Sidemount VS Backmount in caves

[Jack Hammer]

What I see at the actual dive sites, as in off the internet, is that no one really cares if you dive back mount, side mount, or something else.

 

[Doby45]

What I see at the actual dive sites, as in off the internet, is that no one really cares if you dive back mount, side mount, or something else.

Spoken for truth. I have never been confronted by anyone regarding what I am wearing to a site.

EDIT: Slight correction, there was this one time I was sporting a sweet banana hammock.

 

[Caveeagle]

What I see at the actual dive sites, as in off the internet, is that no one really cares if you dive back mount, side mount, or something else.

I only care if you are taking up half the lower step at P1 while futzing around with your gear. Meanwhile I stand there for 15+ minutes with double 108's on my back waiting for you to clear the ladder..

Other than that... Rock on!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I only care if you are taking up half the lower step at P1 while futzing around with your gear. Meanwhile I stand there for 15+ minutes with double 108's on my back waiting for you to clear the ladder..

Other than that... Rock on!

You'll see that more often with the new steps at P1, which seem to be very back mount friendly but SM not so much. That's ironic given that Sm divers seems to be about half the total cave divers at present, and the percentage has been growing.

The good news however is that the P2 steps will make P3 and OG more popular options for SM divers.

I know that comment will be seen as "ungrateful" by some. But I've also been told by other SM divers that it's what a lot of SM divers are thinking.

----

Now to be fair, when you're standing there in your 108s waiting for the ladder to clear, you could consider just doing a giant stride entry.

 

[Caveeagle]

I was involved with the rebuilt step project and don't really so how anyone could see the new P1 steps as a downgrade. The lowest 2 steps are now one larger, safer platform that you can actually turn around on. There are now two ladders, .one on both sides. Granted, the spring-side "hand-holds" make it a narrower passage, but I have watched several sm divers get in/out just fine.

The divers I have witnessed blocking passage, were having trouble clipping in while standing on the ladder, and moving stuff around, like they were not really all that squared away in the first place. (Just my opinion).

I'm really not trying to stir the pot here, but if SM is really such as great system, how can you let the new P1 steps defeat you ?

 

[sea_otter]

Anecdotally in Mexico it seems the majority are sidemount. Saw a handful of GUE folks in backmount, but they seem to be the exception not the rule.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Thanks so much for all the responses guys. My reason for asking is nothing more than pure curiosity at this point. It appears that there are:

a) people who are strictly backmount cave divers. A lot of GUE community would fall here.

b) Then there are strictly sidemount divers who do not see the benefit of backmount in a cave.

c) Finally there are those who switch from one configuration to another depending on where the dive is happening.

I was wondering if we were to ask all fully certified cave divers from all agencies where they fell into these categories then how would the cave diving community be distributed into the above classifications.

Without looking at statistics can we assume that class b has grown slightly and c has grown considerably while class a has shrunk?

 

[victorzamora]

Thanks so much for all the responses guys. My reason for asking is nothing more than pure curiosity at this point. It appears that there are:

a) people who are strictly backmount cave divers. A lot of GUE community would fall here.

b) Then there are strictly sidemount divers who do not see the benefit of backmount in a cave.

c) Finally there are those who switch from one configuration to another depending on where the dive is happening.

I was wondering if we were to ask all fully certified cave divers from all agencies where they fell into these categories then how would the cave diving community be distributed into the above classifications.

Without looking at statistics can we assume that class b has grown slightly and c has grown considerably while class a has shrunk?

I'd say that's likely a fair assessment.

 

[tbone1004]

@Caveeagle my sidemount SoP for getting in off of steps like peacock is to stand the bottles up and clip the neck leashes off to my shoulder d-rings. Clip the power inflator in just in case, but don't "get ready" on land. it's thoroughly annoying. With benches like you have at peacock you may be able to get the bottom clipped in which I will, and then giant stride in. I clip my short hose off to my left shoulder, long hose is still stuffed, but in my mouth so I can breathe. I then get everything situated at the surface standing on the rock platform if I can and get situated that way. If not, I'll drop down into the cavern and get everything situated down there since I never feel comfortable until i can shake everything out when horizontal.

sadly most people tend not to do that which causes a lot of less than favorable remarks about sidemount diving though it is getting less bad than it was when i started cave diving and sidemount was just coming into vogue.

@CAPTAIN SINBAD I think you're grouping is fairly accurate. For cave diving I sit firmly in the B camp, though for open water diving I sit firmly in the C camp

 

[Caveeagle]

@tbone1004 That sounds like a good approach. I am still very new to sidemount, and generally prefer to dive my BM doubles. I have been working on sidemount just for diving from my small boat and places like Jug where its really needed.

I still don't get why people think the "new" steps at P1 are causing issues. The benches were not changed at all. And like I said, now there are two ladders and a better lower step/landing. Where I see the issue is people leaving tanks unattended on the lower step. I fear its only a matter of time before a tank rolls, or slides off into the cavern. ..I would suggest steering way clear of that zone while ascending from the cavern. ...Maybe a helmet...

What has been working well for me.. is to walk the right tank down and clip it into the rope or stage it (safely). I clip the other tank onto my left side, plug in the LP inflator and long hose goes around my neck and can I can breath while getting into the water. In that state, I am in good shape to get fins on and clip into the right side tank.