Swapping reg protocols...

[NetDoc]

It's already been talked about, but how do you switch between regs.

I clip my 80" long hose to my 40" hose necklace. I also use different color Seacure mouthpieces to make switching easier.

[DaleC]

I don't sidemount but I do dive independant twins and I think the set up I use is the same as some SMers.

Left tank has a shorthose bungied reg and the right tank has a longhose reg with a boltsnap attached.

I initially breath the bungied reg (with the longhose reg clipped off on my right chest D ring) and then switch to the longhose reg for the second half of the dive.

I do this because the odds of someone going OOA will be greater during the second half of the dive so the longhose will be in my mouth ready to donate.

I always mount the bungy on the left tank and the longhose on the right. That way I know which tank I am breathing by which reg is in my mouth. It's either a bungy or a boltsnap.

I usually only do one reg switch. I find I don't notice any list in my trim down to 1000psi (which is my average rock bottom reserve) so one switch does it for me.

The boltsnap is secured to the longhose via an O ring (or thin piece of bicycle tire tubing) so that, in the unlikely event of someone needing a reg in the first portion of the dive, the reg can just be pulled off the D ring without unclipping. I can also breath the reg while clipped off if I have to (but I can't move my head around).

Just my 2CW.

[NetDoc]

The goal among most Side mounters is to keep the tanks within 300 psi of each other. I would like to hear the reasoning behind this.

[hudson]

The goal among most Side mounters is to keep the tanks within 300 psi of each other. I would like to hear the reasoning behind this.

Different people do it differently. I know people who switch only after using a third of the tank. Here's my take on it: I keep them within 500psi, so after the first switch I use 1000psi before the next switch. It depends on how much value you place on having the maximum amount of gas available to you on a failure and how much imbalance between the two tanks you can tolerate. Relatively frequent switching also assures you that both regs are working fine.

Short hose is on a necklace and I don't clip my long hose when I switch: I simply pull in the long hose to stove the excess back under the hose retainer on the tank, then let it "dangle". I can switch and deploy it to another diver faster that way. Even if I didn't reign in the long hose and just let it go, it still would not silt anything or catch under normal conditions.

[DaleC]

Probably max gas in each cylinder plays into it for cavers (I'm interested in their reasoning also) but I wonder if it is an artificial goal in less demanding conditions.

For OW I calculate my rock bottom reserve and just worry about keeping that in the first cylinder (always left). I then begin my ascent when I hit rock bottom on the second one (always right).

If I am planning on a second OW dive I will keep 1500-2000psi in the first tank. I do this because I have one left handed K valve tank but can swap out two right handed k valved tanks. I just swap out the right tank and start with 1500/2000psi (L) and 3000psi (R). This allows for a less deep, second dive with redundancy by only bringing three cylinders to the dive site.

[Dive-aholic]

The goal among most Side mounters is to keep the tanks within 300 psi of each other. I would like to hear the reasoning behind this.

Whose goal is that? I keep my tanks within 1/6 of each other - a switch 500-600 psi down, another 1000-1200 psi down, the last 1000-1200 psi down. My tanks are always within 500-600 psi from each other this way so no matter where a failure may occur, I have enough gas left in the other tank to get out.

As for the OP, it depends. If I'm solo I usually clip to the d-ring because it usually means I'm getting into some really tight stuff and I want it snug. If I'm with someone else, I'll clip it to my bungee necklace so my buddy can easily grab it in an emergency. I use standard mouthpieces on mine. I went away from the seacures when I started cave diving because my seacure was formed to my teeth, not my buddy's.

[ianr33]

The goal among most Side mounters is to keep the tanks within 300 psi of each other. I would like to hear the reasoning behind this.

Its a cave thing. Keeping the tanks almost equal minimizes the gas lost in a worst case scenario. (Complete loss of gas in the highest pressure tank)

Personally I typically switch at 600 pounds difference. That works well for a standard 3600 psi cave fill.

In a spooky cave when approaching turn pressure might switch more often than

For an open water NDL dive would probably not worry much about switching so long as I was not rolling to one side.

[karstdvr]

I always start a dive with 100psi swap to make sure both regs are functioning correctly,then swap between 300-500 psi

[GLENFWB]

So Rob, I am still struggling with how to clip my right side regulator off. I have tried tucking it back down in the hose retainers...but I don't like that. If I clip it to my necklace and someone grabs the right regulator, it won't break away. On the CDF there were some suggestions about a Zeagle product that breaks away, but I haven't had any luck finding that. So, if your buddy grabs your reg., how does it break away?

If I'm with someone else, I'll clip it to my bungee necklace so my buddy can easily grab it in an emergency. I use standard mouthpieces on mine. I went away from the seacures when I started cave diving because my seacure was formed to my teeth, not my buddy's.

[hudson]

You can use a bungee loop on the right chest d-ring just large enough to hold the regulator mouthpiece in place, but comes off easily. Same idea as the bungee necklace & the short hose.