SM Essential Skills List

[Andrew Dawson]

Greetings!

I am curious what the community says for what an essential list of SM skills are. With basic BM scuba, if one takes a break for over 6mo, it is advised to take a refresher course...which, in my experience, only had the essential skills. Back, when I did BM diving including tec diving...we did skills practice often [out of gas, long hose sharing, don/doff the rig, dropping/putting on stage bottles, mask removal replacement, etc].

What does the general SM community say for an essential skills list that a SM should practice on a regular basis? This SM diver is open water only, no cave or wreck penetration. Very little to no boat diving, shore diving by active areas where entanglement is a remote possibility.

Here is the start of a list, please add to it or criticize which ones should not be on it and why:

-mask removal, replacement including deploying a spare mask
-out of gas scenario, long hose sharing
-removing the left tank and replacing it
-removing the right tank and replacing it
-deploying cutting tools and replacing
-deploying a spare light and replacing it

I, personally, do not carry a lift bag, spool, nor a rear pouch with items on my butt area, just FYI

Well, I hope this helps others...and myself

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Greetings!

I am curious what the community says for what an essential list of SM skills are. With basic BM scuba, if one takes a break for over 6mo, it is advised to take a refresher course...which, in my experience, only had the essential skills. Back, when I did BM diving including tec diving...we did skills practice often [out of gas, long hose sharing, don/doff the rig, dropping/putting on stage bottles, mask removal replacement, etc].

What does the general SM community say for an essential skills list that a SM should practice on a regular basis? This SM diver is open water only, no cave or wreck penetration. Very little to no boat diving, shore diving by active areas where entanglement is a remote possibility.

Here is the start of a list, please add to it or criticize which ones should not be on it and why:

-mask removal, replacement including deploying a spare mask
-out of gas scenario, long hose sharing
-removing the left tank and replacing it
-removing the right tank and replacing it
-deploying cutting tools and replacing
-deploying a spare light and replacing it

I, personally, do not carry a lift bag, spool, nor a rear pouch with items on my butt area, just FYI

Well, I hope this helps others...and myself

I think you have a good list but I don't believe that deploying a cutting device or deploying a spare light is something that needs practiced. Maybe the spare light if you are cave diving but where are you attaching the light since you do not use a butt pouch? If it is on the shoulder harness d-ring, I do not see the need to practice that. Grabbing it is the same as grabbing your long hose when you do a switch.

I would add Failed Bungee Scenario (retrieve backup bungee, attach to harness and then wrap around cylinder valves. )

 

[lermontov]

Greetings!

I am curious what the community says for what an essential list of SM skills are. With basic BM scuba, if one takes a break for over 6mo, it is advised to take a refresher course...which, in my experience, only had the essential skills. Back, when I did BM diving including tec diving...we did skills practice often [out of gas, long hose sharing, don/doff the rig, dropping/putting on stage bottles, mask removal replacement, etc].

What does the general SM community say for an essential skills list that a SM should practice on a regular basis? This SM diver is open water only, no cave or wreck penetration. Very little to no boat diving, shore diving by active areas where entanglement is a remote possibility.

Here is the start of a list, please add to it or criticize which ones should not be on it and why:

-mask removal, replacement including deploying a spare mask
-out of gas scenario, long hose sharing
-removing the left tank and replacing it
-removing the right tank and replacing it
-deploying cutting tools and replacing
-deploying a spare light and replacing it

I, personally, do not carry a lift bag, spool, nor a rear pouch with items on my butt area, just FYI

Well, I hope this helps others...and myself It

The list of things to pratice is really dependant on the length of time you've been doing sidemount- I mean if youve done 500+ sidemount dives your above list is pretty basic and should be able to be done with no mask -if however your a beginner then the list is suitable to gain muscle memory.

I would add swimming together while sharing (long hose receiver in front) you can up the stress by following a line and removing mask if you stretch your stress threshold in practice sessions ( shallow open water) it will help when you have to do it for real

 

[Thrutch]

This SM diver is open water only, no cave or wreck penetration. Very little to no boat diving, shore diving by active areas where entanglement is a remote possibility.

Depending on how active the area is, I'd add some general entry and exit donning and doffing practice to the list. Backmount is a lot more straightforward. If one's out of practice, some of that sidemount kit up muscle memory fades, which can make faffing around in the surf trying to remember the order of operations pretty stressful getting in or out.

 

[Scott]

Besides those noted above.
Regulator switches. Remembering which reg is in your mouth. Clipping the right side off and on to the d-ring.

 

[gmerick]

Two I need to get better on:
Reclipping AL80 bottom bolt snaps to maintain trim.
Entries:
- Stepping of the back of a Newton is the easy one.
- Seated back roll off a 3' gunwale (for some reason the tank bases like to go their own way)
- Dynamic drift dive entry from a high deck (Juliet at Mona island, or off the dive deck on Aquacat)

 

[happy-diver]

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[billgraham]

Not specific to sidemount diving, but I think you should get every piece of gear out and use it before you have to. The reason for three lights and multiple cutting tools isn't only that the rivet may have rusted in your shears, or the battery gone dead in your backup light. It's pretty easy to drop stuff when you're trying to get it out in a hurry!

 

[Andrew Dawson]

The list of things to pratice is really dependant on the length of time you've been doing sidemount- I mean if youve done 500+ sidemount dives your above list is pretty basic and should be able to be done with no mask -if however your a beginner then the list is suitable to gain muscle memory.

I would add swimming together while sharing (long hose receiver in front) you can up the stress by following a line and removing mask if you stretch your stress threshold in practice sessions ( shallow open water) it will help when you have to do it for real

Well, that is the reason for the practicing of these skills...so that the skills are always sharp. In tec diving, I learned about incidents where folks had been excellent beginner divers...spent many years NOT practicing the essential skills...had a minor incident that led to a major accident/fatality because they were not sharp on their skills.

I am very grateful for all the replies and thoughtful insights! I am adding to the list below, please, keep them coming!

-mask removal, replacement including deploying a spare mask
-out of gas scenario, long hose sharing
-removing the left tank and replacing it
-removing the right tank and replacing it
-deploying cutting tools and replacing
-deploying a spare light and replacing it
-regulator switches [tho, I do this a few times each dive anyway]
-gas sharing while swimming
-failed bungee [this is awesome and very interesting...I will look into this]
-reclipping tanks as the drain down and then get out of trim

 

[Bald Wookie]

No mask swims neutrally buoyant
Valve feathering
Failed right tank and subsequent motions