My hose setup, am I close?

[stano]

Thank you. My point on the pool wasn't about complacency it was confirmation that yes I was going to test out my gear, work on buoyancy and trim and practice switching regs and getting comfortable with the rig.

My buddies are very experienced tech divers. I am still relatively a novice and am not afraid to admit it. When I had my free flow we handled it exactly as per sop. No issues. I am diving cold water all the time.

I came to the forum for some good advice and I have received that. All posts have been positive and provided me with good insight as to what sop are in sm. I am going this route primarily for the comfort of direct access to my equipment and the redundancy of the air supply. I am going to learn this system one way or the other. I appreciate the comments so far.

I agree also however that passing a tank does not seem to me to be a good option especially in OW. In a cave possibly the situation would be different but I am not cave diving...

Thanks
Stano

 

[Dive-aholic]

It's a worse idea in a cave. In OW you have direct access to the surface. In a cave you have several hundred to several thousand feet to swim before getting to the surface. The amount of time it takes to swap cylinders only causes more air to be depleted and less time to get out.

 

[Ste Wart]

It's a worse idea in a cave. In OW you have direct access to the surface. In a cave you have several hundred to several thousand feet to swim before getting to the surface. The amount of time it takes to swap cylinders only causes more air to be depleted and less time to get out.

Shouldn't this be part of the drill? Surely being attached to another diver; via the long hose, is slower than 2 divers free swimming. Couldn't you make up the time of the swap with swimming faster unhindered?

 

[Dive-aholic]

Swimming faster means higher RMV. Maintain a steady pace and your gas will last longer.

 

[BKP]

stano, like you, I'm first getting into sidemount now.

The more I learn, the more fascinated I am with its potential to expand my diving. However, I'm also finding the more I learn, the more questions I have, and the more mentoring/instruction I want, to point out all the specific nuances that a few hundred singles dives haven't taught me.

There are a few excellent articles on Rob's (Dive-aholic) site, beginning with hose lengths and routing, you might be interested in:
http://chipoladivers.com/category/sidemount/

Dive safe...

 

[Ste Wart]

Swimming faster means higher RMV. Maintain a steady pace and your gas will last longer.

True.

But faster meaning unhindered, surely more expeditious?

 

[Dive-aholic]

A good team can exit just as quickly whether tethered or not. I don't think you'll make up the time it takes to swap cylinders, even from a couple thoussand feet back.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

True.

But faster meaning unhindered, surely more expeditious?

Swimming faster is like driving faster ... you will get there quicker (if you get there at all), but you will use more gas to get there. Maintaining a steady pace will cover more distance for the available gas in your cylinder ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Ste Wart]

Swimming faster is like driving faster ... you will get there quicker (if you get there at all), but you will use more gas to get there. Maintaining a steady pace will cover more distance for the available gas in your cylinder ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That was not an answer to what I asked.

I asked do divers swim more efficiently attached to the long hose or individually?

It looks like the Side Mount community is split. I see some rigs with 2 short hoses and some with a long hose. It seems reasonable to assume that those diving with short hoses donate the cylinder, would it not?

 

[Dive-aholic]

No, it's not reasonable to assume that. Many who dive with 2 short hoses either do most of their dives solo or only with other sidemount divers. With 2 independent cylinders there is almost zero chance that a diver will need to get air from another diver if proper gas management is being done. Ask all of the short hose divers how many ever practice cylinder swaps and you will get a very low positive response, if anyone does it at all. And a cylinder swap can only be efficient if it is practiced with the same partner. Trying to swap with an unpracticed partner will not go smoothly.