What's with sidemount?

[Wookie]

Seriously. Sidemount is a tool. It can be a tool to get through a restriction, it can be a tool to get weight off the lower back, but don't give me any crap about getting it off the knees, weight is weight as far as the knees are concerned. It can be a tool to allow easier no-mount diving, but it is not the end all-be all to diving.

I've seen 2 threads recently where one diver was told he had to have a card to sidemount dive at a resort in Roatan. Another diver was told that he couldn't take any extended range classes unless he had a sidemount cert. Horse Hockey! Sidemount isn't a certification, it's a diving style. It's a diving style to allow you to do things that back mount doesn't allow for. I've watched wreck divers on the Oriskany dive sidemount and not be able to get through doors because sidemount isn't the proper tool for getting through tall narrow openings. I've watched sidmount divers try to board the boat with their steel 104's on have to shimmey and shake because they don't fit between the rail openings (which are mandated by the Coast Guard). And I keep seeing sidemount divers smash their first stages into the bulkheads of my boat because sidemount may be easier on the back, but it's way harder to balance with on a rocking boat.

So, why the great emphasis on sidemount for tech divers. Sidemount is just another tool for the toolbag. It isn't the only way to dive, and can be downright dangerous in the wrong situation.

 

[ianr33]

So, why the great emphasis on sidemount for tech divers.

$$$$$$ !

 

[Wookie]

Ahhh. The old $400 side mount class, eh?

 

[ianr33]

Ahhh. The old $400 side mount class, eh?

My sidemount education was $400 less than that.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

I agree wookie, and in heavy current it is challenging, I did it to see how it could be easier, and trust me I give it plenty of dives, donning in and out of the water. I can just as easy throw my doubles in and jump overboard and be in it and ascending in less than a minute. I found it easier to Monkey dive have ya, and apply second tank on at 20 or so feet.

It has its place, and If it needs to be restructured for a dive i will do it.

 

[50Fathom]

So, why the great emphasis on sidemount for tech divers. Sidemount is just another tool for the toolbag. It isn't the only way to dive, and can be downright dangerous in the wrong situation.

(DISCLAIMER: I do not sidemount dive, yet.)

I agree with the above. I've got nothing against or for sidemount diving, and I see it as a tool. However, I think it breaks down into a few groups:

1. People with a valid need for it. (Due to environmental restrictions and/or bad back or joints.)
2. People who think it's cool, but understand it's limitations and uses. (There is nothing wrong with this, I mean how much stuff do we do in diving for the sake of "cool factor"?)
3. Trend-humping Fashion Lemmings who latch onto the latest "thing" and overuse it, whether it is appropriate or not. Just because it's cool and they bought all this cool gear and wanna show off at the dive site, etc.

I really only have a problem with the third group because they are the ones you seem to be describing. Using a tool with no larger understanding of its use, limitations, advantages and are just into it "because it's the latest awesome thing and all the cool kids are doing it." See: "Apple and iProduct Hipsters". Same deal, IMHO.

 

[Tigerman]

Actually I can easilly see how sidemount gets the weight off your knees, in the right circumstances. Like if you go in the water without the tanks and have them handed to you and you attach them in the water. I also spoke to a girl who was learning to dive sidemounts and as she was fairly short, she felt it gave her more flexibility than with tanks "grabbing her ass".
I can see those arguments, but I can also see the argument of having a wider profile being an issue just like having a higher profile.

The "you cant do extended range without sidemount 'certification'" one I however DON'T see to be very valid for any other reason than diveshops wanting to go deeper into peoples pockets - and without right or reason.

 

[aaronjweese]

Disclaimer(I dive sidemount as a lifestyle, and never took a class).

1. Sidemount classes to me are like drysuit classes. If you need someone to teach you how to dive in that configuration/equipment you need to dive more at a basic OW level because you don't have the comfort in the water to adjust to much.

2. Sidemount divers that bang onto stuff on the boat need more experience in handling their rig(much like any other type of diver). I put my drysuit and Nomad on, clip my bottles in and shuffle to the entry point and giant stride in. No banging here, on the ladders with rails, I turn sideways about 30 degrees and I get through again with no banging(and I'm 6'2" 265lbs...thus have a tighter fit than many).

3. I can run up a ladder with 2 sidemounted 95's easier than with a single AL80 on my back. Center of gravity is lower.

4. I recognize that sidemount has both advantages and disadvantages. Much like any other configuration.

I'm not any cooler because I sidemount, but after trying every other configuration it's what works for me. As for any passage I want to go through, if I want through bad enough I'll just unclip a bottle or two and go through....no worries.

So Wookie, if I show up on your boat with my 2 unbanded bottles and Nomad please don't grimace at me and in turn I won't dent or scratch the paint on your boat. Hell, I may even buy the beer afterwards!

 

[Wookie]

I'm not offended or grimacing at anyone, I'm just trying to figure out if it's a fad, if it's cool factor, or if, as PADI says, it's the diving wave of the future.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sidemount is just another tool for the toolbag. It isn't the only way to dive, and can be downright dangerous in the wrong situation.

... I'm curious what that "wrong situation" might be?

I started diving sidemount in May ... and have well over 100 dives on my sidemount rig to date. My reason for taking it up resides in my left shoulder, which due to accident and age simply isn't as limber as it used to be. I want to dive overheads, and if I can't do valve drills smoothly I have no business in doubles. So I had to seek an alternative. Sidemount allows me access to those dives without compromising my safety or the integrity of the team.

It's that simple.

Once I started diving sidemount, I decided I like how it feels. It isn't like backmount ... particularly not in doubles. It's a feeling of freedom of motion you just don't get in backmount ... due to where it puts your center of gravity. You can disagree if you like ... I don't really care what other people think ... it feels good to me, and that's all the reason I really need.

Yes, there are drawbacks to diving sidemount. You still need to get those tanks into and out of the water. In certain circumstances, that can be a pain in the butt. It's more time-consuming than backmount. But yanno what? Every piece of equipment out there ... every configuration mankind can conceive ... will have advantages and drawbacks. The key is understanding what they are, and deciding whether the advantages give you more than the drawbacks take away. And like every other piece of gear out there, that's a matter of planning and personal choice.

I took a class. In fact, I travelled to Florida and took a class in the caves from someone who dives and teaches sidemount routinely ... as opposed to someone who dives and teaches it as a sideline. I felt the money was well-spent. Sure, you can learn sidemount without a formal class. You can learn anything without a formal class if you are the type that applies yourself to researching a topic and have access to friends who are familiar with what you're trying to learn. But the risks of doing so are that you'll either pick up less than optimal techniques, or that you'll simply ignore some aspect of either configuration or safety skills that might someday become important. Personally, I felt that shortening the learning curve by having someone knowledgeable handy to see what I'm doing and critique it in real-time was worth the tuition.

The one thing you said that I agree with is that sidemount is just a tool. The same can be said about every piece of equipment and every way that we configure it in diving. Tools are usually created for a specific purpose ... and then because we're adaptable creatures, we find other uses for them. Often those uses can (at first) be considered unconventional ... or even controversial to those who thrive on controversy. If sidemount doesn't float your boat, don't dive it ... just like all the other things we like to argue about on ScubaBoard. But asking why people dive it is like asking why people dive backplates, long hoses, air-integrated computers, snorkels or split fins. In your profession I'd bet you see people everyday diving configurations that aren't strictly needed for the environment they're diving in.

So what? It's their choice. It makes them happy. As long as they're not using the equipment in an unsafe manner, what other reason does there need to be?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)