Sidemount Diver Tom Crisp
After talking to some friends who had recently come back from a mid week trip, glowing from their experience. They introduced me to a new equipment configuration. Side mount diving.
Effectively what this equipment configuration does it takes the cylinders off of your back and neatly positions them under your arms allowing you the freedom to easily remove each cylinder. But why would you do such a thing?
Side mount diving originally stemmed from cavers in the U.K reaching a passage filled with water, and in the name of exploration they had to know if the cave passage continued underwater only to emerge back in dry cave (or speaking for experience damp cave).
This side mount configuration was used so that the cylinders could be removed and pushed ahead of the diver allowing them to fit through some extremely tight spaces.
So why were my friends introducing me to this configuration?
I can only assume it is because I’m the smallest in the group and there was 1 tight squeeze somewhere that neither of them could pass. Never the less we have been using it in open water as well as confined spaces and found it gave an immense sense of freedom, it is as if you are a free-diver who is able to stay submerged for hours.
The playfulness of this system is apparent before you even enter the water as you can walk to the water’s edge in just your harness and put your cylinders on while the weight is taken off your shoulders.
My enthusiasm has been re-sparked for this neat little setup as an instructor has recently toured New Zealand.
If anyone is interested in giving side mount a whirl Global Dive will soon have a harness and stage kit for rental, or you could come and speak to me at the shop about courses.
