPG. The larger 52mm/2" and 63mm/2½" ones with glass screen that are clear and very easy to read. However they're large, thick, heavy and prone to the glass smashing.

Will probably use the MDE/Apeks/Halcyon/generic low-profile ones with the raised plastic cover. They’re smaller and lighter, but work well and don’t smash -- haven't had one fail on me yet.

Obviously don't use the thick rubber boots. DIR people told me not to and who am I to argue

I’ve got the Diverite brass and glass SPG’s. They’re a bit heavy and drooped when “lollipopping” them. The ones you use should work fine if routing them down the cylinder.

 

[MichaelMc]

I found lollipop severely restrict reaching down your front to deal with fins. A big issue for shore or surf, though maybe not for cave. Also they clutter the chest and get stuck in D-rings. Reading them takes just a glance, but I decided it was not worth the disadvantage.