Reg Braithwaite
Contributor
Side-mounting obviously has its place for solo caving and technical diving in vertically tight quarters. And there's a sub-culture of "Monkey Divers" who side-mount an AL-80 and use a scooter on shallow dives without a wing.
I am just idly wondering about side-mounting a single tank on normal open water dives. No penetration, no scootering, just diving. What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Off the top of my head, a side mounted tank is a little cumbersome out of the water, but in the water you have easier access to the valve(s). You could mount a gauge right up top like a stage bottle.
Of course, isolated doubles are a whole different story. But for singles, how does side-mounting compare to back mounting?
I am just idly wondering about side-mounting a single tank on normal open water dives. No penetration, no scootering, just diving. What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Off the top of my head, a side mounted tank is a little cumbersome out of the water, but in the water you have easier access to the valve(s). You could mount a gauge right up top like a stage bottle.
Of course, isolated doubles are a whole different story. But for singles, how does side-mounting compare to back mounting?