Side mount or Side mount? Which is a better option?

[The Chairman]

I got to go to Madison Blue Springs today at the invite of Scooter Sellers and Chris Richardson and it was an eye opener. I brought my Side Mount kit (still missing hoses) as well as backmount. The four divers that comprised the instructors and class were all backmount so I made no effort to change over (even though Chris had brought the missing pieces).

Almost everyone else there was diving SIDE MOUNT! Gee whiz! Out of the 12 other people diving that system, only ONE was wearing backmount. It was amazing to see this system that had rather humble beginnings, be the resounding choice for vast majority of cave divers today. What's more? All of the side mount divers were in Dive Rite's Nomad system. I was the only one with a gangsta set up, and as I said: I opted for back inflate.

My initial impressions on what I saw?

• Flexibility: Just say "no" to standardization! I saw all manner of things we would be crying stroke at a couple of years ago. Big suicide clips for the tanks. Rubber tank straps. I saw two with their long hose on the left tank. Weights laced into the should webbing. Multiple D-rings coming and going. There are no more rules as improvisation has taken over with side mount.
• Pioneer Spirit: These divers were on an adventure! The spirit was contagious and many had driven (or flown) great distances to be a part of this discovery.
• Broken People: Side mounting has opened the door to divers with back, knee and ankle disabilities, be they temporary or permanent. I know that my ankle issues are what are motivating me.
• Acceptance: No, you don't have to dive like George Irvine III any longer! No one was trying to prove a thing and there was little judgment at all. OK, we did get a dirty look when one of the students silted out the cave a bit. But no one was begruged their gear choice by the traditionalists. No mutterings of "stroke" under anyone's breath. It was a wholesome experience and I welcome it!

BTW: I was WAY impressed with Scooter Sellers' methodology in teaching. Very thorough and patient. I wasn't taking the class and I came away with some new ideas! Good job!

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

There is nothing you can do with backmount, that you can't do with sidemount. The same can't be said the other way.

That being said, sidemount isn't always the optimal setup.





Atleast, thats the way I see it. *shrugs*

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Personally, I think sidemount is often a status thing. Sort of like getting the "cool" and "different" status of a rebreather without spending 10K.

Side mount is great in those places where you need it, or for divers who can no longer haul doubles in and out of unimproved sinks.

Madison Blue has a lot of low areas, but sidemount is overkill.

Back mount is a lot cleaner in my opinion and should still be the default unless you really need sidemount for the majority of dives you do.

I also agree that some of the side mount rigs out there are pretty Rube Golderg'esque in terms of configuration.

 

[The Chairman]

I also agree that some of the side mount rigs out there are pretty Rube Golderg'esque in terms of configuration.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[svyper]

Can you pls explain how sidemount helps people with ankle/back/etc problems ? Thx.

 

[wjefferis]

I tried out my new Nomad at Jackson Blue Springs today an I absolutely love it. Not because it is "cool and different" but because it makes alot of sense to me. If you have a problem (roll-off, valve failure, etc) in back mounted doubles you have to reach behing your back and do valve drills trying to figure out where the problem is while loosing precious air. If I have that same problem in side mount I can easily identify it and shut down the problem. Also If that valve is damaged, but still gives out air, I can turn the valve on and off to keep breathing from it (you can't do that in backmounted doubles). Another benefit for me diving sidemount was I noticed that this was the first dive I can remember not having a little back pain after the dive. I think that there is a distinct reason that many divers are choosing sidemount over doubles. I think that the safety factors that sidemount offers may eventually cause doubles to take a back seat in cave country.

 

[wjefferis]

Can you pls explain how sidemount helps people with ankle/back/etc problems ? Thx.

The weight of the tanks are not on your back. I normally have a little back pain after a dive and after diving sidemount today there was nothing. I am not sure how sidemount would help your ankles though .

 

[bamamedic]

I guess it would help your ankles because you're not having to carry 100+ lbs of gear on your back while trying to navigate potentially tricky terrain on your way to the water.

Much easier to carry one cylinder at a time! (although more time consuming)

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

"Back mount is a lot cleaner in my opinion and should still be the default unless you really need sidemount for the majority of dives you do." DA Aquamaster

I would love to hear you expand on this. Cleaner? How so? Once you get your sidemount rig where you want it, it is as clean as backmount and much more user friendly. I can swim 50-60 fpm in Hole in the Wall in sidemount with an al 80 stage. I can manage reg problems (Mat, ShirleyK and Forrest W have seen me do this), and go places large and small on the same dive. Most time I hear clean, people seem to refer to how it appears to look. A pressed uniform does not a soldier make. I have seem some "pretty" back mounters make a real mess when they should not, but their gear looked "clean".

I think you are right that it has been caught up in cult / fad status. But I also think it is a more practical system once the individual diver has their rig the way they want it and is proficient with it. It is much easier on river (cave) dives out of a boat, ask Michael Browning. His doubles sucked. In a place like Cow it is safer. Orange grove, lighter load for the long walk. My back and ankles will last longer by carrying lighter loads, even though I will make a few more trips.

I can't fathom that backmount is "cleaner" in a real life practical sense of the term. Having said that, backmount is an easier system for sure. Being able to back up to a set of tanks and be ready to dive in a minute is nice. The extra four or five minutes it takes to gear up in sidemount isn't a problem either. If taskloading isn't for a person then backmounting is a better system but I am not convinced it is any cleaner in a real life (where it will matter) sense of the term. What makes backmount cleaner?

 

[The Chairman]

If taskloading isn't for a person then backmounting is a better system

Actually, if taskloading isn't for a person, then they shouldn't be in a cave. But you're right... I don't buy the "cleaner" comment. Backmounting is more traditional, sure. But you have the same gear (except for the isolator bar) and the same diver. Except for having to change regs every 300 psi, everything else is simply the same or easier!

However, reducing the total amount of weight you carry at one time does reduce the strenuous exercise needed to dive caves. This physical stressor is something that is good to limit, especially on extraction, where this type of activity can cause bubbling.

I can't tell you how many times I have overheard: "I'm gettin' too old for this $#@&!" when a caver puts on a large set of doubles. Brethren, this ought not to be!

I hope to have my rig fully operational by this weekend... just in time for the Florida Dive Show, where I won't get to use it at all!