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Sidemounting...what is it? Who does it?


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#1 WreckWench

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 10:14 AM

Hey gang! I'd love for this group to discuss the pros and cons as they see it of sidemounting tanks. Please describe what it is and who usually does it and why its gaining in popularity! And it is gaining in popularity. A very dear friend of mine is headed to Florida to do his sidemounted instructor training so he can teach side mounted tech diving.

Please keep the discussion open and civil. Thank you! kamala

p.s. anyone want to venture into the pros and cons of sidemounting vs backmounting?

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#2 peterbj7

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 11:21 AM

It's a valid technique with valid applications. I've done it for cave diving, and there are often situations there where it's the only sensible approach. In the open ocean I find it less convenient than back mount with no obvious benefits so I don't do it. I do quite often carry clipped-on sidemounted tanks, but I'm sure that's not what you mean.

#3 ScubaDadMiami

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Posted 23 January 2009 - 03:02 PM

Sidemounting is simply the act of clipping tanks onto the user's side instead of the back. The origin is from cave diver practice. Often, the bedding planes of rock erode in such a way that they create very wide horizontal slits but very narrow vertical clearance. Cave divers cannot easily pass through these passages with tanks on their backs. So, they developed the system of attaching tanks onto the diver's side in order to be able to dive these passages. The system works very well for those who are trained to use is properly. (Please do not try these techniques without the proper training.)

Sidemount divers will use their tanks like divers of the past (occasionally, some still do) used double backmounted independent tanks. They start the dive off breathing from one tank, and then they switch to the second. They alternate between the tanks during the dive in order to always have enough gas to return from the dive in the event that either tank fails.

These days, a lot of rebreather divers are also using sidemounting techniques for carrying their emergency open circuit tanks along on their rebreather dives. This makes good sense given that the rebreather divers already have the rebreather units on their backs, and they need a place to carry the emergency open circuit tanks along on their dives.
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#4 Dive_Girl

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Posted 11 May 2010 - 09:40 PM

Guess who is coming to town this month to teach a group of our dive pros (including me) sidemount?? OTWDiver!! Woot woot! We are trying to sneak in a fun deep wall dive if time permits. Fingers crossed!
It's Winter time - you know you're a diver when you're scraping ice off your windshield INSIDE your vehicle...!

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#5 drbill

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Posted 12 May 2010 - 09:18 AM

I'd consider it if I ever dove in caves or other tight places... which I don't!

#6 Scubatooth

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Posted 12 May 2010 - 12:55 PM

I first saw sidemount in Bonaire last year when I saw OTWdiver and UWFan diving the OMS Prototype, at the same time i was taking my extended range. Sidemount was really appealing because I had always had problems in doubles due to not being able to get to my valves easily (Bill was doing valve drills in less then 20 seconds eadily and i was struggling to get it done in 30 seconds).

I took the sidemount class with OTWdiver in SC at Lake Jocassee out of curiosity more then anything, but after a couple of dives it really changed my mind and thinking on my tec diving, but as time does on it seems to fit into most of the diving Im doing. Now does this mean i will give up backmounted tanks, probably only for singles. The biggest one that is changing my thinking on my diving is my recent back injury as with back mounted tanks lifting that much weight isnt a option right now as im restricted to ~15 lbs as any more then that my back lets me know thats not a good idea. With backmounted tanks i would have to get someone to put my rig in the water then get into it, and in the past i have had issues with not being able to get in the BC and have it snugged right. Where with sidemount I can set up all the tanks with the right hardware and then have someone put them over the side, so all i have to do is put on my harness and jump in the water and then strap on the tanks and go for the dive.

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#7 georoc01

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Posted 12 May 2010 - 01:48 PM

I first saw sidemount in Bonaire last year when I saw OTWdiver and UWFan diving the OMS Prototype, at the same time i was taking my extended range. Sidemount was really appealing because I had always had problems in doubles due to not being able to get to my valves easily (Bill was doing valve drills in less then 20 seconds eadily and i was struggling to get it done in 30 seconds).

I took the sidemount class with OTWdiver in SC at Lake Jocassee out of curiosity more then anything, but after a couple of dives it really changed my mind and thinking on my tec diving, but as time does on it seems to fit into most of the diving Im doing. Now does this mean i will give up backmounted tanks, probably only for singles. The biggest one that is changing my thinking on my diving is my recent back injury as with back mounted tanks lifting that much weight isnt a option right now as im restricted to ~15 lbs as any more then that my back lets me know thats not a good idea. With backmounted tanks i would have to get someone to put my rig in the water then get into it, and in the past i have had issues with not being able to get in the BC and have it snugged right. Where with sidemount I can set up all the tanks with the right hardware and then have someone put them over the side, so all i have to do is put on my harness and jump in the water and then strap on the tanks and go for the dive.

Tooth


I did the same thing, and it was great for getting out of the water too. Just hand the tanks up and its really easy to get back on the boat without all that weight.

For dives where a single tank is enough air, diving the traditional way is the way to go. But I like the sidemount config for diving multiple tanks.

#8 scubafanatic

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Posted 02 September 2010 - 09:57 PM

I'm gonna go against the grain here, I see side-mount as more of the latest techie 'fashion trend' and will be just as rare to see as all the other usual techie gear/divers. Only a microscopic fraction of the population is even certified, and microscopic fraction of the 'certified' population are what one might call 'serious divers' who even bother sticking with the sport much past initial certification, and only a microscopic fraction of this already tiny population would be considered 'tech' divers.

Interesting quote from my latest issue of Undercurrent I received yesterday:

" Big Decline in Diving. Every year, the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association releases its study on the state of sports participation in America. In the latest 64-page
report, watersports participation has not fared well over the last nine years: jet skiing (down 18.5 percent), wakeboarding (down 21.5 percent), -----------scuba diving (down 36.7 percent)------------
and water skiing (down 44.5 percent) have seen massive declines. Looks like we’re going the way of rollerblading, which is down 62.2 percent in the past nine years."

Scuba diving is in major decline (the oceans continue to deteriorate, and demographic-socio-economic trends are continuing to tilt against scuba) so I think we're seeing the last hurrah with respect to gear evolution and scuba participation.

We're 'all dressed up with no place to go'.

#9 WreckWench

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 08:06 AM

Yes only a fraction of the diving population is certified...but they will soon be followed by many others in my opinion.

Several reasons for this...PADI has approved sidemount to be taught recreationally once you are advanced open water and it can also be one of the PADI approved specialties.

Second, sidemount which has been around for years has moved from the caving community into the mainstream both recreationally as well as technically.

As the diving population ages diving doubles becomes more and more challenging but that does not mean that technical divers will give up diving applications that require 2 tanks.

Sidemount will be attractive to the travel diver....they need only bring the bands with them which weigh very little and a sidemount adaptor made by OMS that fits any backplate and wing set up or one of the dedicated sidemount setups made by other manufacturers. Once they are at the resort they only need 2 tanks. No doubles, no bands, no manifold and USUALLY NO EXTRA MONEY. :2cool:

Sidemount will be attractive to the diver who wants MORE air at places that either only offer cf80's or charge a small fortune for traditional doubles. And since many divers getting into tech diving do not do it so they can go deep but rather MORE GAS...this is a safer solution if properly trained since as mentioned before valve drills are extremely easy (actually a no brainer), getting in and out of the gear is extremely easy (you can even clip off each tank to a line below the boat and haul up that way or hand them up taking ALL weight off your back) and bouyancy is as good or better than doubles.

Be watching for more on sidemounting...I do not think it will be a fad. I'm watching die hard doubles divers trading the dubs for sidemount.

Only time will tell but I think its a keeper! And yes its EASY to learn both recreationally as well as using for tech diving.

Great explanation Howard! :o And if anyone is interested in doing this training on SD trips please let me know or even having a class started in SC. I know a great instructor who is also a longtime SD member who'd be happy to teach a class or three! . :hiya: -ww

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#10 secretsea18

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 10:20 AM

I think it will turn out to be a fad, despite all the reasons Kamala has written.

I have never seen anyone ever use a sidemount tank in all the place I travel to and dive. There are barely anyone that offers dives that even last longer than an hour for operational and scheduling reasons, so why would they want anyone to have two tanks??? Perhaps in wreck heavy locations (but that is a specialized sort of diving... and more often catering to "tech" divers anyway) they will be more popular.

But on regular recreational reef dives??? No way. Ain't gonna become popular at all... Most people are happy to get their 45-60 minutes out of their tank and be back on the boat.

And for what it's worth, for all the amount of time I like to spend underwater (and I would never dive with ops that make be back on the boat in less than 60 minutes or with any specific amount of air remaining higher than just enough to keep water out when the valve is turned) there is absolutely no way that I would ever carry an extra tank or do this... the thing would just get in the way....

To each his own.....

#11 WreckWench

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 11:37 AM

You have to look at the application for sidemount:

1. People who use a lot of air and need big tanks or multiple tanks
2. People who dive doubles
3. People who do technical diving
4. People who have injuries that normal tank configurations can not be used

Since the 'application' for sidemount is limited by definition to the main stream diver (see Robyn's post) sidemount will at most be a discussion on a message board to most.

Secondly, nitrox was a 'fad' too. And many people had been diving it for YEARS before the industry endorsed it. Even after endorsing it, it has taken years for it to be common place. In fact we now consider an operator strange if they do not offer nitrox.

Am I saying sidemount will be as prevalent as nitrox? No but the industry is NOW endorsing sidemount for recreational diving as well as technical diving. And while it will take years for people to readily know about it...I believe that just as they know and accept nitrox...they will know and accept sidemount.

There is even talk of introducing sidemount into the open water curriculum.

And to think some of you learned about it first here! :o

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#12 georoc01

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 12:24 PM

There are two plusses on the rec side. Especially as a single diver.

1) Redundancy...How often have we talked about having an insta buddy just take off. In the case of sidemount, you have a second set of regs, two tanks etc. One failure, you still have another tank with air

2) ease of getting back on the boat. Disconnect the tanks, pass them up and get back on the boat with ease. I've seen people pass up there gear, this way you just pass up the tanks which simply unclip.

Since a lot of diving is two tank boat dives, the only difference is that you take both tanks with you on both dives and balance your time accordingly.
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#13 scubafanatic

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 07:38 PM

Kamala, the comparison with NITROX is interesting, but how long have we been promised the widespread adoption of rebreathers, which are pretty much going nowhere, and remain the same microscopic niche as they've always been? Rebreathers promise to solve all the 'problems' you describe, but are essentially non-existant in the real world even after all these years.

I'm not seeing sidemount solving anything that old technology can't easily handle. (a backmounted AL80 with a 'slung' AL 80 for the air-hog recreational diver) ....what's wrong with that 'old' approach ?

Kamala, I JUST got back (Del Mar Aquatics/Casa Del Mar 8/23-8/30) from doing 19 dives with the exact same Cozumel dive op YOU use for your SD Coz trips, and even with my BP/wing--AL 100's NITROX set up, nothing remotely 'technical', the dive staff thought I was diving some pretty far out stuff and assumed I was an scuba instructor, and I guess in their eyes I was an instructor, given how none of the other divers used NITROX, much less AL 100's/ BP-wing, the normal standard of diver they apparently see is pretty low...if that modest level of 'techie' gear I had impressed them, it's gonna be a long time before they get used to seeing side-mount divers.

Additionally, as Robyn points out, dives are timed (Del Mar mandates 45 min dives max), and doesn't really focus on deeper dives, so I fail to see side-mount making any reasonable sense in a recreational world. I don't have time to burn off one tank in 45 min, much less 2 tanks, so why would I fool with 2 tanks on a single dive?

Redundancy arguments are kinda silly....how many people even today bother with little pony bottles on trips, much less an entire extra AL 80? And how many people even today bother with other common redundant gear? (how many people carry a spare mask in a dive pocket, or witness all the threads/discussion/drama here about affording/bothering with a backup dive computer?) So, the same crowd that presently doesn't see the need to carry spare masks/computers IS going to see the need to fool with sidemount.....I don't think so!

Plus, you really can't use sidemount to extend bottom times, it's already too easy to get into 'deco' limits with single tanks, especially when diving what appears to be the world's most common recreational dive computer brand (Sunnto).

Sidemount is the product of a $ hungry dive industry pushing yet another 'cert' for which they can charge $, which I understand the dive industry's motives, but the dive industry is not famous for selling/teaching what's best to divers....witness all the crap gear that's sold and the overall poor skill set of new divers who seem to get out of class with almost comically low levels of knowledge and who are dangers to themselves and the reefs they destroy.

Finally, although I'm not a photographer, somehow I'm NOT seeing the shutterbugs fooling with BOTH their fancy/big photo/video rigs and then on top of all that doing the sidemount thing...just way too much machinery to fool with.

#14 scubafanatic

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 07:54 PM

There are two plusses on the rec side. Especially as a single diver.

1) Redundancy...How often have we talked about having an insta buddy just take off. In the case of sidemount, you have a second set of regs, two tanks etc. One failure, you still have another tank with air

2) ease of getting back on the boat. Disconnect the tanks, pass them up and get back on the boat with ease. I've seen people pass up there gear, this way you just pass up the tanks which simply unclip.

Since a lot of diving is two tank boat dives, the only difference is that you take both tanks with you on both dives and balance your time accordingly.


I hope we're not forgetting about the 'negatives' of more weight/drag in the water with sidemount....which would kinda suck swimming into a current, or if going with a current, the additional surface area of sidemount is gonna act like a big sail, blowing you through the water faster than the rest of the group, also kinda annoying.

As far as getting back on the boat, I prefer the safety of keeping my reg in my mouth until I'm back on deck, incase I somehow slip/fall back into the water...or rough conditions make it impractical for any boat crew to be attempting to reach down for my gear.

#15 uwfan

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Posted 03 September 2010 - 08:14 PM

I've been staying out of this as I'm still up in the air about sidemount... though I did get the cert in Bonaire to test it out and also get a little taste of Tech being around Scubatooth and OTWdiver doing valve drills and a few other tech drills while I did sidemount.

However, the comparison to rebreathers is, in my not very rebreather educated opinion, not a good comparison as I understand rebreathers to be a much more costly option vs. sidemount which only requires the bands and adaptor, not as costly. For a rec diver, cost is often an overriding factor. I could only dive one trip a year when I first learned to dive in 95. I wouldn't remotely have considered a rebreather. Nitrox was then "devil gas" used by a very few... not so now. Now, if I have the option to use it, I request it on every trip I take. Even with my still somewhat limited recreational income, nitrox is worth it to me. And if I were just learning how to dive and had the option to learn sidemount as well as single tank diving configurations, I might just opt to be a sidemount diver for most all of my diving. If for no other reason than knowing I have an extra 500 psi around in case it is needed.

I'll go back to being quiet now. :o




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