So why is my LDS so excited about sidemount all of a sudden?

[billgraham]

OK, I embrace SM but how in the heck can you say all that is easier than my way? I put on my BC, I get into the water, dive and then get out of the water. I have assisted SM divers putting on their tanks in the water beside the boat. I would never do that in rough seas.

I've never put tanks on in the water on a boat dive. I don't think I've even taken a bottom gas tank off to climb the ladder until recently, and that was with the sidemount ccr--I removed the dil tank and hung it on a drop line to climb a weird boat ladder. All this stuff, SM/BM, etc. seems dead easy to gear up in to me compared to the CCR.

When I was younger and dumber, I used to climb the ladder with two 95's and 2 40's (if it was flat). I'll bet my gear weighed as much as I did. At this point, I wouldn't do that in any configuration! I just found sidemount easier for me to deal with because I could do ANY dive without changing a darned thing except the mix and how much deco gas I was bringing.

 

[JamesK]

As others have said, trim is a skills issue. Any properly set up rig is easy to trim out. Of course any poorly set up rig will be impossible to get trim in. So proper setup, and proper skills.

Here are a couple pics
Single tank AL80 with a Beauchat back inflate BC


Dual AL80's w/ backplate wing





Side mount Faber 85's with drysuit and Manta wing


Sidemount dual AL80's in a UTD wing



Single tank SM with AL80 and UTD wing.

 

[gekodivebali]

Maybe instructors in your LDS are just really, sincerely loving diving sidemount. I would never have tried in the first place if a mate hadn't gotten through free ( but quality) instruction...
I don't sell gear at my dive shop (Indonesian import taxes!) and teaching 1 sidemount student does not pay compared to 4 open waters... The financial side of things has nothing to do with the reason why I recommend SM.
A lot of it has to do with what DevonDiver was saying:
-Ease of logistics and use on small dive boats ( although i have 3 twinsets). The sheer amount of space used by my twins made it tricky to dive on a boat used by recreational divers.
-Ease of doing tec dives anywhere i go. Try finding twins in Raja Ampat or Komodo... (Got some in Bali if you really like ;-)
-Feeling lighter than with twins. My wing always needs lots of gas even in shallow waters due to the weight of the kit with 0 lead with twins. This causes undue drag in the water. ( I know this may be different with cold water divers. Twins do not feel loke the right tool for warm waters, no expo suit)
-Getting out of the water without tanks is defo a plus when you consider DCS (yes, there are great crews in this part of the world who are happy to help you when you dive)
For the type of diving i do daily, SM works a lot better than BM be it BCD or BP/W, single tank or multiple...

 

[DevonDiver]

Maybe instructors in your LDS are just really, sincerely loving diving sidemount..

This IS a distinct possibility. Many that try sidemount, with good​ instruction, find it very compelling.

 

[Irene]

I'm considering side mount for two (well, two-and-a-half) reasons:

1: Better trim. The folks I've dove with who have used both and now dive SM say trim is better SM. makes sense to me; two weights (tanks), one on each side, seems inherently more stable than one weight (twinset) concentrated on the midline -- less tendency to roll.
.

Actually, getting good trim in SM is much more challenging. First, the tanks don't have the same amount of gas in them at any point in time, so you fight with each one having a bit of a mind of its own. (Since you breathe 1/6 down on one tank, then 1/3 on other one). You might have less tendency to roll (does anyone really roll in BM?), but you will waver off the right or left some without meaning to.....esp in the beginning.

Also, its very difficult to get them both to hang in the same way in the same place to be balanced. Any girl who has tried to make side ponytails (in her hair) knows how it sometimes takes many tries to get them even. Be prepared to spend several dives trying to find the sweet spot for you for strap/clip placement.

I'll just also add that when diving SM, you lose so much 'real estate' on the front of your body to hang things like extra lights on...this is especially true for women.

All in all, SM adds a lot of task loading to a dive...but is a great tool if you NEED it...otherwise, IMO, its not worth the hassle.

 

[rongoodman]

While I agree the SM involves a fair amount of tweeking to get set up properly, I don't see it presenting much additional task loading while actually in the water, especially in an open water environment where keeping enough gas to exit in each tank isn't a critical requirement,

 

[tracydr]

I think Steve Martin (whomever he is) has just pointed out everything wrong with the popularity of sidemount. All of those things (except 5) are gear solutions to skills problems.

1. I've never had problems getting a backplate and wing to fit comfortably. Granted, I've never tried a sidemount harness, so I can't speak to its comfort. All buoyancy devices take time and experience to fit properly.
2. As mentioned in your thread, it takes a tremendous amount of time to lower cylinders into the water. My boat carries 24 divers. We wouldn't have the last diver in before the first divers were coming back out. We won't handle your gear from boat to water or water to boat. If you can't jump off a boat fully kitted and get back on, you need to develop more skills....
3. If a site has currents you can't swim against backmount, do you really think sidemount will matter? It might, but I doubt it. Make it a drift dive or drink beer that day.
4. I may be all wrong, but the weight is the weight. I don't see trekkers carrying their kit on their hips with shoulder rigs, I see them with back packs on. I'm 50, and I just can't see how (on land) low and out to the sides is any easier than high and on the back.
5. I can't even justify this with a comment.

---------- Post added February 9th, 2013 at 03:30 PM ----------



I didn't at all take you to be an ass. I would be interested to see a diver rigged with an 80 on one side and a 40 or smaller on the other.

Somebody with back, neck or knee problems may be able to carry a single tank twice but not two tanks fused together. They also may not be able to maneuver on a rocking boat with doubles on their back but may find attaching two sidemount tanks in the water after jumping in doable. It does make sense for older divers or divers with certain disabilities who want to take up technical diving. Also, divers who can't reach valves behind their neck, makes sense for them, if they have rotator cuff injuries or other range of motion issues, to put valves at their sides where they can safely reach them.
I can see a lot of reasons for sidemount. Just not for everybody.
Certainly, it would be make sense on a hot drop for everybody to jump in with doubles back mounts quickly as possible.

---------- Post added June 30th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ----------

I agree on all but one point. How is a doubles diver taking more room on rec charter? Every rec trip I've done in doubles means I set up my gear once and do both dives on the same set. If I need more gas i add an AL80 to sling (and yes - I can climb a boat ladder in my LP104s and a slung 80). Adding the 80 still gives me the same bench profile as a 3 tank diver. I don't add space because my doubles take the same bench space as every other single tank diver swapping tanks between dives. I'd think set up and break down would actually make that diver more efficient.

Not being snide. Just asking. Maybe your rec doubles divers are Hoovers.

In CA, some boats fill your tanks while they sit in their tank bench. You only need to take one tank for a two tank dive and they quickly refill the tanks for the second dive.

 

[Johanan]

Just completed a Sidemount course with Garry Dallas and fully understand anyone who is enthusiastic about sidemount. Gave my BP&W to my wife.