Side Mount Divers, what you do when travelling?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

mulla

Contributor
Messages
177
Reaction score
21
Location
Australia
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi Fellow Side Mount Divers,

I've only recently ventured into SM diving and loving it.

I do have a question about what you guys and girls do when travelling to the tropics (SE Asia), for a recreational trip (no tec).

Do you bring your SM kit with you? Are the shops / boats able to accommodate for your SM needs? Mainly concerned about the need to hand at least 1 tank back to staff on boats when climbing back up ladders. Or do you just go back to a single BM since it's just going to be recreational diving?

About to embark on my first ever overseas diving trip, and wondering if it's worthwhile bring my SM equipment. I would love it if I could do SM to get more experience in this kit.


Thanks heaps in advance.
 
The Z system from UTD makes bringing your rig really easy for travel. There are travel stage kits for AL 80s which are used almost everywhere. It's light and compact, ya I'm a pretty big fan.
 
I single cylinder sidemount dive. I have a rig I built for that purpose, but pretty much any sidemount rig would work.

Around the World « Rob Neto
 
Thanks all for you input.

Rob - From your experience do you know if charters are willing to accommodate 2 tank side mounts? I'm happy to use the same 2 tanks for 2 dives and observe bottom times of fellow single tank divers.

Single tank side mount definitely sounds inviting, but I just didn't want to mess with my regs, I would probably have to move an occy to the right hand reg.

decompression - I'm not too concerned about weight of gear and stage kits, I've got all that. I was just wondering how accommodating charters are towards doing a 2 tank sidemount in a rec dive.
 
I havent done much pretty fish travel diving, but I did go to Fiji last year where all the dives were shallower than 80 feet. I had a sidemount rig with me and was debating whether to talk about it with the dive operation, and decided to just shut my mouth and show up. I did as instructed and put my regs, cam bands and gear in a mesh bag for the divemasters to set up (knowing they'd have no clue what to do with it). When I got to the boat, I set up my tanks and kind of brushed off questions about what I was doing. I asked if I could roll off the side of the boat, geared up, sat down on the gunnel and splashed. I think it was easier to just go for it rather than getting into a discussion about what I was doing, and I had no problems with the Fijian crew after they saw what was going on.
 
The Z system from UTD makes bringing your rig really easy for travel. There are travel stage kits for AL 80s which are used almost everywhere. It's light and compact, ya I'm a pretty big fan.

...and actually any harness based system will pack smaller(than the Zsystem) since most don't use any manifolds or other such nonsense, making them lighter and more compact.
 
mat, that manifold is about the size of a lighter.

we took sidemount/stage kits and our usual stuff to mexico & had no problem. of course, one of the valves was 'wrong', but it wasn't a big deal. then again, we weren't trying to climb up moving boats. then again again, with al80s it probably wouldn't have been a big deal, either.
 
The block might be the size of a lighter, but with additional hoses and fittings, its more weight and more to pack... and well over the size of a lighter... and doesn't offer any real benefit(I'd say its actually a downgrade from independant SM cylinders).
 
I havent done much pretty fish travel diving, but I did go to Fiji last year where all the dives were shallower than 80 feet. I had a sidemount rig with me and was debating whether to talk about it with the dive operation, and decided to just shut my mouth and show up. I did as instructed and put my regs, cam bands and gear in a mesh bag for the divemasters to set up (knowing they'd have no clue what to do with it). When I got to the boat, I set up my tanks and kind of brushed off questions about what I was doing. I asked if I could roll off the side of the boat, geared up, sat down on the gunnel and splashed. I think it was easier to just go for it rather than getting into a discussion about what I was doing, and I had no problems with the Fijian crew after they saw what was going on.

Certainly nice to know about successful first hand experience. Were they happy to give you 2 tanks for your dives? I presume you used the same 2 tanks for 2 dives? Sorry to sound like a n00b since this is my first ever overseas diving trip.

we took sidemount/stage kits and our usual stuff to mexico & had no problem. of course, one of the valves was 'wrong', but it wasn't a big deal. then again, we weren't trying to climb up moving boats. then again again, with al80s it probably wouldn't have been a big deal, either.

Good point, tho I haven't tried 2 AL80 but I presume that's going to be a lot easier than 2 steel 100s!!

Welcome more experience sharing re: Sidemounting in recreational trips.
 
I am going to be teaching tourists how to sidemount for travel, and the thing I have basically worked out is that while Air2's might be of various usefulness for regular divers they make sidemount diving very flexible. (And for travel flexible helps fit to what is avaiable.)

The problem with a single sidemount/double sidemount switch out can be that you either have an extra reg or no octo, or you have to use tools to switch between the two. Going with a multipurpose harness, and leaving the inflator in the standard backmount location with an Air2 on it means that the left reg can be used as a single BM, single sidemount (on the left), or as the left side in double sidemount.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom