The $1200 Sidemount Diver

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@Aotus Thanks for the suggestions on rotating the cam bands that is something I had not considered. I agree with you that it is great she's trying, and she knows her trim is slightly off. She is very strong in her back and can arch her back much better than the photo (she used be a competitive powerlifter). Anyway I hope your wife gives it a try again I can't imagine not diving with mine. Well if I ever really get into caves she would balk at that for sure. Our trip to the cenotes in Playa del Carmen and training SM was all she wanted for now.
 
Well..... had some very enjoyable dives using the deco sidemount over one of my homemade minimalist harnesses. Tested it out with 2, 3 and then 4 cylinders (2x AL80 and 2x AL40) for technical diving and it functions excellently so far.

The next step will be to add a 2nd bladder, sandwiched to the primary) for redundant buoyancy..... easy, as it'll use the same mounting bungees.

Pics to follow...
 
Hmmm, tanks, drysuit not included. Diving is expensive. ;(
 
Well..... had some very enjoyable dives using the deco sidemount over one of my homemade minimalist harnesses. Tested it out with 2, 3 and then 4 cylinders (2x AL80 and 2x AL40) for technical diving and it functions excellently so far.

The next step will be to add a 2nd bladder, sandwiched to the primary) for redundant buoyancy..... easy, as it'll use the same mounting bungees.

Pics to follow...

Wow.. I can't wait to see those pics. I am looking at my wife's harness and bladder right now and thinking how small and light it is for traveling.
 
All this about how expensive it is to get started...the more you know the less it costs. If I had a friend who could've helped me to tease through all the used gear, I could've saved thousands. A good sidemount BC and regs can be had for less than $500 used with knowledge and a little patience. Great fins can be had for $20-50, mask for $10-50, rent your tanks and get a nice new wetsuit. $700-800 and a budget-minded new diver has all their own gear. Nothing wrong with renting at first if that's too much, but $1200 is not the lowest we can go by far.


edit: ALSO, there is no reason that a diver needs to ditch their old regs to get into sidemount. Change out your hoses, get one more 1st stage and another spg, and you're ready to sell your jacket-BC.
 
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@Aotus I wish that was true about getting rid of other equipment and only diving SM. I for one would be happy to never dive back mounted single or doubles again, but not all dive ops allow/encourage SM diving. By the way, I did read your two links, and I must say you have a very cool job. It made me wonder what SMs you were diving, and XDeep Stealths are very nice SM rigs IMHO. Where are you located right now?
 
@Aotus I wish that was true about getting rid of other equipment and only diving SM. I for one would be happy to never dive back mounted single or doubles again, but not all dive ops allow/encourage SM diving. By the way, I did read your two links, and I must say you have a very cool job. It made me wonder what SMs you were diving, and XDeep Stealths are very nice SM rigs IMHO. Where are you located right now?

I wouldn't go with an operator that said BM or no go. But that's just me.

Glad you liked the links! I love my work, though as you no doubt have heard, it's hard to get funding for science these days, so that slows things down A LOT.

Re: my own equipment. I had been diving the Hollis SMS75, which worked great for all my training and diving in FL (steel tanks, drysuit). But, my field work is done in warm water (lucky me!), with aluminum tanks. The SMS75 is REALLY not ideal for that. XDEEP makes the best BC I've seen up close, and the company is enthusiastic about supporting research. So, their new stealth tec and the company in general is a great fit for me now, and can also easily handle my heavy steels when I dive in FL or MO.
 
All this about how expensive it is to get started...the more you know the less it costs. If I had a friend who could've helped me to tease through all the used gear, I could've saved thousands. A good sidemount BC and regs can be had for less than $500 used with knowledge and a little patience. Great fins can be had for $20-50, mask for $10-50, rent your tanks and get a nice new wetsuit. $700-800 and a budget-minded new diver has all their own gear. Nothing wrong with renting at first if that's too much, but $1200 is not the lowest we can go by far.


edit: ALSO, there is no reason that a diver needs to ditch their old regs to get into sidemount. Change out your hoses, get one more 1st stage and another spg, and you're ready to sell your jacket-BC.

I'm cleaning out my garage a bit, thought someone interested in this thread might want to know about these two SM rigs I'm unloading. This includes a hybrid unit that is an answer to concerns about having to occasionally stick with backmount. Even if you don't buy from me, note that used is a very good option if you want to try out sidemount.

For Sale - Hollis SMS75 hybrid BC with weight plate
For Sale - Minimalist Sidemount Harness & Wing
 
I've been considering buying a Deco bladder to use a redundant buoyancy for my DR LTZ. My thought is that I can add the bladder to the LTZ for dives requiring it or have a separate harness for travel diving. This gives me more options than just the DR redundant bladder. Has anyone used the Deco bladder in this way?

- D
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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