Interested in Side Mount Diving

[ucfdiver]

The answer to that question is easy. MONEY.

If you email the training link on the NACD website about training in sidemount that email will be ignored (I did a few months ago...nothing...)...

Last I checked, NO ONE is checking to see a sidemount card. The NACD is just providing a course to students who wish to further their education, is that an issue? If they were out petitioning the state parks to require it, I'd be more likely to agree with you, but they (nor anyone else, including instructors) are doing that.

 

[karstdvr]

Last I checked, NO ONE is checking to see a sidemount card. The NACD is just providing a course to students who wish to further their education, is that an issue? If they were out petitioning the state parks to require it, I'd be more likely to agree with you, but they (nor anyone else, including instructors) are doing that.

I agree.

There is a fallacy that if the agencies offer a course,then places will require the c-card. Ergo,there is no card needed for sidemounting,staging,and surveying. There was a big hoopla when the CDS offered CCR cave,but nothing ever became of that. The only argument could be DPV,but a search of history will show caves requiring that occured for a different reason.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The answer to that question is easy. MONEY.

If you email the training link on the NACD website about training in sidemount that email will be ignored (I did a few months ago...nothing...)...

What was your question? I can't speak for NACD, but I was discussing the sidemount issue with Larry Green, NACD's Training Director, last month and it is something he's looking at. I don't know why your wuestion wasn't answered, but you might be better off asking a sidemount instructor.

 

[Q1988]

I am presently looking into SM for a number of reasons. Ranging from trim control to BM shear, out of water, weight and shut down.
I use a Bear NST dry suit in waters that go as cold as 33 degrees. Free flow due to freeze up requires shut downs and trying to reach over your shoulders with a NST and insulated underwear on is not do able. Using a single with an "H" valve is even harder.
Torso weight is heavy and that is not good when you are trying to vent a drysuit at the arm with your feet pointed toward the surface. The side mounts are carried lower and the center of gravity can be moved toward the feet. I intend on using a weight belt and have large back plate that weighs 6 pounds. Ankle weights will also be used and preferred propulsion is using the frog as it keeps air moving around my feet and allows for a center of gravity adjust more so than the whip.

Questions
Has anyone had experience with a 3 or 5 point parachute or safety harness. Attaching over the shoulders, at the breast, and around each leg. To respond to the question of ditching using SD has to be developed and seems simple.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Before I say anything, I would like to say I do not side mount and only started diving doubles six months ago so take my response with a grain of salt. I'm am wondering why no one has suggested NETDOC's Zeagle express tech sidemount rig. It seams very versitile and inexpensive, heck you could possibly purchase the zeagle soft plate and use your current Ranger wing. I have to say except for the weight out of the water and the valve drills BM doubles is no different to dive than single tank. The down side I have found to BM is now my steel tanks are doubled up so when I want to dive a single tank i'm down to AL tanks.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Questions
Has anyone had experience with a 3 or 5 point parachute or safety harness. Attaching over the shoulders, at the breast, and around each leg.

Lamar Hires indicated at the sidemount clinic last weekend that he uses a 3 point rappelling harness under the Nomad with no issues during the dive.

I use a weight plate on my Nomad for cold water diving and it works well with a good degree of adjustment for trim if needed.

I am not a fan of ankle weights under any circumstances. At best they are a crutch for really poor trim and at worst, you have to move the extra mass with every kick, increasing muscle effort and oxygen use to no real purpose. With most sidemounted steel tanks you'll find you can play with the trim to a large degree depending on where you attach the lower bolt snap on the tank, and it would be very unusual to need ankle weights with a sidemount configuration. If anything, you may need to carry a bit of gas in your feet to offset the heavy "tails" of full tanks.

I am also not a real fan of weight belts in sidemount, and I am not a fan of ditchable weight in any case in technical dive applications.

 

[Jg1]

What was your question? I can't speak for NACD, but I was discussing the sidemount issue with Larry Green, NACD's Training Director, last month and it is something he's looking at. I don't know why your wuestion wasn't answered, but you might be better off asking a sidemount instructor.

The question was why a manifold for full cave? If a diver is more comfortable in a particular setup like sidemount or independent doubles why the manifold?

And yes we have been kicked out of Ginnie for not having a side mount card.

 

[Dive-aholic]

A manifold was at one point the commonly accepted configuration to dive. Some people felt that because it could preserve more gas in a failure, it was safer. Agencies have obtained liability insurance on this premise. Some agencies have instructors that are willing to do the work required to get new standards that will still meet insurance requirements and have thus changed standards to reflect that. Some agencies avoid the issue in the wording of their standards. So basically it's a matter of legality. Until the standards are changed and approved, they will remain with the word manifolded. IANTD just recently updated their standards with that word eliminated. It's a slow process but it's happening. I'm sure the NACD will change their standards eventually.

As for getting kicked out of Ginnie, what were the circumstances? I have baan diving there a few times in sidemount and never had an issue. And I don't show a sidemount card at the desk.

 

[ucfdiver]

The question was why a manifold for full cave? If a diver is more comfortable in a particular setup like sidemount or independent doubles why the manifold?

And yes we have been kicked out of Ginnie for not having a side mount card.

Who kicked you out of Ginnie? I would have asked to speak to Eric, Gordon, Rose and/or Erin immediately if that happened. Those seem to be the ones in charge and have final say on the rules. You'd be shocked how far it goes to simply take 2 minutes to chit chat with any of them.

You really have to try hard to get in trouble at Ginnie. The rules are very loosely enforced unless you run your mouth and basically ask to get in trouble. I just hand them my cave card and go dive, no need to volunteer what gear I'm using to complete my dive.

 

[Jg1]

It was a year ago on Memorial day weekend and that guy with the yellow vest stopped us in the parking lot.

My buddy had a TDI Intro card (the card that has no limitations on configuration) But Rose told him he could not dive the Ear or the Eye unless he had a card that said he was trained for sidemount.

It makes it kind of hard to beleive that for "insurance purposes" you cant dive sidemount unless you take this other class.