Training on Different System

[bamafan]

The SMS's suck for al80's. The wing covers up the waist belt so there is no way to do low and high d'rings. You can hook the tank to the door handle then move to a low d'ring but that shifts the tank forward. I had an SMS 100 and took a sm class from Edd Sorenson. I am completely aware of what the SMS will do. Another issue with the SMS or any oher bc that has the wing under the door handles is that as you fill the bladder at some point the door handles rise. With steel tanks as your ballast the tanks will be level and the diver will drop their knees to compensate. The internet is littered with videos and pictures of this.

My point about a cavern or fundies type class is that I assumed the op didn't have a lot of experience and that they would be better served by learning how to properly dive. This may or may not be the case but just taking a sidemount class from some unspecified instructor who will only teach in a Hollis rig just sounds like a bad idea to me. Sidemount isn't complicated just like diving isn't but I feel that people should learn the proper way of diving before moving onto more complicated things like sidemount.

 

[JBFG]

thanx for that.
My diving is pretty good actually. It’s not tech level yet but I’m not there nor am i looking for tech diving. I have experience in overhead environment (Ice dive) and my buancy is really good. Someone my regular dive friends here are cave instructors and they don’t have a problem with me diving with them.
So I’m not interested in fundies at this time. I want to switch to SM, learn to dice that and after than continue forward with my diving skills.

 

[bamafan]

If someone recommends putting weights on Al80's to use with a Florida style rig definitely run from them.

 

[JBFG]

Yeah I hear you about the weight. That sounds to me as a quick fix instead of learning the right way

 

[DevonDiver]

There's a few significant principle differences between learning on Florida-cave and Mexico-cave style rigs. Training on one style would potentially leave you under-educated for using the other. I see lots of divers struggling with getting efficiency on Mexico-style rigs and aluminum cylinders because they only learned principles for Florida-style rigs and steel cylinders.

There are some critical concepts in making a Mexico-style rig efficient and optimal...especially for aluminum cylinder diving. You won't learn those key concepts from diving a Florida style rig.... and many Florida-style rig instructors are unaware of the finer details necessary.

Their 'quick-fix' (and I consider it a rip-off) is to have the student put weights onto aluminum tanks. Basically... trying to replicate the buoyancy of steel tanks.... so that they can get away with using a steel tank approach and not teach how to dive properly with aluminum cylinders. It's also the given work-around used for some (most.?) Florida style rigs that really cannot be used efficiently or effectively for aluminum cylinder diving.

"Making it work" does not constitute creating an efficient and optimal rig that minimizes task loading and complexity...or intuitively empowers good performance in the water.

Here's my rule-of-thumb.... if an instructor was willing to train you on a Hollis (Florida-style rig) KNOWING that you'd subsequently be using an XDeep (Mexico-style).... then they're either ignorant of the differences, or just careless about properly preparing you for the sidemount diving you are seeking to do. Either of those reasons would be a red-flag for me.

Some sidemount instructors offer a range of rigs for use in training... and know how to configure those rigs for the diving you'll be doing (breadth of knowledge and training). Others may be very specialized for the specific regional approaches.... and there's nothing wrong with that either (provided they don't pass off that specialism as being applicable for other regions or styles of sidemount).

There's less issues in training with a different brand of the same style rig. You could train on a Razor or Apeks, for instance, and learn the key principles needed to configure an XDeep. Same is true for training on a Hollis, then later configuring a HOG, Halcyon or DiveRite rig... But you would miss out on the brand/design specific tweaks and fine-details (if the instructor knew them)... that gives you an added extra when it comes to having the most optimized and efficient setup.

 

[JBFG]

I was thinking about supplementing this lesson afterwards with Steve martin’s videos. Is that a descent idea? I will definitely asked xdeep if thei have an instructor around La Romana

 

[DevonDiver]

I was thinking about supplementing this lesson afterwards with Steve martin’s videos. Is that a descent idea? I will definitely asked xdeep if thei have an instructor around La Romana

I'd suggest getting the videos in advance. Go to your training with a clear idea of what's meant to be achieved. They're expensive, but very beneficial.

 

[bamafan]

If you are going to the DR check with Victoria at VIP divers. She is dive buddies with Patrick at Protec Playa. She will hook you up on the Stealth and any training you want.

VIP Divers dive center. Diving in Dominican Republic.

 

[decompression]

If only there was a guy in Victoria that dives and teaches xdeep........

 

[JBFG]

I know Jay! But i'm moving the other direction