Status of Left Lean and Right Rich Philosophy in B/M Open Circuit Technical Diving

[rjack321]

I would not have asked if I have not have seen it?

Seen what? people struggling to attach 2 bottles? I have no idea what you've seen, you have never posted or described any of your technical diving experience so how are we to know?

3ft chop is really nothing - even in my RIB which only 16ft long.

 

[ND5342]

Same, I sidemount my BOs with a backmounted CCR. LLRR even. It is quite a bit more annoying in every respect than OC doubles with 2 left mounted conventional stages which is a piece of cake. 100% agree that access to pockets is a special kind of pita.

There are not too many captains that I know who are going to want you to hang bottles off their boat in 2-3 ft swells here in New England but I appreciate your response.

Kinda why sidemount is not very popular around here except from shore.

 

[ND5342]

Seen what? people struggling to attach 2 bottles? I have no idea what you've seen, you have never posted or described any of your technical diving experience so how are we to know?

3ft chop is really nothing - even in my RIB which only 16ft long.

People attaching two cylinders to their left side in a small boat with no easy access to the swim platform. I do not see what my technical diving experience has to do with the question.

I have dove out of a RIB. It is not the same as diving out of a small charter boat especially in rough seas.

.

 

[flymolo]

Same, I sidemount my BOs with a backmounted CCR. LLRR even. It is quite a bit more annoying in every respect than OC doubles with 2 left mounted conventional stages which is a piece of cake. 100% agree that access to pockets is a special kind of pita.

yeah, not sure how i forgot to mention pockets but they are indeed special

People attaching two cylinders to their left side in a small boat with no easy access to the swim platform.

It's not that bad. You just need to be careful not to crush anything while you're halfway over and straddling the transom.

 

[stuartv]

How do you find suiting up with two large cylinders on a six pack size boat and no tuna door to step through to the swim platform in 2-3ft swells?

I have not (yet) experienced all of those factors that you mentioned, all at the same time.

But, when diving with 2 x AL80 (plus CCR or BM doubles), I generally get them clipped to me while I'm still sitting in my spot on the boat. I don't think I'd do any differently if I was about to back roll off the side instead of standing up and walking to the stern. I was even on a 6 pack up in the Saint Lawrence once where the entry procedure was actually to front roll off the side of the boat, instead of a back roll. The boat captain didn't want people chipping his paint or gel coat or whatever by hitting the bottoms of their tanks on the gunwale when rolling off backwards.

I like entry with both on the left better than entry with one on each side because I can control both on the left with just my left hand while I splash. Preserving my right hand to make sure I don't lose my mask.

I have yet to ever splash with 3 BO/deco cylinders. So far, dives with 3 have allowed me to stage 2 of them in the water on a gear line, so I only had to splash with one on and then clip the other 2 on after I got in.

 

[rjack321]

People attaching two cylinders to their left side in a small boat with no easy access to the swim platform.

Happens all the time.

If I can do it solo on a 16ft RIB in 3+ft swells with no mate or any help at all anyone can. It is absolutely no harder than putting an 80 on each side - which I also do just only for CCR dives.

Although 2x 80s for an OC doubles dive is kind of silly. A normal loadout for a single OC deco dive with 2 deco bottles would be an 80 of 50% and a 40 of o2. You don't need an 80 of 02.

In theory you might have an 80 of bottom gas and an 80 as a deco bottle if you were stretching a single set of smaller doubles over 2 dives for the day.

 

[stuartv]

Happens all the time.

If I can do it solo on a 16ft RIB in 3+ft swells with no mate or any help at all anyone should be able to.

FTFY.

I have been on boats where "the sidemount diver" couldn't even get his own primary tanks clipped on without help...

 

[PfcAJ]

Same except my RIB is too small to support 3 bottle OC+scooter dives.

For a typical 2 bottle dive I would clip on the 50% on the left, backroll in, and pick up a 40 hanging on a tag line and attach it in the water. Or put the 40 on while sitting on the tube (on the left) roll in and grab the scooter off the tag line. Its possible to put all three things on while in the boat - just not usually ideal since there's only one person driving it and no mate.

tag line makes everything easy. Not feasible in 4kt gulfstream current though. When we did that 360' sinkhole in the gulf I put everything on in the water except my rebreather. Leisure.

 

[rjack321]

FTFY.

I have been on boats where "the sidemount diver" couldn't even get his own primary tanks clipped on without help...

well it happens to everyone sometimes

 

[rjack321]

tag line makes everything easy. Not feasible in 4kt gulfstream current though. When we did that 360' sinkhole in the gulf I put everything on in the water except my rebreather. Leisure.

Yeah there are definitely some sites where I can't use tag lines. But they tend to be the minority here.