Attchoum
06-04-2009, 09:18 PM
Hello everyone
It's been few day that people ask about sidemount in dry suit and whit steel tank so i decided to post about my dive of today.
I took my sidemount class whit Steve when I was in Mexico last january. I was living there so I got plenny chance to go diving. I log 30 sidemount dive in 3 month. Not bad I think.
Unfortunatly, for multiple reason I had to come back to Canada for the summer and since middle of may I didn't dive cave or sidemount configuration. Most of the time, I was teaching PADI course:smt100
Last weekend, someone show me the entrance of a old underground mine that is now completly flood. Since the mine entrance is only accessible by boat and it's not well know position I think no one never dive there before.
I what to go explore that mine, but before I need to get use to many thing. That why I whent to open water quarry today.
First, in Mexico we use only alu tank. I just buy two set of LP 80 from PST. They are a little shorter so they fit better on my side. The are way heavier so I dont need lot of weight. the are always negative even when they are near empty so I dont have to move the attachement point like when I use alu tank, it's very convinient. Im using a razor harness and I have to say the harness is perfect for both alu and steel tank. I was suprise how easy it was to change tank configuration. One of the big adventage of sidemount, and specialy that harness, is the ability to turn in any direction. Whit alu tank, the tank position is not important they are not dragging you on a side or on the back. Heavy steel then to do that. It's harder to stay motionless on the side or on the back. Possible but harder.
Then come the moment where I try to superman one tank. Work great whit the right tank in front of me and left still attach. It was a real catastrophe when I unclip my left one to put them both in front. they are just to heavy and they drag me head down during the time my dry feet go up. Very bad experience. It was so easy to do that whit alu tank, I now realize why Steve told us to not put lead on the tank.
Second, I wanted to try my sidemount gear whit heavy underwear in my dry suit. In mexico I was using nearly nothing under my dry and no wing. Here I have to use a 400g underwear whitch reduce my hability but it's still good enouf.
The real problem is the stupid dry glove. On my razor harness I put the Steve D ring upgrade. Basicly, the attachement point on the back of my harness are some really low profil D ring. Whit bare hand catching the ring to snap the tank is easy but whit my glove I dont feel it, so I need to guess where is the ring. I just call one of my friend and we gonna weld the d ring at 90 degree, it's gonna solve my trouble.
I build myself a bat wing to compensated the heavy steel tank, but I drop my tank on the valve part just before my dive. I did the dive whit my dry only. It's working good but I have to put extra air in my dry and I dont like that. Next time for the bat wing training.
That's it for today, everything was good but I still need some more practice whit my clumsy dry glove. Tie off are difficult to do when you dont feel the line.
I can garantie, dry suit and steel tank still work great whit the razor harness.
Sorry for the increadible amount of mistake, not easy to write in english for a french canadien.
If everything go well, next time I write about that old mine.
Good night
Etienne
It's been few day that people ask about sidemount in dry suit and whit steel tank so i decided to post about my dive of today.
I took my sidemount class whit Steve when I was in Mexico last january. I was living there so I got plenny chance to go diving. I log 30 sidemount dive in 3 month. Not bad I think.
Unfortunatly, for multiple reason I had to come back to Canada for the summer and since middle of may I didn't dive cave or sidemount configuration. Most of the time, I was teaching PADI course:smt100
Last weekend, someone show me the entrance of a old underground mine that is now completly flood. Since the mine entrance is only accessible by boat and it's not well know position I think no one never dive there before.
I what to go explore that mine, but before I need to get use to many thing. That why I whent to open water quarry today.
First, in Mexico we use only alu tank. I just buy two set of LP 80 from PST. They are a little shorter so they fit better on my side. The are way heavier so I dont need lot of weight. the are always negative even when they are near empty so I dont have to move the attachement point like when I use alu tank, it's very convinient. Im using a razor harness and I have to say the harness is perfect for both alu and steel tank. I was suprise how easy it was to change tank configuration. One of the big adventage of sidemount, and specialy that harness, is the ability to turn in any direction. Whit alu tank, the tank position is not important they are not dragging you on a side or on the back. Heavy steel then to do that. It's harder to stay motionless on the side or on the back. Possible but harder.
Then come the moment where I try to superman one tank. Work great whit the right tank in front of me and left still attach. It was a real catastrophe when I unclip my left one to put them both in front. they are just to heavy and they drag me head down during the time my dry feet go up. Very bad experience. It was so easy to do that whit alu tank, I now realize why Steve told us to not put lead on the tank.
Second, I wanted to try my sidemount gear whit heavy underwear in my dry suit. In mexico I was using nearly nothing under my dry and no wing. Here I have to use a 400g underwear whitch reduce my hability but it's still good enouf.
The real problem is the stupid dry glove. On my razor harness I put the Steve D ring upgrade. Basicly, the attachement point on the back of my harness are some really low profil D ring. Whit bare hand catching the ring to snap the tank is easy but whit my glove I dont feel it, so I need to guess where is the ring. I just call one of my friend and we gonna weld the d ring at 90 degree, it's gonna solve my trouble.
I build myself a bat wing to compensated the heavy steel tank, but I drop my tank on the valve part just before my dive. I did the dive whit my dry only. It's working good but I have to put extra air in my dry and I dont like that. Next time for the bat wing training.
That's it for today, everything was good but I still need some more practice whit my clumsy dry glove. Tie off are difficult to do when you dont feel the line.
I can garantie, dry suit and steel tank still work great whit the razor harness.
Sorry for the increadible amount of mistake, not easy to write in english for a french canadien.
If everything go well, next time I write about that old mine.
Good night
Etienne