Question Thinking of Side mount?

[50BarBill]

I learned sidemount perhaps 20 dives into my recreational experience (coming over from military).
I use it for more than 90% of my non working dives and don't see that changing. I have backmount setups that I use on occasion but I have a strong preference for sidemount. Yes even on a boat. I especially like traveling with sidemount gear since I can dive doubles or single tank with perhaps 5 minutes to change setup and no additional equipment.

The biggest issue is quality of instruction varies a lot and you have to learn what a correctly trimmed set of tanks feels like then how to make any tank sit how you want or you will be stuck with just one tank option. That removes a lot of flexibility from your setup.

Thanks for your input, you also covered another question I had brewing. You said you learnt side mount about 20 dives into your rec experience. Do you think that if I was to want to learn any kind of twin cylinder set up, to do it sooner rather than wait a while ? Is the learning curve as much to say you’re learning to dive almost all over again ?
Thanks again

 

[50BarBill]

Probably not a popular answer these days since most people seem to be in the "either/or" camp, but why not dive both? You will find that for certain dives, BM is much easier. Other dives will require SM. I feel like I've greatly benefited from diving both configurations. Sure, it does cost more money since you will need a separate BCD for BM and SM and you will most likely have two regulator sets. But if you're getting into cave diving to save money, boy do I have bad news for you.

You’re absolutely right about diving in general not being money saving I can see what you’re saying about diving both. And prehaps I could upgrade my single wing up to a twinset wing for now and look into getting side mount when I’m more experienced and ready to do some overhead training.

 

[The Chairman]

look into getting side mount when I’m more experienced and ready to do some overhead training.

Get some time in it before you do overhead training. You want to be really comfortable before you get to that point.

 

[attack33]

I was pure sidemount until the ocean taught me a valuable lesson. Got trained up on back mount doubles. Now I am a proponent for "best tool for the job".

There are loads of reasons to become familiar with both configurations. If I could go back and do it over again it would have been doubles first, then sidemount.

I found sidemount easier in the water than doubles though, but found doubles waaaay more convenient.

Get some time on both with good instructors and make an educated/experienced decision on how you want to proceed into the overhead.

 

[50BarBill]

Get some time in it before you do overhead training. You want to be really comfortable before you get to that point.

Absolutely

 

[Subcooled]

Hi new diver here, after posting on here the other day I’ve been thinking of the future of my diving. I started diving for the dream of doing caves/over head diving. A couple of guys at my club are getting into back mount doubles and I can’t help but think, if eventually I want to progress into overhead is it worth me going straight to side mount instead of going into back mount and then into side? And on the other hand is side mount still practical in less technical dives? Are people using side mount to do 20m dives or is it more of a technical specialised piece of equipment.

Thanks in advance!

Sidemount is practical in sump diving (low space), in search and recovery diving including ladder entry (balance on the ladder), anything that requires hauling or pulling or carrying or sawing stuff under water as it lets you bend your back, and so on. It's also lovely for underwater acrobatics, especially with smaller cylinders for that light and free feeling.

You might not love sidemount on a small rib at sea though. With two bottles, hoses here and there, it can be a hassle before you enter the water. Under water it is lovely (given that you do not need more than 1 stage cylinder for deco, though).

There are two types of caves (=oversimplification)
- spacious springs where a backmounted double set it great
- sump diving, where it sucks

The latter cannot be accessed without sidemount.

I am regularly using sidemount on my dives to the immeasurable depths of the local river (3 to 15 feet) and I've been to 180 feet as well (with all those deco bottles, what a hassle).

I have some videos on Youtube that show various dives (search and recovery, sump, ice, others). I've recoded these as memories - no intent to become a "serious content creator" Oh yes, all my mistakes and lack of skill is recorded as well. Just look at the older videos

LiquidWaterDiver

 

[Subcooled]

Cave Diving Group of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Technical divers since 1946. The Cave Diving Group is the representative body for Cave Divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

cavedivinggroup.org.uk

 

[Subcooled]

And, hey, we want no cylinders on our backs
Have fun!

 

[50BarBill]

Cave Diving Group of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Technical divers since 1946. The Cave Diving Group is the representative body for Cave Divers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

cavedivinggroup.org.uk

Thanks for sharing that, I had a read of the cave diving British style section and really enjoyed it

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

It’s a tool, pick the right tool for the right job. Vast majority of people will never dive caves that actually demand sidemount. There are restrictions that are easier in sidemount (wide and short), other are easier in backmount (tall and narrow). You need to be a bit funny in the head (in a good way) to dive sumps and very tight passages that require sidemount - and once you are mentally and skill wise at that level, you will just pick sidemount / nomount / whatever as another tool.

Backmount is nicer for bigger boat dives, multiple stages and team diving. Sidemount is easier for hard to access places (e.g. if you need ropes to get places) and more solo oriented diving as you can see your valves but sucks on boats. Setting up a sidemount harness and tanks takes a bit more time, backmount requires some shoulder mobility and stronger quads. Both will be available in any place that can support hobby technical diving .

With 20 dives, just go diving .

Also if you are in the UK, backmount is generally (99%)more popular for ocean diving for good reasons. It’s pretty tricky to dive sidemount well when it’s a bit choppy, the boat is full and you need to hit slack.