Skipping Backmount?

[J_glenn06]

I was just talking to a buddy of mine and we were talking about if anyone skiped backmount doubels and just went straight to sidemount. Can you?? We are still young to cave diving and just wonted to know if anyone does or has. Thanks

Joseph

[FW]

I was just talking to a buddy of mine and we were talking about if anyone skiped backmount doubels and just went straight to sidemount. Can you?? We are still young to cave diving and just wonted to know if anyone does or has. Thanks

Joseph

Yes, you can take the whole course in sidemount. The instructor has to be sidemount, though. Not sure about all organizations, but the NSS-CDS, for sure, and fairly certain NACD will.

[Sludge]

I would strongly recommend against it. Although there are several situations where sidemount is the best, or even only, configuration to use, lately it seems to be the trend de jour. Saturday I saw several people in JB who don't have back problems and weren't going into any passage smaller than a train tunnel, and they were in sidemount. I'll bet it took them ten minutes to get their cylinders hooked in and all, when backmount would have been so much easier.

I say learn to cave dive in backmount, and then try other configurations. But that's just me.

[icestac]

several people in JB who don't have back problems and weren't going into any passage smaller than a train tunnel

Lazy and/or wimpy are perfectly valid reasons for side mount I'm just trying to avoid back problems in the future... yeah right.

But I'd second the learning in BM. At least that way you can appreciate side mount more if you fall into the bad back/small passage/lazy/wimpy categories. But seriously, it is a great configuration, easy to use, and makes a lot of sense for most dives.

In the end, the best configuration is the one you can enjoy the dive safely with.

~Jeff

[cwick]

Begin at the begininng.
This is not the type hobby/sport where you want to start by taking shortcuts or leaps. Go slow and easy.

[deanme]

Kind of the same thing as learning how to drive a stick shift before learning how to drive an automatic car. If you jump into driving with a stick and learn how to drive a stick proficiently, it might be a long and difficult transaction to master the art of driving an automatic car.

Then too, according to Zen and the Art of Cave Diving, if you have not felt cold, how can you appreciate hot? Before you can appreciate side mount, you must first experience back mount.

Maybe we should be made to learn how to dive the caves naked and blind, like the ingenuous animals of the cave, and carry the tanks with our bare hands. Only then can one truly become a certified cave animal. I don’t know about you, but how many times have you seen a catfish silt up the bottom while running away?

[icestac]

Kind of the same thing as learning how to drive a stick shift before learning how to drive an automatic car. If you jump into driving with a stick and learn how to drive a stick proficiently, it might be a long and difficult transaction to master the art of driving an automatic car.

Huh? I must be working too hard, cuz that made no sense to me.

Oh.. do you mean that if you drive a stick then jump into an auto, you sometimes slam on the brakes when you're trying to press the clutch that doesn't exist and people think you're crazy? (not that I've ever done that).

Anyways, dive backmount and always wear sun screen.

~Jeff

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I think it really comes down to two things, unless you've already got a bad back/knees...

Do you think you'll be diving in tight passages in the future?

Do you think you have the self control to stay out of tight sidemount passages until you have enough experience to deal with them?

If you answer no, especially to the second question, go with backmount first. Backmount is more comfortable(on land) if you haven't already wrecked your back and/or knees. Its much quicker. It'll get you into a ton of tunnel. If yes to all, go for it, might as well get accustomed to the sidemount setup if thats what you want to dive on 100% of your overhead dives. I'd recommend getting several dives in before you even take your classes though, you'll be taskloaded enough as is.

My back is fine, my knees are fine, but I dive out of a small boat regularly on the rivers and doubles are a real pain in the ass. Thats the biggest reason I dive sidemount, next I know eventually it will open up alot more cave to me(as I can access the smaller river caves from my boat). I just don't plan on getting into anything crazy until I have alot more experience.

I'd rather dive backmount at a park, or anywhere else with land access where I have to do any length of walking with gear. I hate making multiple trips. To me, its the lazier of the two configurations I wish I could afford another set of doubles and regulators so I could swap from one setup to another without swapping hoses, bands, manifolds, ect.

Right now, I'm definately one of those guys in sidemount, diving in train tunnel big cave!

[Squirrel Girl]

Yes, backmount is "easier." But to me, I like having easy access to the tank valves. No having to grope behind my head hoping to solve some problem. So, you don't know you want to dive in low passages. But what happens when you do? Then you go out and buy a bunch of new gear? I'm not so rich.

The one thing that took a couple of dives to get used to, is to manually switch regulators to make sure you haven't drained one tank too far (lest you lose the other one and be screwed). But it became pretty easy pretty quick. Do a couple open water dives, to get the routine down pat.

As far as trendiness goes, I've seen people say disc brakes are trendy in mountain biking. Now everybody has them. Singlespeeds are trendy. Heck, now even I have one (even if it's not a primary bike for me). Trends sometimes turn into classics.

Anyhoo, yes, the training is an issue described by others. Go for what works for you. Others may have differing opinions. Listen to their concerns. But I don't think that 'we did it that way, so you should too,' is a good enough answer.

[Tegg]

Hope no one tells this to the CDG, most of them would have to go back and learn backmount...