Is UTD still a "fringe" organization?

[p_kos]

My favorite video for restowing, with a mostly one-handed method. It also helps to have gripper tabs on the hose bands to make lifting the band easier. And the tabs rotated to where you will need them.
Though restowing in backmount is vastly simpler. So simple as to barely warrant mentioning as a task.

There is definitely more faff involved with sidemount. I've learned to take a knee while kitting or dekitting so the tank I'm unclipping can rest on the thigh instead of my having to hold it and clip it.

Looking up by fully arching the back was a joy for me to discover.

That video is impressive but I have yet to see it personally. Watching this drill being done in dry gloves with thick liners at the end of a dive in 34F water would be hilarious, especially with the side-mount skill level you typically find where I dive.

 

[MichaelMc]

That video is impressive but I have yet to see it personally. Watching this drill being done in dry gloves with thick liners at the end of a dive in 34F water would be hilarious, especially with the side-mount skill level you typically find where I dive.

My first attempts were with wetgloves in low-50s water. It is smooth now in the pool gloveless. We'll see about the ocean again and with cold hands soon.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My favorite video for restowing, with a mostly one-handed method. It also helps to have gripper tabs on the hose bands to make lifting the band easier. And the tabs rotated to where you will need them.
Though restowing in backmount is vastly simpler. So simple as to barely warrant mentioning as a task.

There is definitely more faff involved with sidemount. I've learned to take a knee while kitting or dekitting so the tank I'm unclipping can rest on the thigh instead of my having to hold it and clip it.

Looking up by fully arching the back was a joy for me to discover. There are often fish up there.

That's a really nice video. I will admit though having much greater difficulty with dry gloves with thick insulation.

 

[rjack321]

it blows my mind that UTD thinks a better solution to that is turning tank valves on and off...

Don't forget you can't confirm what you are breathing in an instant anymore either.

I know of more OOAs and more mistaken gas switches on the z manifold than any other system/way

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Don't forget you can't confirm what you are breathing in an instant anymore either.

I know of more OOAs and more mistaken gas switches on the z manifold than any other system/way

Any incidents of someone toxing as a result? I know the population of tech divers using this is pretty low, so it could be none. But there is definitely a risk of not quickly knowing.

 

[rjack321]

Any incidents of someone toxing as a result? I know the population of tech divers using this is pretty low, so it could be none. But there is definitely a risk of not quickly knowing.

Didnt Tox, was eventually caught. There are too many people in the Z system that are not that adept at even normal switch protocols and the Z makes it harder to confirm and impossible to double check later.

 

[Coztick]

All you have to do is watch divers in a mixed group of back-mount and side-mount getting ready for a dive to see that the point of side-mount is not simplicity, and that contrast continues underwater (switching regs to keep gas balance, readjusting Al tank position as buoyancy changes, etc). The primary point of side-mount is to get you where back-mount cannot underwater (low overhead restrictions). Secondary points may include being unable to dive back-mount comfortably, wanting redundancy travelling to places where all you can do is rent Al80s, preferring the trim/balance of side-mount, etc. Simplicity, not so much.

All you have to do is watch any group of divers gearing up to know the point of Scuba is not simplicity.
All OC divers use very similar gear in a slightly different manner. SM is virtually the same an independent BM whether singles or doubles.
We have all put in too much time and money to have convention dictate are choices. You strap yours to your back if you want. I'll clip mine to my sides, thanks.

 

[MichaelMc]

SM is virtually the same an independent BM whether singles or doubles.

As a sidemount diver, I find kitting up and down in sidemount more involved than strapping on a back mount rig. How the regulators work may be the same, but managing the kit around the regulators is more involved.

Prepping the gear on the bench is fairly similar.
Managing it on me is more involved.

I prefer diving sidemount, but it is more involved.

 

[Coztick]

As a sidemount diver, I find kitting up and down in sidemount more involved than strapping on a back mount rig. How the regulators work may be the same, but not managing the kit around the regulators.

I guess there's a little more detail to attend to while setting up...
Bungees on the cylinder(s)
Set the angle and height of the bolt. snaps.
Stow the long hose...
I guess we both find it worthwhile!
The only time sensitive part I can think of is splash time off a boat.
Everyone starts wiggling backwards into their rigs and buckling, adjusting while we are already harnessed, so clipping in is comparable.
The LAST thing I'm doing is sacrificing comfort for convenience!

Cheers!

 

[p_kos]

All you have to do is watch any group of divers gearing up to know the point of Scuba is not simplicity.
All OC divers use very similar gear in a slightly different manner. SM is virtually the same an independent BM whether singles or doubles.
We have all put in too much time and money to have convention dictate are choices. You strap yours to your back if you want. I'll clip mine to my sides, thanks.

Not sure what you’re arguing here, I wasn’t saying one is better than the other. My original comment was in disagreement with someone who stated that SM is “far more simple” than BM. I found his argument unfounded based on the reasons I provided. Do you disagree? And if so, why specifically?