Only one type of gear? Why limit yourself?

[Richard FDC]

"It looks like a dive shop in here!" - quote from a friend when he saw inside my garage for the first time. Along with all the tanks that range from 13 cubic foot aluminum to steel double 108s and everything in between there are several different BCD configurations to dive those double 108s or strap on an aluminum 80 and hit a shallow reef. Why so much gear? Because there are so many different diving opportunities and you need the right tools for the job! I've been talking about this for a while and have found that many experienced divers share my opinion. Here's an article I wrote about it recently. Anybody else have thoughts? Click the link below to read the article.

Is Your Diving Tool Box Complete? | Florida Dive Connection - Florida SCUBA Diving News and Information

 

[Reku]

Interesting article! I'm a solo cave/wreck diver who can't lift doubles (injury) and needs redundancy on every dive regardless of depth. Therefor sidemount in the same configuration on every dive is a must - for me. You make some excellent points that everyone should consider. There is realisticly no reason anyone should or would want to limit themselves to a specific setup. Everyone has their reasons for diving the way they do.

 

[redacted]

I can think of $1000's of reasons to limit yourself.

 

[divad]

I can think of $1000's of reasons to limit yourself.

ChuckleOL

 

[JohnnyC]

Sounds like an article written by a dive shop trying to sell more gear.

I don't take issue with the idea that you're using the right tool for the right job, but in the case of sidemount (your bone of contention it seems), you're actively saying that it is a poor choice for MOST things when that's certainly not the case.

I'm not quite sure what "many more drawbacks" you feel exist when someone exclusively dives sidemount. In fact, the "drawbacks" you listed are specious arguments at best. Slower? Nope, I know guys who dive sidemount that are the fastest guys on the boat. In fact, since most sidemount divers are generally more experienced, most sidemount divers are faster than inexperienced divers in a stab jacket. Inappropriate for wrecks? Nope, I know guys that almost exclusively dive wrecks almost exclusively in sidemount, they don't have any problems. Sidemount is absolutely better for low stuff, that doesn't mean it's inappropriate for other situations. Shouldn't dive an exclusive system so a dive shop can sell more gear? Sorry, BIG FAT NOPE. A dive shop doesn't exist just so that I can keep them in business. I owe nothing to my dive shop, they exchange products and services in exchange for money, that doesn't mean I owe them anything extra, like buying extra gear that I don't need simply to have another piece of gear lying around that may or may not actually be useful given my particular diving habits. Dive shops are businesses, not charities. The fact that most dive shops would gladly sell me redundant sets of gear under the auspices of making sure my "toolbox is complete" is a sad reflection on the state of the industry, and I am under zero obligation to support them simply to keep them in business.

Your "toolbox" analogy is poor. Diving isn't a case where the world looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer. Sorry, it's just not.

I think you're doing the opposite of making diving enjoyable by recommending they buy more gear. How often do we say that you shouldn't use a gear solution for a skills problem, and yet this article espouses exactly the opposite, for the benefit of the dive shop, couched as some BS explanation that you're doing the customer a favor.

And this is coming from someone who has never dived sidemount in his life, and the closest thing is slinging deco bottles on a buttplate and bungees.

 

[Storker]

I don't dive every day, not even every week. I'd rather prefer one kit, one config, which I know well over a bunch of different gear and configs.

 

[Richard FDC]

Wow! Johnny C, that's a pretty scathing and strong reply. I just love the internet for that reason You make a LOT of assumptions in your post and we all know what happens when you assume My article is opinion. I'm not associated with ANY dive shop and I'm not trying to sell gear. I do get around a little and have many very experienced divers as friends. The consensus is that sidemount is a tool, just like backmounted doubles and jacket style BCDs. There is a time and place for each type of gear. You can try the "one size fits all" approach but the reality is that you dive the right equipment for the job. Thanks for the insight and I'm sorry you're so angry at dive shops. Let me know when that USB powered fill station is available so I can still get fills when the dive shops are out of business.

 

[redacted]

. Let me know when that USB powered fill station is available so I can still get fills when the dive shops are out of business.

Do you really believe that the loss of LDSs would be the end of scuba?

 

[JohnnyC]

Huh? I didn't make any assumptions, i responded specifically to points you brought up in your article which were incorrect. About the only thing that's correct is that sidemount is a tool. Your desire to brand it as a one-trick pony is ridiculous, but you try and do it anyway.

I'm also not angry at any LDS, but you posit that people should buy more gear out of charity to their LDS, you just couched it in a way that tried to make it seem like it was doing students a favor by trying to convince them to buy more gear that they don't need. "The trend to promote and encourage sidemount only divers is a bad idea for the individual diver, the dive shop, and the industry as a whole." Directly quoted. You are quite literally saying that you should promote multiple gear configurations for the betterment of the dive shop and the industry. I'm not ignoring the "individual diver" part there, but they should never be in the same sentence if you want to sound like you've got any part of the customers needs in mind. Charity gear purchases are NOT parts of a customers needs.

Now I don't know if you have a problem with sidemount, I don't know if a sidemount diver was mean to you, but you make some patently false claims about sidemount with the intention of trying to convince someone to buy more gear. I know your mother probably told you that everyone has the right to their opinion, but what she forgot to tell you is that it doesn't mean your opinion is correct or even qualified. And when you use ridiculously specious arguments to try and asset your opinion as fact, that's just ridiculous and disingenuous. It's just flat out silly.

 

[The Chairman]

Your "toolbox" analogy is poor.

I like it myself. Most people who see my van also make the comment that it's a rolling dive shop. I love mixing up side mount with back mount and OC with CCR. Why always dive the very same way? I also agree that a few side mounters are way too aggressive with their choice of gear. Hey, it's their choice, but it often makes me chuckle to myself. Dive and let dive. He who dies with the moist toys, wins! (Thanks ScubaToys!)