Sidemount Diving: Fad, Phase or Here to Stay?

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DiverWire

DiverWire

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(DiverWire) If you’ve been on a dive boat lately, you’ve probably run into a configuration that is quickly gaining popularity.  Two tanks hoisted to each side of a diver.  A far stray from the traditional single tank, back mounted.  It’s called sidemount diving.  It’s not new as technical, wreck, and cave divers have been using a sidemount configuration for years.  However, recently agencies and manufacturers have introduced training and equipment packages for the recreational diver.  Sidemount is now in the mainstream diver’s curriculum and tool box.  The question: Is sidemount diving a fad, phase, or here to stay?When most divers first view someone sidemount diving, the misguided perspective is that sidemount systems ...
Keep reading: Sidemount Diving: Fad, Phase or Here to Stay? on Diverwire.com

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evad:
DiverWire:
It’s called sidemount diving. It’s not new as technical, wreck, and cave divers have been using a sidemount configuration for years. The question: Is sidemount diving a fad, phase, or here to stay?
Que?
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Lol! Yeah you saw the irony there as well!

Although I think the author is wondering if it is a fad for recreational diving.

The choice of pictures aggravated me. Talking about streamlining and then showing a guy with the tanks at a 45* angle.

Even as a sidemount diver I have some issue with some of the "benefits" of it.
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I would have to say, based on the photo's that is "Side-slung" diving at its best. Terrible attitude in the water column, bottles not squared away, yep......."Side-Slung"
 
The question: Is sidemount diving a fad, phase, or here to stay?
Click to expand...

It'll stay. The better question is, what will the market saturation point be? In other words, in 10 years, roughly what percentage of OW rec. divers will dive side-mount? (Not excluding your tech. guys out of any disrespect! I just see non-tech. as a bit of a different market).

Seems to be the advantages are taking down a lot of gas, and 'super pony' class redundancy.

Disadvantages are the bulk & mass of 2 tanks, needing 2 reg.'s & SPG's, and the 'customizing' of one's gear vs. the 'put it on & jump in' simplicity of many jacket BCDs. I know many people might say 'That's not a bug, it's a feature!' and don't mind or even like modifying their gear. I am so loathe to modify anything I have a friend swap batteries in my backup dive computer (Oceanic VT3)!

While it'd be nice to have all that gas, does the added hassle & lack of dive op. support on charter trips pave the way for high penetrance into the market?

I (wildly guessing) predict a 'market saturation' in the OW rec. market of under 15% in 10 years, with jacket style still predominating.

But here to stay. Just not take over.

Richard.
 
Is that a "yes"? :)
 
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I'm one who had initially considered backmount doubles but as an aging geezer have now been looking at sidemount for those dives where I exceed recreational depth limits for my filming. I used to make such dives (to 200 fsw) with an HP120 and pony, but like the idea of having a larger gas supply that is easier to manage for an old guy like myself (yes, I know... "old guys rule"). However, I doubt sidemount will penetrate very far in the recreational diving arena.
 
It's here to stay, although it remains to be seen how widely it gets used. Sidemount is not a panacea for recreational diving ... it has benefits and drawbacks that make it "not worth the effort" for most recreational applications.

My biggest issue is exactly what's shown in the picture ... the mainstream agencies see it as another way to generate revenue. Most of the instructors who are offering courses at the recreational level don't know how to configure a sidemount system properly. Many of them have dived sidemount barely enough to "qualify" to add it to their inventory of courses. I'm seeing more and more people out there diving sidemount that are getting zero benefit from it ... because they look like the guy in the photo, who is anything but streamlined.

There's a bit more to it than just buying a new rig and shoving a couple of tanks under your armpits ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
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