Sidemount VS Backmount

[Danseur]

I too learned from Brian. I had never dove SM before and showed up for my cave class straight from Fundies..... So I tried it, sorted myself out and away we went. I am SO freaking glad I did that!!!! Brian also does a lot of solo diving. I took a solo class with Trace Malinowski and his whole point show how bad it can get. My final exam was on a night dive, in a drysuit and my 104's. He got me hoplessly entangled (to the point of no way in hell could I every do 1/2 that in real life) and I wasn't allowed my cutting tools... I had to maintain neutral buoyancy while at depth (modest, like 30') while removing my rig, then removing the entanglement, then re-don, all in a like a 3' window. Now, he did that to prove a point. Point taken! I blew the window to at least 5', and knocked off my mask dead in the middle of pulling my tanks over my head on the way off, so arms pinned... (had a spare and started again, but dam! He was life-guarding and laughing the whole time). Solo, in big BM, at night, in a drysuit without quadruple cutting tool redundancy is some thing I will never ever do by choice. If diving dry and all of your ballast is on your rig and none on you, you take off you gear it had better be for a blow and go in OW.

Brian made it look easy. If one has to dive solo, SM is the only way to go. If you want to dive places like Dan's and Ralph's on Abaco, SM is the only way to go. There is this cave on Provo that is a very funky low overhand in a dry portion to get in, then a CLIMB of oddness to get out. We tried in BM, and failed... That's now a SM cave.

Open water, BM! System (DIR) was designed for big cave, scooters, and teams. I'll use it there...

Isn't that the idea though? Bring the gear that's best suited for the environment and the dive?

[marclaukien]

If you want to dive places like Dan's and Ralph's on Abaco, SM is the only way to go.

OT: Most parts of Dan's are actually fine with backmount. I dove it with a CCR. However, most of the other caves on Abaco, in particular Ralph's, are definitely sidemount only.

[Danseur]

OK, you are absolutely right and I should have said the deeper part of Dan's and all of Ralph's.

I never did get to dive Nancy's. What's that like? I KNOW Brian will end up connecting all of them into some HUGE system (sounds like he's well on his way with the latest push). Granted it'll be like a 10 stage dive, but he'll do it! He's not a small man, but that boy seems to be able to fit through ANYTHING!! LOL

For those that haven't been there these are all within a couple acres, the connection is assumed, but not yet made. So....close.....


..can't wait to get back there.

[marclaukien]

I never did get to dive Nancy's. What's that like?

I didn't dive Nancy's yet... but I'll be back

[underwaterjedi]

With all the advantages of sidemount. Why aren't more cave diving classes taught from the beginning in this configuration? Why not just start in sidemount from the beginning? I think I read somewhere on this forum or another that to start in sidemount configuration you have to have some sort of back problem?

Jose

[atedeschi]

you can take you cave courses in SM, but you should have some open water experience first so you are not dealing with gear and task loading of the class.

[Arnold Mesiser]

With all the advantages of sidemount. Why aren't more cave diving classes taught from the beginning in this configuration? Why not just start in sidemount from the beginning?

Jose

It is in many other countries

[Danseur]

It is in many other countries

...like the Bahamas.

[stairman]

My tanks are in need of hydro and Ive decided after 1 more backmount dive to breathe them down, Im going to sidemount. Ive been having some hip problems and feel by lightening the load out of the water it can only be to my benefit later on. Right knee is tricky at times as well. The added safety of having things within easy reach, being able to feather the valves in case of a leak is a plus. Im sure Ill never go back cause Im gonna make it work. The achilles heal in backmount is the manifold isolator [IMO].

[Bob Cree]

The achilles heal in backmount is the manifold isolator [IMO].

So don't use one. Half the people I dive with, dive BM without a manifold valve (just an open crossover). The reason is that the isolator adds failure points and only is required if you have a failure on the tank side of the post valves. There is not much that can fail on the tank side. Other than the blowout plug - which if it is "properly" fortified, is not an issue - the failure will be on the reg side. For everything else, you do have a buddy (or buddy bottle).

This is a weak point for SM. Failures do occur in the reg and without a crossover, the gas is not nearly as accessible as with a crossover. I know you can feather a valve or swap regs underwater, but you are going to lose some precious gas and just as or more importantly you will lose time. With a crossover, you don't have to think because the gas is automatically there.

Another weak point for SM is that most do not rig a long hose, (or if they do, it looks real ugly). This means the diver is thinking only of #1 and the heck with other divers. I do not think this is a good attitude. Hose routing is just easier and cleaner with BM.

Staging is easier with BM because the bottles are in front of you.

There seems to be less drag with BM. Take a diver configured properly in SM and BM and take their picture head on - side by side. There is about 30% more cross sectional area for the SM, so that would explain it. I have dove with SM's several times and usually end up waiting on them.