SM Stages - Top Mount vs Bottom Mount

[helodriver87]

Well completed stage cave, no balance issues with one AL80.

Anyways the way we had it setup, the stage I was breathing was always on the left side.

So start of the dive, stage on the left, and deco bottle on the right. Dumped deco bottle at 20ish. Did dive, dump stage, don stage, shortly before get to deco bottle, switch to back gas, clean up stage and put it on the right side. Pick up deco bottle on left, complete deco.

He also switched to a more team oriented gas switch protocol. Probably a result of him recently completing GUE Cave 1 and 2. I do like it, it gives the other team mate more involvement in the gas switch.

Yeah, the GUE gas switch protocol is pretty foolproof if every step is followed. You could do the same steps yourself, but it's nice to have the backup brain confirm it.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Yeah, the GUE gas switch protocol is pretty foolproof if every step is followed. You could do the same steps yourself, but it's nice to have the backup brain confirm it.

It also gives me an explicit signal. I always felt like a third wheel on other gas switch protocols.

 

[rjack321]

Well completed stage cave, no balance issues with one AL80.

Anyways the way we had it setup, the stage I was breathing was always on the left side.

So start of the dive, stage on the left, and deco bottle on the right. Dumped deco bottle at 20ish. Did dive, dump stage, don stage, shortly before get to deco bottle, switch to back gas, clean up stage and put it on the right side. Pick up deco bottle on left, complete deco.

He also switched to a more team oriented gas switch protocol. Probably a result of him recently completing GUE Cave 1 and 2. I do like it, it gives the other team mate more involvement in the gas switch.

Not sure if you doing normoxic in caves or that is separate and more wreck/OW oriented. But now that you are diving stages and focusing on your team more I thought I would bring it up.

Thinking you are on a stage but actually breathing your deco gas at the start of a dive is a super serious problem. So be sure to verify the "switch" that's happening right at the surface too - when you start on the stage. This is regardless of where you store your deco bottle. Lots of people treat this switch less seriously (a big mistake) since you arent even underwater yet. Anyway, something to keep in mind now that you are diving stages and deco bottles

 

[grantctobin]

Not sure if you doing normoxic in caves or that is separate and more wreck/OW oriented. But now that you are diving stages and focusing on your team more I thought I would bring it up.

Thinking you are on a stage but actually breathing your deco gas at the start of a dive is a super serious problem. So be sure to verify the "switch" that's happening right at the surface too - when you start on the stage. This is regardless of where you store your deco bottle. Lots of people treat this switch less seriously (a big mistake) since you arent even underwater yet. Anyway, something to keep in mind now that you are diving stages and deco bottles

Voice of reason

 

[rddvet]

Well completed stage cave, no balance issues with one AL80.

Anyways the way we had it setup, the stage I was breathing was always on the left side.

So start of the dive, stage on the left, and deco bottle on the right. Dumped deco bottle at 20ish. Did dive, dump stage, don stage, shortly before get to deco bottle, switch to back gas, clean up stage and put it on the right side. Pick up deco bottle on left, complete deco.

He also switched to a more team oriented gas switch protocol. Probably a result of him recently completing GUE Cave 1 and 2. I do like it, it gives the other team mate more involvement in the gas switch.

Why deco bottle on the right? Totally unnecessary. Just clip both bottles on your left side. Much easier in my opinion and transferrable from sm to bm to rebreather

 

[Manatee Diver]

Thinking you are on a stage but actually breathing your deco gas at the start of a dive is a super serious problem. So be sure to verify the "switch" that's happening right at the surface too - when you start on the stage. This is regardless of where you store your deco bottle. Lots of people treat this switch less seriously (a big mistake) since you arent even underwater yet. Anyway, something to keep in mind now that you are diving stages and deco bottles

We did a proper gas change on the surface too.

Why deco bottle on the right? Totally unnecessary. Just clip both bottles on your left side. Much easier in my opinion and transferrable from sm to bm to rebreather

I don't have very much room in the front, just one stage on each side is a struggle to get to my d-rings at times. That may change with practice, everything is a work in process.

Once I get back from Mexico we are going to spend a day and completely clean up my rig from the waist belt down. It is a mess of small changes to from a starting point that is Edd's setup. Getting it cleaned up and streamlined will make my diving life easier.

 

[rddvet]

We did a proper gas change on the surface too.



I don't have very much room in the front, just one stage on each side is a struggle to get to my d-rings at times. That may change with practice, everything is a work in process.

Once I get back from Mexico we are going to spend a day and completely clean up my rig from the waist belt down. It is a mess of small changes to from a starting point that is Edd's setup. Getting it cleaned up and streamlined will make my diving life easier.

Edd's an excellent instructor and I've taken multiple classes from him. I tend to be a minimalist on my sm setup after hating the clutter of the SMS100. Edd is very much the opposite. He's ok with a ton of crap on your sm harness. Just differences in philosophy, but I think alot of that stuff creates more clutter and headache.

In my experience, I don't know very many cave instructors that recommend a stage or deco bottle on the right and there's a reason for it.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Edd's an excellent instructor and I've taken multiple classes from him. I tend to be a minimalist on my sm setup after hating the clutter of the SMS100. Edd is very much the opposite. He's ok with a ton of crap on your sm harness. Just differences in philosophy, but I think alot of that stuff creates more clutter and headache.

In my experience, I don't know very many cave instructors that recommend a stage or deco bottle on the right and there's a reason for it.

Edd also has longer arms than I do. So he can reach the D-rings back there more easily every with a light in the way.

Like I said, this is also a work in progress. If I can fit more than one bottle on the left I will attempt it. So using the right as a storage position might be more of a stop gap measure.

 

[rjack321]

Edd also has longer arms than I do. So he can reach the D-rings back there more easily every with a light in the way.

Like I said, this is also a work in progress. If I can fit more than one bottle on the left I will attempt it. So using the right as a storage position might be more of a stop gap measure.

If you are just bringing an O2 bottle on a single stage cave dive I just nose clip that to a rear rail.