Mike1967
Contributor
In what, single BM?Take AN/DP first
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In what, single BM?Take AN/DP first
Protec is a great op, and will get you dialed in sidemount. That said for PNW diving I would want HP100s/130s depending on the dive, and Protec will not be teaching you to carry heavy steals.
My suggestion, is get dialed in sidemount by Protec and then find a sidemount instructor/mentor in PNW to get you dialed with heavy tanks. The X-Deep will do both with no problem. Once you know how to use both and how to rig and carry deco bottles, it does not matter what config your instructor is using.
My Trimix instructor was backmount, that just meant I had to dial all the rigging in myself. Sidemounting.com was a big help for this and I suggest going through their videos.
where are you in WA @MrBlenny ?Thanks, I just placed an order for HP117's with my local shop, so I will have some steels to play with. There aren't too many SM instructors up here that I've found, but I'm getting to know a couple of tec divers who use the Stealth, so hopefully they will be willing to let me tag along on a few dives... My goal is to get 75+ dives in SM before returning to ProTec in 2021 for AN/DP. It would be nice to find some other SM divers as well, but my local shop doesn't do helium, so not too many advanced folks stopping in.
where are you in WA @MrBlenny ?
AN/DP with no helium in Washington is <ugh> maybe ok at the most friendly sites. But you will struggle to find deep air buddies and being in SM won't make it any easier. You can upgrade your AN/DP at protec to include a modest amount of helium though and I would highly recommend that. That way you can at least dive a reasonable gas at home and won't alienate potential buddies - even if you have to drive a ways to get the gas.