Side mount or Side mount? Which is a better option?

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

Look at the amount of exposed surface area for drag. Sidemount is notorious for more drag.

Been on nights for a few days and haven't had a chance to reply.

I have heard this. I have been diving s/m for a few years now and really don't remember if backmount was noticably cleaner as far as that goes. Does it really cause more "practical" drag? What I mean is if two bottles are on my back, or on my side (and squared away), they are still in the water column. I have my rig pretty squared away and in a low flow can get 50-60 fpm at a relaxed pace (although others say I move too fast). I walk that way too. I find what is a good pace for me can be faster than others so I have started asking before a dive so a good pace, for all, can be set if I am leading.

My answer, to DA, was based on what appeared to be a broad open ended statement concerning b/m and s/m. The fact that you have forgotten more than most of us that have posted (cave, b/m and s/m diving), have learned, I do take what you are saying as the experienced voice that I can indeed learn from.

I have found that if a s/m rig is "clean" that the difference between that and a b/m rig is negligible and probably depends more on the divers themselves. Bugman doesn't really need tanks, I think he just brings them to make us feel better. Dude doesn't breath.

I went to s/m because I am getting older and want something that I can break up the weight to and from the car, water, boat, etc. My secondary reason was so I can see different stuff on the same dive. What I have found is that riding on my bottles really feels balanced. For me it just makes sense and it was easy from the get go. It took a while to tweak my rig but the diving was very easy from the start in s/m.

Again, thanks for your input here because you have experience that we all can learn from. I try to only post here when I have real experience with a subject. I hope it can help others reading. When you have posted I have learned and do appreciate your input. Thanks.

 

[karstdvr]

I have heard this. I have been diving s/m for a few years now and really don't remember if backmount was noticably cleaner as far as that goes. Does it really cause more "practical" drag? What I mean is if two bottles are on my back, or on my side (and squared away), they are still in the water column. I have my rig pretty squared away and in a low flow can get 50-60 fpm at a relaxed pace (although others say I move too fast). I walk that way too. I find what is a good pace for me can be faster than others so I have started asking before a dive so a good pace, for all, can be set if I am leading.

.

I guess short of putting someone in a wind tunnel we'll never know for sure. I am not an engineer,nor did I stay a Holiday Inn Express,but if you look at a horizontal backmounted diver vs horizontal sidemount diver from the front,there is far more surface area of tank exposed.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I'm not an engineer either, side mount, even though it may have a greater surface area exposed to flow, seems it sould be more hydrodynamic than back mount. From my own experience, it's a lot easier to swim side mounted 108s than back mounted 108s.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Probably really depends on how and where the tanks are resting...


Honestly, I've felt, nor noticed by distance at a given pressure at my swimming rate, any difference in backmount and sidemount diving as far as drag goes. Which is fine, that never was a reason for my swap.

 

[WD8CDH]

It really depends on how the tanks are oriented with the direction of travel. If either back or side mount is tilted relative to the divers travel, the drag will increase. That is why when I sling or side mount, I often trim the tanks fore/aft with a small weight in addition to adjusting the position of the attachment point.

 

[The Chairman]

FWIW, we now have a new forum: Side Mount Divers

 

[SRQ]

I have to agree with Dive-a-Holic. I did some testing of my own in Ginnie for two days and 4 dives each day in both back mount and side mount. One day in wetsuit and one day in drysuit. Granted I am on the taller side with larger shoulders than most so the sidemounted tanks kind of tucked away under my armpits pretty nice and was comfortable so my overall tests concluded I used less gas at the same predetermined distance and was able to swim farther in sidemount. Maybe each persons build and stature may have something to do with the streamlining, I dunno. YMMV
I personally dive sidemount only because I dive solo and have the valves right there in front of me, I just feel safer by having two completely isolated cylinders and can shut a problem down quicker if need be when diving solo. I have both backmount and side mount systems but my style of choice is sidemount. Would I go out and spend the extra money for sidemount just for extra distance? Probably not.
WB

 

[u4ia]

I got to go to Madison Blue Springs today... Almost everyone else there was diving SIDE MOUNT! Gee whiz! Out of the 12 other people diving that system, only ONE was wearing backmount.

OK OK I admit it, I was the only other person diving backmount that day. Nice to meet you in person NetDoc!

In fact, during the 11 or so days of Fl cave diving, BM was often in the minority. Since my buddy has switched over due to back problems, I am planning to switch over to sidemount very soon. Although we didn't have any issues diving with a mixed SM + BM team, we want to have the same gear configuration and its easier on the joints. (I don't have any injuries but, alas, as you say father time marches on and I don't want to get any either.)

 

[kw_wilson]

I'm new to tech diving and will probably never be a cave diver, but I am going to sidemount as a lifestyle dive configuration. Not having the tanks on while waddling around on a boat dive is a huge advantage to an older diver like me. Getting my harness/BC adjusted to my needs before loading on the tanks is also great. For a boat - no big deal hang the tanks on a line at the stern. If this seems to some to take too long or you feel rushed by the dive operation - take your money somewhere else. Even if diving with a single Al80 and a pony for redundancy, I will sidemount. Most dive outfits have Al80s for boat dive customers, I just have two stage strap sets with cam straps that I drop onto anyone's tanks and dive right in.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Hanging cylinders doesn't always work, especially in 3'+ seas. I prefer to clip on cylinders on the boat and splash ready to go.