Question Bail-out bottles not alligned. Why?

[Cheizz]

In many photos and videos of (experienced/professional) divers diving with bail-out bottles, I see those bottles out of line with the rest of the body. They hang more or less diagonally on the side of the diver.

In sidemount - where divers also have their (primary) bottles on the side - it is always said that these bottles should be in line (parallel) to the torso.

My question is: is this different with bail-out bottles? If so, why?

This only seems to be relevant with divers that use chest or back-mount rebreathers or double tank sets.

 

[Minion_Diver]

Most don't take the time to trim them out or do not know how to properly sidemount tanks. During my ccr class my instructor spent the better half of a day to make sure that our bailouts were streamlined.

 

[Whitrzac]

Because most of the time it doesnt matter in OW and makes them easier to put on/remove/use.

Bottles with HE get tail light and need to be clipped off differently than air/nitrox tanks. Having a bottle float up behind you is usualy less of a concern than something hanging down infront of you too.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

In many photos and videos of (experienced/professional) divers diving with bail-out bottles, I see those bottles out of line with the rest of the body. They hang more or less diagonally on the side of the diver.

In sidemount - where divers also have their (primary) bottles on the side - it is always said that these bottles should be in line (parallel) to the torso.

My question is: is this different with bail-out bottles? If so, why?

This only seems to be relevant with divers that use chest or back-mount rebreathers or double tank sets.

Sidemounting vs. slinging deco/stage/bailout bottles are not the same thing. I am not a sidemounter so I won't even try and tackle the importance of proper trim when sidemounting your primary tanks with nothing on your back.

With slinging a stage/deco/pony/bailout bottle, it is typically a small aluminum cylinder (or a few of them) and your main gas is on your back. Because these cylinders are bottom light, they tuck up nicely and float in the slip stream next to the body and under the arm. I could probably go through the hassle of all of the bungees, weights and other contraptions to get it to ride like a sidemount tank, but why? What would be the point? As it is, I hardly notice that it's there, it causes very little drag (and I dive in moderate to heavy current with one regularly) and it is very easily attached and removed either on the boat or in the water.

Sidemounting vs. stages/deco bottles/bailout bottles are comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Cheizz]

Sidemounting vs. slinging deco/stage/bailout bottles are not the same thing. I am not a sidemounter so I won't even try and tackle the importance of proper trim when sidemounting your primary tanks with nothing on your back.

With slinging a stage/deco/pony/bailout bottle, it is typically a small aluminum cylinder (or a few of them) and your main gas is on your back. Because these cylinders are bottom light, they tuck up nicely and float in the slip stream next to the body and under the arm. I could probably go through the hassle of all of the bungees, weights and other contraptions to get it to ride like a sidemount tank, but why? What would be the point? As it is, I hardly notice that it's there, it causes very little drag (and I dive in moderate to heavy current with one regularly) and it is very easily attached and removed either on the boat or in the water.

Sidemounting vs. stages/deco bottles/bailout bottles are comparing apples to oranges.

Thanks for the answer. That's the information I didn't have looking at the images. Hence my question. If they're light bottles that don't hinder you in any way, I get why they don't bother straightening them out.

 

[tbone1004]

In many photos and videos of (experienced/professional) divers diving with bail-out bottles, I see those bottles out of line with the rest of the body. They hang more or less diagonally on the side of the diver.

In sidemount - where divers also have their (primary) bottles on the side - it is always said that these bottles should be in line (parallel) to the torso.

My question is: is this different with bail-out bottles? If so, why?

This only seems to be relevant with divers that use chest or back-mount rebreathers or double tank sets.

Complicated.

If we are talking about rebreather bailout bottles, you will see a trend in the industry with divers moving to sidemounted bailout bottles for the rebreather. This is the way!
If we are talking about backmounted stages/deco bottles then it gets a bit more complicated. I have a loop bungee on my left side of the harness like I would on sidemount and with any DIR style bailout bottle I can clip it in as normal and snap it over the valve knob and while it won't be as perfect as it is in sidemount, the first bottle will at least have the nose tucked up and depending on what you're doing it can be quite nice to not have it flopping around. This is quite literally one piece of thick bungee tied to the plate itself, and a piece of thin bungee that attaches the thick bungee to the strap. No changes to the bottle rigging, no weights, just the loop bungee.
If we have multiple bottles then the loose rigging is pretty critical to get both of them to hang out reasonably comfortably on one side.

 

[Vicko]

I do the same thing as tbone, only I also have 3 atachment points for the lower clip, I can put it on the hip d-ring, lower backplate or a rail on my reb stand. I can trim out 3 tanks reasonably well without changing any rigging, would still get dragged if I post the pics on facebook but helps out with irl drag.

 

[Tracy]

In many photos and videos of (experienced/professional) divers diving with bail-out bottles, I see those bottles out of line with the rest of the body. They hang more or less diagonally on the side of the diver.

In sidemount - where divers also have their (primary) bottles on the side - it is always said that these bottles should be in line (parallel) to the torso.

My question is: is this different with bail-out bottles? If so, why?

This only seems to be relevant with divers that use chest or back-mount rebreathers or double tank sets.

For rebreather bailouts, it usually stems from them not knowing how. Sidemounting aluminum tanks is different than steels. It takes time to get them rigged comfortably and properly. If you are in a class on a tight schedule and everybody wants to be done immediately, it gets glossed over. The nice thing about bailouts over sidemount is once you get them set how you like them, they don't change during the dive like open circuit sidemount.

For OC doubles, I run a single loop of bungee on the left side of my plate. My stages and or deco bottles just get it looped around the knob to get the reg out of the mud. It isn't perfect, but it gets it much better than without.

 

[Tracy]

Most don't take the time to trim them out or do not know how to properly sidemount tanks. During my ccr class my instructor spent the better half of a day to make sure that our bailouts were streamlined.

That guy sounds awesome.

 

[Minion_Diver]

That guy sounds awesome.

Yeah...he's made some questionable decisions though.