So... finally got to try sidemount from a boat!

[turt1e]

I finally got a chance to try sidemount from a boat while on vacation in Cancun, and I'll admit it wasn't one of my finer moments.

Getting the gear setup on the boat wasn't a problem like I thought it might be, but getting the tanks back in the tank holders was a PITA. Seems my tank cam bands where at the same height as the boat's tank holders, which made the tanks difficult to get snapped in.

Found out I can't hear air leaks worth a damn! My wife on the other end of the boat tells me she can hear a leak coming from my gear. Of course I'm already in line and ready to jump in. So have to futz with my gear to try and find out where the leak is coming from. Even with my ear right up to the 1st stage I can't hear any leak. Our dive guide finally finds it and it's the o-ring on my long hose that has torn. Of course it's already stowed and coiled on my tank, but he tries anyway to unscrew it without pulling all the hose out which just creates a huge coiled mess. Next time I need to learn to just pull the whole damn thing out of the tank bungees to make that easier. Actually no, scratch that. Next time I need to make sure all my o-rings are good before I get on the boat!

This particular boat had no swim platform, so the giant strides where done by climbing on the side rails of the boat while holding on to the ladder that goes up to the flybridge. Of course you can't do this with your fins on. Dive guide did this by holding on to his fins and giant striding off the side rails and then donning the fins in the water. So I followed suit which actually worked out pretty well, until I tried to don the fins in the water. Tanks just seemed to get in the way of trying to buckle the fins. Felt like a contortionist trying to get them buckled. I was going to try a back roll in on the second dive, but forgot to put my fins on before getting the tanks all snapped in. No way in hell was I going to hold up the line again!

It wasn't all bad though.

The boat crew didn't know what to make of us in our sidemount rigs, so they didn't try to help with any of our gear setup. Which I count as a plus.

Getting back on board the boat was the part I was dreading most, but it actually turned out to be a non issue. Just grabbed the ladder and climbed up with both tanks on. Pretty easy actually, even with the 3 to 4 foot swells. Even the wife didn't have an issue climbing back up in her sidemount rig with both tanks.

And of course the dives themselves where great in sidemount!

Paul

 

[seedy]

I like having my tanks and mask etc in front of me where I can get them, put my fins on first, tanks on, mask and backward roll without moving from my spot . The tanks lay on the edge of the boat which makes it even easier. Unclip and pass up the tanks when getting back on board.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[tphelps]

Brah, you gotta try donning them in the water...10xs easier! I'm assuming there was a Captain on board? Next time go over to the side of the boat, if possible put your fins on before getting in the water (make sure you have adequate air in BC before entering) and have the crew hand your tanks down to you one at a time. This takes me 30 seconds once I'm in the water. I tell them to hand me one, grab the bottom snap and clip it to just my back D-ring. After they hand me the 2nd tank, I can now relax and put the bungees on and get my hoses/LPI situated. If conditions are a bit rough on the surface, I get my left post set ASAP put my short hose on and drop down a few feet to take care of the rest. Same thing when I'm done with the dive. After my safety stop, I'm already stowing my hoses and taking off the bungee...putting away everything except for 1 reg which I breathe off til I hit surface. Then hand up the tanks to the crew one at a time, no problems!

Lastly, if your tanks can't fit in the slots I'm sure there must be some place that you can lie the tanks down flat. Preferably close to the stern so it's less of a walk for the crew to hand you down the tanks. I try to avoid donning tanks on the boat, it's a pain in the butt and a lot heavier. That's the beauty of the sidemount configuration, you can do everything when you're in the water!

 

[CamG]

I have donned tanks both places and for some it is better on the boat and for others the water.
In 3' waves it can be a chore for some for others it can be raging and no problem.
I would recommend having tanks leashed either way so you don't accidentally loose one.

Like any diving the more you train or dive you will find your groove.
On the tanks a short pull tie down strap or two helps to secure them in place on a boat.
They do not take up much space either.

CamG

 

[olphart]

I have donned tanks both places and for some it is better on the boat and for others the water.
In 3' waves it can be a chore for some for others it can be raging and no problem.
I would recommend having tanks leashed either way so you don't accidentally loose one.

Like any diving the more you train or dive you will find your groove.
On the tanks a short pull tie down strap or two helps to secure them in place on a boat.
They do not take up much space either.

CamG

When sidemounting from a boat or dock, I find using a line to hang the tanks just under the water works well if it's even relatively calm. I get my bc, mask and fins all set, hop in and hook up the left tank bottom clip first, then unclip the top from the line and onto the chest ring, inflator in, reg in. Then clip bottom of the right tank to the rail, unclip the top and finish hooking up. I set the bungies as I descend. Takes a lot longer to describe than do.
In rough water, giant stride, or my own sidemount flop in full gear, (narrow exit rails on the Teak Isle LOL). works fine, and exiting with tanks on works fine.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

How to best don sidemount gear on a boat definitely depends on how the boat's rigged. On the Peace (Channel Islands) it was easy to just clip everything in, walk to the gate, and GS into the water. The only hard part is that the gate isn't made for sidemount and you had to GS off sideways. No big deal. On smaller boats I will often clip in one tank, backroll off the boat, and have someone hand down the other tank to me once I'm in the water ... or just put it on a lanyard beforehand and clip it in once over the side. I've also clipped off both tanks when diving off a small RIB and backrolled in sans tanks ... but I prefer having a reg in my mouth when I enter the water, so if possible I'll use the one-tank approach.

The hardest boat I had to deal with was in the Great Lakes last year ... you had to climb over a motor cover and rail to reach the swim step at the back of the boat. At that point I swallowed my pride and just sat back on the rail once I was on the swim step and let the boat captain clip my tanks in place before GS'ing off the swim step. I could've probably wrestled with them myself, but figured I'd go with the simplest solution ... which was to let someone help me.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[otis24]

I haven't side mounted yet. This is on my list in about a year and a half or so. I like the idea of clipping the tanks to a line and attaching the tanks in the water rather than having someone hand them down to me. I'd be pretty afraid I might drop my tank. Is there anyway you can clip the tank off while the person handing it down still has a hold of it?

 

[Razorista]

...Is there anyway you can clip the tank off while the person handing it down still has a hold of it?

Only with a line and I would not trust anyone dangling something like that over my head... You either lower them into the water beforehand, or you grab the lower boltsnap while help on the boot holds the valve or the other way round - he will have to let go when the tank touches the water, though. Its quite easy to get a secure enough grip on it.

 

[otis24]

Only with a line and I would not trust anyone dangling something like that over my head... You either lower them into the water beforehand, or you grab the lower boltsnap while help on the boot holds the valve or the other way round - he will have to let go when the tank touches the water, though. Its quite easy to get a secure enough grip on it.

I think I'd feel better after practicing in a pool....like all things diving.

 

[bada3003]

Funny (and informative) post. I haven't sidemounted off a boat yet and am dreading a bit the logistics of it. I'll be doing some boat charters on Lake Michigan and my working assumption is that the crew/DM will be an interested observer. Having them hand off my tanks while in water sounds nice, but they may drop it or slip my heavily clad gloved fingers which is not a good thing when the bottom is 90+ feet. Using a line will help but that requires the crew's active participation. And those jet fins are a PITA to don with rock boots, esp. in water.