How to transition to SM

Hey, of course i will not attempt anything with out proper training, but can i use my single hog 32lbs wing and SS backplate and a butt plate, to use to clip 1 or 2 AL 80's? And can someone give me a gear checklist for side mount. What i have for gear is :7mm wetsuit, hollis M1 mask, hog bp/w, hog D1 coldwater reg, 7ft hose, clipped spg, mares puck wrist computer, what else would i need to easily transition into the gear config.

I wouldn't use the backplate. There's several threads explaining why. What you
should do is seek training and equipment configuration from someone who dives and teaches sidemount regularly. They will go over the equipment and the reasons why some things work and some don't. Goodluck but beware sidemount is addicting!!

Backplate and wing makes a very poor foundation for a sidemount rig. It can be done, with some ingenuity, using something like the OMS Profile adapter. You need something like that in order to stop the wing taco'ing.

Equipment wise, the best advice is to make the investment in a dedicated sidemount rig. A list of all currently available commercial rigs is here: A List of Modern Sidemount Diving Systems

For training, you must search out a truly credible instructor. Someone with a genuine reputation for experience and expertise in this specialist diving area. Instructors are picking up the sidemount teaching rating like flies on a dump. Many (most?) achieve that rating via a 2-3 day 'familiarization'. That's not enough to give them the depth of experience needed to fine-tune your performance in a given rig. The blind shouldn't lead the blind.

Here's some other sidemount resources, that you might enjoy:

Article: Sidemount Diving | Course Notes | Advanced Scuba

Book: Sidemount Profiles by Jill Heinerth and Brian Kakuk

Video: Sidemount Scuba Diving by Jill Heinerth w/ Jeff Loflin

hog bp/w, hog D1 coldwater reg, 7ft hose, clipped spg,

Click to expand...

One thing you need to do is, take that D1 and add another one on a shorter hose (25-30"), buy another SPG along with two shorter (8") HP hoses, Bungee or make your own.
There are a number of ways to setup your configuration, a good instructor will explain benefits of each one.

Thanks everyone



What i dont understand is why is it suitable for tek divers to have deco bottle clipped to their sides on a back plate wing. But i shouldnt do SM with my bpw? Now i dont know much about SM but i have read about a taco problem with the wing, but i can easily run a bungee from a hole on the plate around the outside of the wing to the other hole on the opposite side of the plate. This will keep the wing flat. Please corect me if im wrong. I always appreciate being shot down for my ideas here. Hahahaha. All for science and saftey. Hahaha

Clipping a deco bottle isn't sidemount.

The best advice is for you to try-out a dedicated sidemount rig first. Then you'll have a quality/ease-of use benchmark for your BP/W project.

Proper sidemount, in a proper rig, configured properly... is a joyous experience. Compromise on that and you'll forever wonder what the fuss is all about.

+1 DevonDiver

I just had this exact conversation with a student who contacted me about taking my sidemount course. As we conversed, he informed me that he had the BP/W already and through some mods he could try to make it into a sidemount rig. This issue is exactly as Devon explained, the taco'ing of the wing and the fact that you will not have the correct length hoses and incorrectly configured gear for true sidemount. As I continued to discuss the course with the potential student, I informed him that if you were to take a sidemount rig with sidemount configured regs and set them next to a set of recreational dive gear, he would see the immediate differences.

As mentioned, slinging a tank via BP/W is nowhere near the same as sidemounting a tank correctly and with the properly fit sidemount rig.

I'd highly suggest you find a local sidemount instructor to do an introductory sidemount dive and then make the decsion to continue from there. Doing so will be much more enjoyable than trying to rig a set of gear into something it's not designed for.

Best of luck in your decision! Cheers!

Im in ventura county california anyone know of someone close to me that offers an intro class?

And thank u for the input everyone.

I really don't want to parrot what has been said before, so I'll throw out JUST my personal experience:

I was a college student (just graduated) with practically no income. I bought a BPW, dove around in BM for a while, and then saw sidemount. I decided I wanted to try it out, but I didn't want the cost associated with a dedicated SM rig. I mean, they're expensive! The only difference is the stupid wing tacoing, right? No big deal! I took bungees, paracord, clips, snaps, and over a hundred hours getting my rig "just right". Well, then I saw a picture of myself underwater. My tails were WAY too high, my valves were WAY too low, my wing was tacoing all over the place. It was a mess. Like, SERIOUS mess. I hated SM, I hated Tech diving, the lot of it. Then I got a chance to trade my BPW for an SMS100, so I did. Worst case, I could always trade it back in for a BPW, right? I started playing around with SM in it, and it was instantly MUCH better....but I still couldn't quite figure it out, despite dozens of dives and a so-called "experienced" SM/Tech mentor and it still wasn't right. I took my Cavern/Intro course with a TRUE sidemount instructor, and I'm MUCH better off now. My tanks are actually in-line where they're supposed to be. It's a MUCH more natural, comfortable experience. I'm MUCH happier than I thought I would've been. That training was with steels. I got a little mentorship in MX with alu tanks and I'm WAY better of with those than I was. I mean, I had a lot of help with sidemounting steels....and very little luck sidemounting aluminum tanks on my own.

I'm an Aerospace Engineer that is mechanically inclined and I love fiddling with and playing with stuff. I was working as a DMC, so I had PLENTY of time in a pool with others to help me tweak my configuration...and I had a lot of OW time trying to figure it out as well.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 02:29 PM ----------

Also, to expand on your question about the difference between slinging bottles on a BPW and true sidemount, I think a few clarifications should be made:

Tacoing is more than just aesthetically unpleasing. It can drastically reduce effectiveness of dumping air from your wing, and can make your power inflator hard to reach....also adding danger. Your wing should be flat to work as it was designed.
Slinging bottles normally puts them MUCH lower and less straight than they would be in SM. In "proper" SM, the valves go under your armpits and the body of the tank follows your body. The tanks should be FLAT while you're flat, to reduce drag. This also protects the valves and first stages, and prevents damaging the environment. BPW-slung bottles hang either far beneath you, or at awkward angles (look at most BO on CCR, they look awful).

Another need for an instructor: Proper SM procedures go into more than just how to set up your SM config and get your tanks trimmed right, it should also go into the why's and how's of your setup so you can defend it with logic. The other crucial component is the fact that many safety procedures are unique to SM. There's also a change in "how" to do certain things that only an experienced SM diver can teach.

As for instructors in your area, I don't know of any....but I have little or no experience in that area. I would try searching around regional forums. Before you pick an instructor, make sure they're properly vetted. Also, see if they have a SM rig you can borrow to see how you like it, so that you can eventually buy the one that you actually want.

Anyone kbow of any websites or forums that go over making a homemade sidemount rig. I would like to see all the components and how to put one together. Understand this was a common practice till a few years ago.