When does it make sense to learn sidemount?

[MSargeant]

Assuming you mean what I think you mean, I agree with this completely.

Solo diving without sidemount requires either doubles (which are just a pain in the butt), or sidemount. Technically a pony fits some minimum, but having seen how long pony bottles actually last when really needed, I would consider most ponies not really redundant, just bothersome.

Pony Bottle = canned fart.

 

[ColdH2O]

I would not clasify myself as an overly experienced diver by any means and I am making the switch right now. I am just doing OW but will be looking to get into Tech down the road as I gain more experience and knowledge. The way I see it, if I am going to go to SM eventually anyway, why not learn now, instead of continuing BM, then BM doubles, etc. Yes I know each have their own place, advantages and disadvantages, but SM feels right for me so that is the way I am going.

 

[ianr33]

Solo diving without sidemount requires either doubles (which are just a pain in the butt)

You should try moving the tanks higher.

 

[adimi24]

If you are looking at going down the tech route and want to do it in SM I say the earlier the better. One thing to consider is where you will be diving. Here in the US especially in FL most of the cave diving is in steel cylinders. Having a SM rig with enough lift to move through the various parts of cave diving such as steel cylinders, stages, etc. would be optimal. The Stealth can be setup for this type of diving but requires more fine tuning than others available.

Also doing some comparison shopping of instructors and facilities would be a good thing. Give Edd Sorenson @ Cave Adventures a call and find out what his pricing is. I have known Edd for a long time and is at the top of my list as instructors and SM instructors. I have not taken any classes with Edd but I have audited a few of them and worked with his students after they have taken classes with him.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/q-...future-certifications-instructor-courses.html
I started a new thread about agencies instead of continuing in here, maybe some of you can provide some insight.

Bobby, this was poorly planned and last minute ( one of the reasons i might not do the training now ) but these guys at protec seem pretty serious and my ow and aow instructor used to dive with them and recommended them so i assume they will be sufficient for these basic courses, do you agree?. I have seen Ed mentioned many times here, I will definetly contact him if i don´t follow through with protec.

Thanks for the info about hte steel tanks in florida. I will probably be diving a lot in FL so that is something important to consider. What would you recommend instead of the Stealth 2.0, are the modifications a pain in the butt? If I train with protec, which would be using thier harness and decide to buy another harness instead, the training would still apply to any sidemount harness, right? It would be good if the stealth 2 works out consisdering i would get it for $585, compared to stuff like the razor 2 for 800.

 

[Bobby]

Adimi24,
I know the folks at Protec and they are top notch. I did not mean to give the impression that they might not be. I was trying to point out that diving in MX versus FL is rather different. I don't change rigs when I go to MX but I know that people coming up to FL often need to modify/change their rigs if they are going to dive the common setups in this area.

As far as buying a rig I think the most important aspect is getting whoever you buy from to help you get it dialed in. I dive a home made rig so my stuff is really not applicable for you. Protec has good experience and will help you get dialed in. Edd at Cave Adventurers dives a modified Hollis 100 and modifies it for his customers as well. If you take classes with Edd then they will have it set up for you and help you adjust it to fit you body when you get there.

If you are going to spend most of your time diving in MX then Protec is a great choice. If you feel you will spend more time diving here in the US then Cave Adventurers might be the right way to go. Edd like myself dives SM off boats, on wrecks, and anywhere else as well.

Hope that helps,

 

[adimi24]

I was just told that my instructor would be Patrick Widmann, the guy who designed the stealth so I assume he would be a great instructor.

I really don´t know where I will be diving, though. I am going to try to go to college in florida so I can dive a lot, which obviously means I´d be diving in FL quite a bit. But who knows I might end up going to MX a lot during and/or after college. I think Patrick´s training would be great for me, regardless of where I dive. I guess If I buy the Stealth 2.0 now, I could always get another harness later if I end up diving tons in FL and need something else. Or if I don´t buy the stealth from protec now, and then do advanced sidemount with someone like Edd then I could get the Hollis or something more fitting for FL.

How´s the resale value for sidemount harnesses? I could always sell the Stealth 2.0 if I decide to get rid of it, right?

How much is a sidemount courses with Edd or cave adventurerS?

Thanks for the help, Bobby

 

[tphelps]

Hi, I am a new diver, with 26 logged dives. I just completed my OW and AOW at a reef monitering program in Belize. My instructor is a tec diver and sidemount diver and I am considering learning sidemount.

Where you are at right now, you meet the minimum prerequisites for the PADI Sidemount Distinctive Specialty that I teach. When I got sidemount certified, it was just after my IDC when I had about 100 dives. My advice, you should enroll in the sidemount course when diving starts to feel second nature to you. In sidemount not only do you have to manage buoyancy, but you have to manage your trim in a completely unfamiliar configuration. I have about 80 sidemount dives now and I am still finding ways to better my profile. In other words, you should be comfortable diving while having the potential of task loading (switching regs, checking air in both your tanks, managing trim, maintaining buoyancy, doing your dive plan).

Sidemount is a blast man, if I wasnt an instructor I would have never gone back to backmount! Cheers!

 

[Dive-aholic]

Before jumping into any sidemount course there's a lot of research to be done. Unlike a few years ago when there were only 2 sidemount rigs available by manufacturers, we now have over a dozen different rigs. Each of these sidemount rigs have their own advantages and disadvantages. There isn't a single rig out there that is perfect for everyone. I recommend trying some different sidemount rigs out before making your decision. I have 3 sidemount rigs I dive regularly - 1 in most of the Florida caves I dive, 1 for the deeper Florida caves because I need the additional lift, and 1 I dive in Mexico with aluminum tanks. Each of the rigs works best for me on the dives I'm using them on.

 

[gearhound]

Patrick is an awesome instructor! And I just tried out my Stealth 2.0 with a 7mm wetsuit and steel 120s without any issues. I've tried and own most of the rigs out there (Armadillo, Nomad, SMS 100, SMS 50, UTD Z-trim, UTD Hybrid, MSR bag). You'll love the Stealth! It's so easy to get proper trim with it.
Now as far as Patrick as an instructor, probably one of the best I've ever had. But you have to have a thick skin. He's sharp and very aware. So the critiques tend to be very detailed. It could be a bit much if you have a "weak constitution". But if you check your ego, and listen to what he teaches you and practice, you'll be amazed at what you learn. And he does dive cold water with steels and a dry suit with his Stealth (when he heads back to Europe), so I'm sure he can steer you in the right direction.

 

[adimi24]

gearhound, good to know since I´m starting training with Patrick tomorrow! Also good to know about the steel tanks. I asked Edd Sorenson what he thought and he said:"I did a Sidemount instructor class not long ago for 5 instructor candidate in Poland and one of them had the stealth. It was fine for Aluminum tanks in open water although when he put the weights (that go on the spine webbing) he found it very uncomfortable. When he tried to use small steel tanks he found it to be like a very big fanny pack and he got caught on everything that hung down and could not go thru restriction easily and had to work at it. I also just had a girl that heard of some people talking it up on one of the boards and bought one and found the more she dove it the less she liked it (also did not like the weight on her spine. She ended up with an SMS 100 with our modifications.
I did have one guy that was just going to dive open water in Aluminum tanks and he already bought one so he used it for all but one dive of the class and then tried the modified SMS 100 and liked it better but figured that for what he was going to be doing he did not want to spend the money to buy another rig. Let me know if you have any other questions or if you would like to try one of the SMS 100's that we modify we have them to demo or rent."

Dive-aholic, that´s what I was worried about, I feel like I am rushing into this ( I am starting tomorrow morning.. ) without knowing much about the options. I´ve pretty much only heard good things about the stealth 2, though.

So here is my question for both of you: Will my training on the stealth 2 with Patrick cross over to all other SM harnesses? I assume I will need a day or two to learn a new harness but the skills would be the same, right? If so, I might wait on buying the Stealth 2.0 to figure out where I wil actually be diving - right now I live in NY, but want to study in FL so then would be diving there obviously. If I end up going to FL maybe it would make sense to try out Edd´s SMS100 to compare to the stealth and maybe I can try some other harnesses. Or even if I bought the stealth and ended up needing something else, then I could just have different set ups for different places like dive-aholic. What do you guys think?