Only one type of gear? Why limit yourself?

[The Chairman]

I'm sorry, I'm a free market capitalist

Capitalist Scuba Pig!

The funny part is apparently, if you don't glowingly support side mounting without a single caveat, you must be against it. I'll have to remember that!

 

[Lemuzzon]

Of all the recreational activities I take part in, I find scuba divers are by far the most opinionated when it comes to equipment.

 

[Rhone Man]

Of all the recreational activities I take part in, I find scuba divers are by far the most opinionated when it comes to equipment.

I am pretty laissez faire when it comes to dive gear.

Except for pink sh!t.

 

[Lemuzzon]

Don't even get me started on the pink sh!t........pink sports jerseys in particular

 

[Patoux01]

The funny part is apparently, if you don't glowingly support side mounting without a single caveat, you must be against it. I'll have to remember that!

You know damn well that's not the case...

I haven't met a single condition in which I'd have been better served by diving in backmount, yet according to this article, wrecks and short/shallow dives are two of those. Too bad I did both, and single tank is what I did most.

 

[kr2y5]

Let's explore the opposite direction, just for the kicks. Assuming unlimited funds, and, just for a second, suspending any potential concerns about the negative impact on gear familiarity as a result of changing gear too often, what in your opinion would be the optimal composition of the diver's toolbox, specifically? Separate cold- and warm-water sidemount kits, multiple sets of back-mounted manifolded doubles with wings of varying sizes, a singles setup, a rebreather? More than one rebreather? Independent doubles? Jacket BCD? What would provide incremental benefits, however small, and what would be 100% superfluous?

 

[kelemvor]

Let's explore the opposite direction, just for the kicks. Assuming unlimited funds, and, just for a second, suspending any potential concerns about the negative impact on gear familiarity as a result of changing gear too often, what in your opinion would be the optimal composition of the diver's toolbox, specifically? Separate cold- and warm-water sidemount kits, multiple sets of back-mounted manifolded doubles with wings of varying sizes, a singles setup, a rebreather? More than one rebreather? Independent doubles? Jacket BCD? What would provide incremental benefits, however small, and what would be 100% superfluous?

If money were no object, this would be the ideal configuration for a shallow reef like winch hole in Key Largo.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

And lastly, @JohnnyC , dude, what is your problem? Yes, @Richard FDC ,IMHO, was wrong in his article, but it wasn't like he abused your dog!

... there are those, particularly among cave divers, who learned their social skills on rec.scuba. You learn, after a while, not to take it personally ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Of all the recreational activities I take part in, I find scuba divers are by far the most opinionated when it comes to equipment.

I've found a certain percentage of strongly opinionated personalities in virtually every recreational activity I've gotten involved in ... diving, skiing, sailing (particularly among sailboat racers), bicycling (Critical Mass, anyone?), even hikers/backpackers ... in every activity there are those who are convinced that they, and only they, have all the answers. The rest of us just need to relax and indulge them. They're driven by a desire to be "the best" at what they do ... the rest of us just want to have a bit of fun ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[The Chairman]

You know damn well that's not the case...

I haven't met a single condition in which I'd have been better served by diving in backmount, yet according to this article, wrecks and short/shallow dives are two of those. Too bad I did both, and single tank is what I did most.

So, because it's good for you, it MUST be the right choice for everyone? Did he suggest that side mount should be banned from such dives? No. Not even close. Have you dove the wrecks he dove on? Have you been on the boats he has been on? Unless you can positively say "yes" to that, then you really can't make the assertion that he's "wrong", can you? Even then, how does that make his entire piece anti-side mount? He has a different opinion of yours about the usefulness of a tool in the tool box. Hell, I cringe when I see someone break out an adjustable wrench to work on a regulator. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Like you, they think it works just fine. However, I've seen too many rounded corners and such to even believe this lie. It's why I carry both metric and fractional wrenches as well as sockets with the appropriate drivers with me when I dive. Those who use only one system for all their diving needs are just like those using an adjustable or "fitsall" wrench to us. There are better solutions. Does it work for you? Fine. It's not acceptable for us on many levels. You may never fully understand our "use the right tool" because you're too busy justifying your "fitsall" solution and calling us wrong. Dive and let dive.