Sidemount with Deco Bottles

[FoxHound]

I know this is going to cause an uproar but I have an idea on this one. I have been carrying my o2 bottle on top since I started deco which I really like. I have only been doing deco this year so am relatively new to tech diving. It was made clear to me by many on this board that this is not recommended. I am however able to see my bottle fine as I bungee mount the rear clip. However in the name of ensuring my safety and considering the advice of other more experienced divers I explored the following.

Here is what I am experimenting with. The reg has a plastic MOD tag on the second stage. It is permanently attached and clearly indicates the mix/mod on both sides. Mine is 2"x3" although It could be any size. You deploy the second stage. Read the tag, confirm with your buddy and then use the gas. The tag is installed on the surface while everything is clear and there is no chance of a mix up.

If this was an acceptable method then it would so simplify carrying a stage bottle in SM as they ride so nice on top. Comments? Please don't sh$t on me, it's an idea only being considered as a safe alternate. If you read the bottle mod or read the reg mod tag the result should be the same. It may even be a bit safer If you were carrying two mixes as the last piece that goes in your mouth on the delivery system has a tag that says the MOD. The tag is permenently installed on the surface and double checked on the surface with a clear head.

Stano

I do something similar, i have the MOD written around the top of the bottle so I can see it when i grab the reg, turn the bottle on, etc.......I still have the sticker at the bottom for my buddy to see.

 

[The Chairman]

How does that bungie work? Just pull the hose down through?

Yes, and it works GREAT. I dove the bottle today and really liked how it handled. I thought I would have to unhook it from my butt plate to read & verify it, but that was unnecessary. The bungees allowed me to pull it right out in front of me to verify I had the right bottle when I started my safety stop on the line.

 

[Scott]

When I first started SM I hung my deco like I did with BM, underneath. I always had a difficult time clipping the bottom. I just find clipping them on top much easier for me to handle. With the MOD on the side for my buddy and MOD on the neck for me. I also use a yellow hose for the lean mix and a green hose for the rich.
I like the idea of a MOD tag at the second stage. Not sure if it would be too much dangling though. A couple of dive buddies will take duct tape and place it on the face of the second stage with the MOD written on it.

One thing is for sure, there is no one way is the best way with SM at the moment. I was reading an arcticle by Steve Martin last night and found this comment quite interesting.

If I was to line up 10 cave divers that use backmounted equipment from different parts of the world right now and compared all their equipment used. You will find that what they are wearing and how the equipment is configured and how the skills are performed are all very similar. Google: Hogarthian System.
This was not true if you go back to 1990, the “same” cave divers back then would all have different BCD, regulator and hose configurations etc, the reason they all changed to what we have today is because quite simply put “what we have now is well tried and tested, it works and
is safe”Sidemount is currently in the 1990 stage of development again, everyone has their own idea about what works and what does not. There are a few of us (including myself) that actually would argue what we offer and teach is very standardised. I don’t think it will take the rest of the world 20 years to all offer similar sidemount training. I think more realistically as we have history to help us, it will take another 3 years (2015).​

 

[DevonDiver]

I like the idea of a MOD tag at the second stage. Not sure if it would be too much dangling though. A couple of dive buddies will take duct tape and place it on the face of the second stage with the MOD written on it.

I recently did a cross-over at tech level into ANDI. One of their standard procedures is to use a second-stage tag to designate mix and MOD.

It uses 4 small zip-ties for placement and grips the hose tight. Doesn't slide or get in the way... and offers a nice safeguard against mix-errors, especially when sidemounting.

Here is what I am experimenting with. The reg has a plastic MOD tag on the second stage. It is permanently attached and clearly indicates the mix/mod on both sides. Mine is 2"x3" although It could be any size. You deploy the second stage. Read the tag, confirm with your buddy and then use the gas. The tag is installed on the surface while everything is clear and there is no chance of a mix up.

If this was an acceptable method then it would so simplify carrying a stage bottle in SM as they ride so nice on top. Comments?

See my point above.

It is worth noting though, that even with the MOD tag.... full and proper gas switching procedures still apply. The contents tag is a failsafe, not a replacement.

 

[stano]

It is worth noting though, that even with the MOD tag.... full and proper gas switching procedures still apply. The contents tag is a failsafe, not a replacement.

Very interesting, my tag is a little different but a similar idea. I am on the right track it seems.

I am however struggling to see how the process of looking at the MOD on the bottle is safer than looking at the MOD tag on the second stage? I agree that things like reg color, style, hose color, mouthpiece blocker, elastic bands, etc are a potential for an error but the tag seems pretty bullet proof. It's clearly marked and is right at the end of the line. Is this maybe just because that's how it has been for so long?

Stano

 

[loquat149]

I use Edd's stage kit, but shorten the bungee around the tank neck as MUCH as possible. The bottom clip is 10" from the bottom of the tank. The stage gets clipped to my left waist welded d-ring and left shoulder welded d-ring. This rides under my left SM bottle, so doesn't float up when it becomes buoyant. The hoses from my primary SM regulators are routed around the back of my neck, but the 22" hose from my stage reg routes straight up from the stage bottle. This makes it real easy to tell which reg I'm breathing, or read the MOD on the cylinder. Also, the SPG on the stage is routed down, while those on the SM cylinders point forward. These differences make it easy to distinguish SPG's and mouthpieces. Note I'm using a Cave Adventurers reg swivel, not an "OmniSwivel of Death".

Oh, and I wear the stage bottle with the reg pointed down.

Dave

 

[ianr33]

.
I am however struggling to see how the process of looking at the MOD on the bottle is safer than looking at the MOD tag on the second stage?

What happens when you have a bad day and put the reg on the wrong tank at the start of a dive? Or the MOD tag comes off during a dive?

Most of my sidemount deco dives are caves, so the bottles just get dropped so none of this is an issue. OW though deco bottles will be in front where I can see them easily.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I put the MOD near the neck of the tank so it is visible whether it's top clipped or bottom clipped. The important thing to remember is that the marking is no longer valid if you fill the tank with the wrong gas (i.e. don't adhere to the marking when filling), or if you mark a reg, it's only valid if the reg is attached to the correct tank.

In this particular case I have the 20' MOD marking, the 100% marking taped to the shoulder (blue masking tape in this picture, the green knob and a distinct (Scubapro Mk 9) regulator that I only use for O2. That's four potential indicators that this is in fact my O2 bottle.

I don't use the Edd Sorenson rigging on deco bottles as they get dropped in or shortly past the cavern zone.

 

[stano]

What happens when you have a bad day and put the reg on the wrong tank at the start of a dive? Or the MOD tag comes off during a dive?.

A bit of a stretch I think. My deco reg and hose are both green and a different brand (Hog), completely different configuration (hose lengths, no necklace, no 7' hose, no drysuit or bcd inflator, etc) from my sidemount regs (Apeks). This would not happen.

The MOD tag coming off I also believe is not going to happen. If it does I still have the bottle marked, green hose, green reg face, different brand and my buddy.

Stano

 

[ianr33]

Yes,maybe it's a stretch, but breathing the wrong gas is the easiest way to kill yourself. I prefer to have the bottle where I can see it.
Different strokes................