sidemount, the new "DIR"

[rjack321]

Hmm . . . hadn't thought about the issue of handling sidemount equipment in below freezing temperatures, but you can sure see how it would be a problem!

There's alot less faffing around with clips to dive backmounted doubles. Esp on a RIB. Once you got an arm through a strap its alot harder to drop doubles too. Whether from cold hands or rough water bouncing the boat around a little.

 

[Doppler]

It's like a pendulum swinging first one way and then the other.

About 15 years ago, the self-proclaimed gurus told the great unwashed that the North Florida Cave Rig was the only system that worked... "It's been perfected," they said. "It needs no adjustments, and works in all conditions."

Then the pendulum swung and now a different set of self-proclaimed gurus are telling who-ever will listen that the only system that works is sidemount. Same ****, different day.

You'll hear similar crap from people telling you "My team is the greatest... everyone else is ****."

Hang around for long enough and you realize there is no silver bullet, there is no perfect solution, nothing that is universal. What works works, and the best we can hope for is to be lucky enough to find that out for ourselves.

---------- Post added January 25th, 2013 at 09:08 AM ----------

Hmm . . . hadn't thought about the issue of handling sidemount equipment in below freezing temperatures, but you can sure see how it would be a problem!

To some of us, handing ANY dive equipment in below freezing temperatures is a problem.

 

[Dive-aholic]

One of my very favorite dive buddies dives sidemount almost exclusively at home, but when he comes to dive with us in MX, he dives backmount because we do. I've dived with him in both setups, and in both of them, he's a better diver than I am. I don't see any change in his skills from one setup to the other, but he knows both of them well. I think any of us, changing our gear, will suffer a period of depressed skills, until we get up to speed with the new configuration. In fact, I'd think it's probably desirable to switch back and forth with some kind of regularity, if you want to retain facility with both.

I can see the allure of sidemount -- it sure feels marvelous. I can see the advantages of backmount, too. I see no particular reason to say that one setup is highly preferable to the other. They both have strong points and weak points.

The change isn't necessarily in the skills but rather the muscle memory. I had a hard time going back and forth between backmount and sidemount until I started using my sidemount rig in backmount as well. Everything (except the tanks) is now in the same place regardless of configuration so I can easily find it.

 

[ucfdiver]

I've noticed sidemount is a great marketing tool for new instructors to heavily market themselves on the internet and locally and drum up business.

 

[rjack321]

It's like a pendulum swinging first one way and then the other.

About 15 years ago, the self-proclaimed gurus told the great unwashed that the North Florida Cave Rig was the only system that worked... "It's been perfected," they said. "It needs no adjustments, and works in all conditions."

Then the pendulum swung and now a different set of self-proclaimed gurus are telling who-ever will listen that the only system that works is sidemount. Same ****, different day.

I guess that's what I was thinking as well. Although I see the same phenomenon with some CCR instructor/divers. (not all, just some)

 

[DevonDiver]

The change isn't necessarily in the skills but rather the muscle memory. I had a hard time going back and forth between backmount and sidemount until I started using my sidemount rig in backmount as well. Everything (except the tanks) is now in the same place regardless of configuration so I can easily find it.

That was a key factor for me also. Retaining the same core configuration allows the greatest possible transference of muscle memory between configurations. It's why I didn't like the SMS100.

My harness (from a functional perspective) is identical now, whether I am diving singles, back-mounted doubles or sidemount. I've taken the concept further still - starting to 'sidemount' (rather than sling) stages when using back-mounted doubles. Same skills in effect, whatever rig I use.

 

[gekodivebali]

The use of different rigs from dive to dive can become problematic. At some point, I was regularly diving bm jacket style bcd (teaching ow/rescue courses), bm twins (teaching tec/fun tec dives), sm doubles (teaching tec or aow/fun dives), ccr (experience building). All this can get quite confusing. In this regard, i quite like Whitearrow's approach of using the same backplate and harness for all these styles of diving...
As for sm being the new DIR: where is the consensus on gear config?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There isn't one. I just got back from a trip where seven of the 12 divers were in sidemount ... and every single rig was somewhat different ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Randy g]

Good read everyone. We are jumping in to the pool to try DR sm in a few weeks. They are doing a demo days at the local ds.

With both of us hitting 50 this year we are looking for ways to take some of the weight off our knees/back pre/post dive. Plus I am the scuba sherpa in our family and carrying one tank at a time is easier than doubles. Downside is we mainly boat dive and I don't see the sm making to many trips to NC waters.

Thanks for the useful information everyone!

 

[Hetland]

It's like a pendulum swinging first one way and then the other.

About 15 years ago, the self-proclaimed gurus told the great unwashed that the North Florida Cave Rig was the only system that worked... "It's been perfected," they said. "It needs no adjustments, and works in all conditions."

Then the pendulum swung and now a different set of self-proclaimed gurus are telling who-ever will listen that the only system that works is sidemount. Same ****, different day.

You'll hear similar crap from people telling you "My team is the greatest... everyone else is ****."

Hang around for long enough and you realize there is no silver bullet, there is no perfect solution, nothing that is universal. What works works, and the best we can hope for is to be lucky enough to find that out for ourselves.

+ ∞

sidemount IS the new DIR... for people who follow for the sake of following. I too was seduced by the siren song of being able to see my valves, and having two fully redundant scuba systems. While I felt I had gotten my gear dialed-in, I never felt 100% comfortable with hose routing, and I constantly wondered why I wasn't putting all that unused real-estate on my back to use as a storage area for breathing gas. It seemed to create more problems than it solved. Once I started carrying a deco bottle, I was convinced that sidemount wasn't for me. There may come a day where I'll want to squeeze into a space that won't allow for backmount doubles, but I can always find a place to dive that doesn't.

I'm fine with everyone using what works for them, but I resent sidemount being sold as the best, better, or only way to dive multiple tanks. It has advantages and disadvantages, just like everything else.