First Sidemount Dive

I think I need a lttle help with where all this stuff is supposed to go. I've been messing around with the Nomad and have most of the stuff right. The trim is good and I love that I can work the valves as I had a O-ring pop and was able to turn off the valve. But looking at this picture I need help with hose routing. I was using an long hose on the right side as I was in a mixed team. It looks like the left tank reg hose is hanging down.

Comments are welcome. So we all can learn. But don't bother if all you have to say is "take a sidemount class".

Come dive with us this weekend (Thurs-Sun)... We are doing Ginnie, Peacock, and whatever is open...

I have a better chance meeting up at a pool or a pond....... you guys got a pool over there on Lee rd.??? pool or pond anything would be nice.... Thanks for the invite TJ I'll let you know.

Two thumbs up if you figure out the Referance.

First, look at 10 sidemount divers and you'll find 10 different configurations. I route my hoses like I did in backmount. Both my hoses wrap around my neck like in backmount. They stay snug against my neck and don't pose any hangup risk at all. It also clears up a lot of the mess in front of you.

this might help you

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9303

One of things i don't like about sidemount is the hose mess. It took forever for me to figure it out and in the end it was a matter of trying everything until something, somehow worked! The left tank routes to inflator and bends up the tank (routes down from 1st stage, then bends up to inflator) in a U-shape. With right length it stays tucked between tank and body, but being in front (not coming over back/shoulder), the inflator sticks up (which makes it easy to locate). The left tank second stage also bends down from first stage, then curves up in front of body. I tuck it under a chest strap and connect it to a necklace.

The right tank drysuit inflator I tuck under a bungee inner tube on the tank so the connection end comes up as high as the first stage. This provides just enough length to connect to drysuit inflator, so the excess hose stays tucked against the tank (due to bungee). I could use a shorter hose, but the longer one gives more play if needed. I too carry a 7-foot hose on the right tank regulator even when diving with sidemount buddy - we will share air just like backmount and not even try to exchange tanks. The hose folds under two bungees, one high, one low. Then it comes up side of tank and under chest strap to also clip on necklace.

My necklace is bungee with two plastic quick-disconnects just like you see on all those dangly gear retractor/holder thingies for open water divers. Sometimes we dive cold water and wear dry gloves (the big blue ones). I can still manipulate tanks and disconnects with gloves. Mostly though there is no need to unclip regs from necklace as they both are easy to breath while still clippped.

I have had the regulator hose catch - the left one loops across my belly/chest area - but it's easy to wiggle it free.

I tried the behind the neck routing like backmount, but the hoses would not stay in place, tended to catch much more than across the chest does, and it was sometimes confusing which one was attached to which tank (I now have two different mouth pieces on the regs and use a scubapro and a salvo).

I am no expert and I am sure others with more experience will chime in.

Mostly though I think it's a matter of trying everything until it clicks for you.

By the way, I still dive backmount too. Some say that once you go sidemount you'll never backmount again. Not me. I prefer backmount for most of my diving, but there are places i want to go that can't be done backmount and some places I want to go where sidemount is just easier (maybe not necessary).

And to run-on....making multiple trips to the water (sidemount) is just as tiresome for me as one trip with backmounted tanks.

-skip

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Originally Posted by curtschu

I have a better chance meeting up at a pool or a pond....... you guys got a pool over there on Lee rd.??? pool or pond anything would be nice.... Thanks for the invite TJ I'll let you know.

Two thumbs up if you figure out the Referance.

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Caddy Shack - Carl Spackler

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Originally Posted by dogwatch

Caddy Shack - Carl Spackler

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Ok just one thumbs up

Thanks for the replys so nothing looks so god awful that I should just give up.

It's hard to say for sure, but it looks like you have too much hose and other stuff hanging loose out front. Try to keep everything tucked between you and the tank, hoses coming out near the top of the tank. You want to minimize what you have going on in the chest area.

If during the dive you have something hanging down in front, or there is obviously more hose out than you need then it needs to shorter, or otherwise tucked or placed out of the way. That's why I don't use a cannister light any more, no cord and one less thing on the harness. Reels on the butt, etc...

And it helps a lot to have the hoses come out of the regs at close to the position it'll sit once you're trimmed out.

For instance on my left tank, the HP hose and LP inflator hose come out of the reg pointing back along the tank. The reg hose comes out pointing just a little more towards the front. The SPG rides back alongside the tank, the inflator comes up over my shoulder. Then the reg hose is looped down between me and the tank and is retained under my chest strap.

I'm not a fan of hoses around the neck since it can have a tendency to form a loop over your head and catch on things, but whatever works for you.

Marbry

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Originally Posted by Webmaster

I'm not a fan of hoses around the neck since it can have a tendency to form a loop over your head and catch on things, but whatever works for you.

Marbry

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With the right length hose, this doesn't happen. When I'm standing, my left hose looks too short. When I'm horizontal, it's just the right length and stays snug against my neck. I keep my long hose tucked snugly against my tank with hose retainers/inner tube. When I switch to my left tank, I just reach down and pull the hose toward the tank a little more to take out the slack formed when it's clipped off. Again, the hose stays snug against my neck.

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Originally Posted by RN

First, look at 10 sidemount divers and you'll find 10 different configurations. I route my hoses like I did in backmount. Both my hoses wrap around my neck like in backmount. They stay snug against my neck and don't pose any hangup risk at all. It also clears up a lot of the mess in front of you.

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That's pretty much what I do also. I found, for me, a 7 ft hose on my right bungies in better than a 5 ft. Also I did practice out of air all the way out to the exit with my back mount buddie so a 7 ft hose was good length.
I also found that by taking a class it made things so much easier. I struggled for a year prior to the class, plus I learned emergency proceedures. Eveyone learns differently. :)

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Originally Posted by skip

The left tank routes to inflator and bends up the tank (routes down from 1st stage, then bends up to inflator) in a U-shape. With right length it stays tucked between tank and body, but being in front (not coming over back/shoulder), the inflator sticks up (which makes it easy to locate).

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I did that also, and it works ok. Until you start scootering with it, then the slipstream pulls it way back up behind your head as I found out to my consternation. What I have now is the hose coming over my shoulder connecting to the inflator in a 'normal' position.

But, I have a piece of bungee attached to the inflator that runs down along the shoulder strap to my waist. It's out of the way, but it keeps the inflator in the same position nice and flat across my shoulder. Just pull it up to deflate and the bungee snaps it right back.

I ran it to the waist so that the bungee would be long enough to allow me to fully extend the inflator up should I need to.

Marbry

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Originally Posted by RN

With the right length hose, this doesn't happen. When I'm standing, my left hose looks too short. When I'm horizontal, it's just the right length and stays snug against my neck. I keep my long hose tucked snugly against my tank with hose retainers/inner tube. When I switch to my left tank, I just reach down and pull the hose toward the tank a little more to take out the slack formed when it's clipped off. Again, the hose stays snug against my neck.

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It's just less likely then. Especially as you go to maneuver things through tight areas it can still hang up. Fortunately it's not that hard to un-snag. But you're right, regardless of how you configure it, the key is to keep everything all snug as possible.

Marbry

This weekend, I changed from the "around-the-neck" configuration to running both regs under my chest strap (thanks Marbry!). It felt much cleaner, for me anyway, and I had no runaway hoses.

Curt, if you want some pool time after this weekend, give me a shout. We can probably do something after work one day next week. I'll be at Hart this weekend, too.

I have been running two configurations, depending on what i'm using it for.

1 - with a buddy who may need to share. 125 cm hose on the left, 150 cm hose on the right, excess on both hoses tucked into snoopies on tank and feeding the regs through 'elbow' joints which keeps everything neat. So i can hand-off either reg in my mouth i have a pinch-clip held on to the hose by a loop of broad elastic, stitched, which allows the hose to slide through it while it stays on the necklace. After donating this can be unclipped to free up all the hose.

2 - solo. 90 cm hose on both sides, feeding the regs through 'elbow' joints. A karabiner clip is secured on each hose at the elbow by a few wraps of snoopy loop so it won't slide, and then clipped to a loop on the necklace.

Regs are left- and right-handed (Apeks), both valves face upwards/inwards.

Try to pull the necks of your bottles up under your armpits a little more maybe, and I see some loops of hose coming off. Try finding spots for those, they are notorious for catching. Good luck with your rig!

My Left reg goes over my neck and hangs on a necklace.
My right reg is 7 foot bungied and comes right up to my mouth, attaches with a clip to my right shoulder d ring.
My wing inflator hose goes over my left shoulder to my LP inflator which keeps the inflator in a perfect spot.
My DS hose comes from the right and goes directly to my chest.

My preference is to have my tanks very snug into my armpits.
Of course, your regs can be flipped either away, so you may like something different. Another key I find is to keep my first stages facing in, 90 degrees away from the floor.

I would recommend getting your tanks snugger, parellel your first stages and the adjust as necessary to see where your gages and hose routing works out.