27lbs or 32lbs Lift Capacity

[scubadiver888]

@robertalmario I think people are recommending things like the XDeep or something else because OMS appears to be trying to be that one system that lets you do three different systems. My experience has been, when someone creates a system which replaces multiple other systems, it does not do a great job at any one of those systems it is replacing.

Looking at the video from DEMA it looks like it might be okay for replacing a BP/W with a single tank. Without the plate however, the tank might be a little floppy. If you get the plate than you are losing how it is really light for travel.

I have a Hollis 25 lb wing with an aluminum plate for diving in warm water. The wing has built in tank stabilizers and doesn't really move around much with the aluminum plate. I could probably use a toddy system to turn it into a sidemount but it wouldn't be a good sidemount. Doing this is usually recommended if you already have a BP/W set up and want to save some money. I personally think I could go down a few pounds when diving with a 3mm wetsuit. I've used my kit without a wetsuit and it was still fine with only 25 lbs if lift.

If I was buying new, I'd go with a real sidemount system. If I wanted to do a single tank then I'd do what is called monkey diving (diving a sidemount system with a single tank). Even though I'm not buying new, I have purchased an XDeep sidemount system. I plan on using it for a year or two in order to see if I like using it for sidemount and monkey diving. If I find I like using it every place I dive then I'll get rid of my BP/W system.

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm planning to but OMS IQ Lite with OMS Sidemount Adapter so that I can use it for single tank or side mount.

I'm 5'7 in height and 70kgs in weight. What is the advisable lift capacity for me? 27lbs or 32lbs Lift Capacity?

I will use it in warm water (Asia & Red Sea).

If you're on a budget, you cannot beat the Deco Sidemount. It's perfect for warm-water diving with twin AL80 or AL100.

22lbs is more than adequate, unless your weighting is terrible. At circa $250...it's a total bargain. It's made by Oxycheq also (although they don't advertise that fact). I've got a few, for recreational diving and as redundant bladders.

If you've got more money to spend, get an XDeep Stealth Rec or Tec. That's gotten my recommendation as best all-round warm-water/Mexican style rig on the market for several years now.

The OMS system is pretty much horrific, especially as a warm water, aluminium cylinder rig. It'll never work properly for warm water diving and you'll never appreciated and realise the full benefits of sidemount diving by using it. (I used to use the OMS Profile adaptor with a 60lb wing for trimix diving, before any better alternatives were available in Asia, so I speak from significant experience)

 

[DevonDiver]

I plan on using it for a year or two in order to see if I like using it for sidemount and monkey diving. If I find I like using it every place I dive then I'll get rid of my BP/W system.

You *should* appreciate the benefits from the first time you get in the water... IF you've got a legitimately credible sidemount instructor whose shown you how to configure the rig optimally.

Far too many sidemount divers waste hundreds of hours in-water struggling to get comfortable to the point where they can start appreciating the benefits of the system. Seriously, it should take 5 minutes....

 

[Coztick]

my opinion is that system is horrible for what you want to do........maybe consider something like this:
Alpha/Delta Hybrid Trim Device - Black Camo 2018 version - 30lbs/14kg · UTD Scuba Diving

Add a softplate and some webbing and you've got an excellent backmount rig and a very good sidemount rig. I have several of them in my rental fleet because they change so quickly and easily from BM to SM, have adjustable lift and are built very well.

This wing is ideal for your stated purpose.
No need for an adaptor.
A bm wing will not give you lift where you need it for sm.
The alpha/delta was designed to do both without compromise.
There are others that can do both, but the utd is the most travel friendly.

 

[scubadiver888]

You *should* appreciate the benefits from the first time you get in the water... IF you've got a legitimately credible sidemount instructor whose shown you how to configure the rig optimally.

Far too many sidemount divers waste hundreds of hours in-water struggling to get comfortable to the point where they can start appreciating the benefits of the system. Seriously, it should take 5 minutes....

First, thank you for your blog. I gathered a LOT of great information from it. It helped me figure out how to find a good instructor and what I should be learning as they teach me sidemount. Nice thing here is I have 17 foot pool (PanAm games pool) to practice all my different configurations. Pool is fresh water, local diving is fresh water, cenotes are fresh water. Might need a little tweaking for ocean diving (one dive).

What I am wondering about is some exits I do might be harder with sidemount. My current instructor does sidemount on 99% of the dives I do. One he doesn't do are drift dives in the fast current rivers around here.

For example, a drift dive I do ends in a river with around 4 levels of 4 foot stones. They are slightly sloped. With a BP/W I can crawl up the stones. I'll have to figure out how I'm going to get out of that with sidemount. Here is the shot from Google Streetview:

Those white stones are around 16 feet high.

Darrell

 

[DevonDiver]

A hypothetical solution, as I've not got first hand knowledge of the site mentioned...

I'd probably approach this exit by removing the cylinders in water. You even do this underwater, in anticipation of the exit. Totally remove both cylinders, just keeping your short hose reg in your mouth. Hit the shore and push both tanks out ahead of you. Climb the bank unencumbered, hauling one, or both, cylinders as is easiest.

That's how I'd normally exit at the shore, in a range of conditions. I'd very rarely walk (or crawl) out with the cylinders attached.

 

[scubadiver888]

A hypothetical solution, as I've not got first hand knowledge of the site mentioned...

I'd probably approach this exit by removing the cylinders in water. You even do this underwater, in anticipation of the exit. Totally remove both cylinders, just keeping your short hose reg in your mouth. Hit the shore and push both tanks out ahead of you. Climb the bank unencumbered, hauling one, or both, cylinders as is easiest.

That's how I'd normally exit at the shore, in a range of conditions. I'd very rarely walk (or crawl) out with the cylinders attached.

Thanks for the suggestions. This summer, I'm going to see how things go. The granite blocks go way under the water line. So I usually get up on the first row of blocks just below the water surface. It is the blocks above water that are a real pain to climb up.

I'm hoping there will be spots flat enough I can lay the cylinders down and bring them up slowly. My big worry is as I bring up one cylinder the other cylinder rolls into the water and disappears.

Worst case, I'll have my buddy climb up, remove their gear then come back and help me with the tanks. The blocks are huge granite blocks from a nearby quarry. They brought them to ensure the banks of the river don't collapse in. The St. Clair River is a river which connects the Great Lakes. They put the granite there to keep the channel open for commercial vessels. I don't think they had scuba divers in mind when they built it.

Your method is what I plan on doing for the Niagara River. There are exit points for the Niagara River are just grass and mud. Pushing a tank up there seems feasible.

I'll also have to consider getting out of the river when the bank is covered with snow and ice. I'm thinking I'll just skip sidemount river diving in the winter. I guess you don't deal with surface temps of -16C and water temps of 2C in the Philippines.

 

[DevonDiver]

I guess you don't deal with surface temps of -16C and water temps of 2C in the Philippines.

Haha.. nope. 80f feels icy enough for me nowadays. But I do remember years of diving in genuinely freezing temps in the UK. We just have regular typhoons to contend with here in the Philippines

 

[robertalmario]

Thank you so much @scubadiver888 and idol Andy Davis @DevonDiver for your inputs.

I bought OMS 27lbs that i will use for recreational diving and i will buy either Hollis SMS50 or Xdeep sidemount or same what Andy mentioned on his site.