Steve Martin Sidemount Scuba Diving (Training Skills)

[rw2404]

Mask is now working great....many thanks, your advice worked a treat!

[rw2404]

Steve, thanks, to be honest I have tried all know brands of toothpaste and left it a bucket overnight in soapy water. Still fogs a bit. Is there such a thing as a dud mask. By the way, I live in Merida, Yucatan if you ever reach this side of the Yucatan let me know.

[rw2404]

Steve, weird question but your mask is an Oceanic Shadow in this clip. How did you get it to stop fogging, I have one and I am about to give up !

[sidemountscubadiving]

@rw2404 Use tooth paste but leave it to dry! Do not rub out. Tooth paste with a small amount of grit in it works great, not the gel stuff. Then use baby shampoo or mask defog for a while it will work great.

[FergieMcV]

Great video. I am sure I have dived there. Which cenote is that ?

[sidemountscubadiving]

@FergieMcV Cenote Ponderosa, Mexico amazing place...

[sidemountscubadiving]

@sidemountdiver123 - In most videos I am using the correct left and right sidemount valves, they have extension posts for the sidemount bungee to go round. I would advise you to get the new Razor Side Mount System, it is what I am using now and is far superior to anything else...

[michaeltandy]

I've been looking into side mount more and more, and have been talking to a few side mount divers, I have to say it really does look really freeing and a very balanced way of diving, I was wondering would the Hollis HTS II Harness System be ok to use as the side mount harness and use my dry suit for buoyancy if I was to go onto side mount?

[sidemountscubadiving]

@michaeltandy - I suggest you go with the "new" Steve Bogaerts Razor Harness and Wing available in the next week or so. This will be far supirior to all other systems, it is the only system I will be teaching with.

[rescuediver1000]

whats better the the dive rite nomad or the hollis sms 100 please git back to me fast going to buy one or the other tomorrow

[sidemountscubadiving]

@rescuediver1000 sorry I tried to reply in time but it did not let me post. I suggest neither go with the "new" Steve Bogaerts Razor Harness and Wing available in the next week or so.

[googlemaxnico]

Great video. Thank you

How does one air share if there is a failure with no isolator? Buddy breathe?

[rescuediver1000]

how often do you have to switch regs and do you have to have a dual wing or just a single?

[sidemountscubadiving]

@rescuediver1000 - Switch regs as often as possible. Most sidemounters do it every 20 - 30 bar. I am using a single bladder device in the video, there are more and more sidemount BCD's coming out all the time. Visit my website for more information.

[fuzz461]

I dive with the regular back mounted jacket style BCD's. however I am now having back problems. I want to try the diverite nomad sidemount config for recreational diving. My questions is, is it posible to do a giant stride entry with sidemount config. can sidemount be used in diving from a boat

.

[Sargethepyromaniac]

@fuzz461 Just simply jump in the water with your harness on, have someone lower the cylinders to you and clip them on, failing that you could do a back roll entry.

[SiX3ight]

have u ever swam with a shark

[stephennrth]

What kind of fins are you wearing in the video?

[sidemountscubadiving]

@stephennrth - Fins are Mares Quattro's "they are one of the best all round fins when you need to use different finning techniques"

[electrosquid1]

is out of the question and another point would be the positive buoyancy issue on the water surface, surely a jacket bcd offers more positive buoyancy than the dromedary pack for those moments at the surface waiting for the group to initiate the descent or after the dive when possibly the weather has changed and being able to stay well afloat becomes a safety issue...what do you all say?

[sidemountscubadiving]

...using safety clips for exiting the water with sidemount will enable you to climb out onto boats with ladders; always easier to hand off at least one or both cylinders to the dive crew from in the water though ;) - Positive buoyancy at the surface for open water diving is crucial, again the Hollis SMS and Nomad are suitable options. The "modular waist" bcds will become specialist products that an "experienced" diver may choose to use, once a "commercial" product comes onto the diving market.

[electrosquid1]

I'm fascinated.. it look's great and the sensation must be awesome...definetly the ideal rig for cave and wreck diving but...how do you inflate/disinflate the dromedary pack bcd placed on the lower back? I also see a couple of impractacalities when compared to a typical jacket rig for open water diving..for example..after completing a dive the equipment must be passed from the water to somebody onboard the vessel becuase I'm sure that climbing up a ladder with the rig mounted...continues on next

[sidemountscubadiving]

Thank you for your comments; the "dromedary pack" is being used by an experienced cave diver, who is accepting the risks using a product like this. This type of buoyancy device should not be used by recreational divers. Technical divers who are in the open water or diving deep, will require more lift and redundancy for their dives, something like the Hollis SMS or Dive Rite Nomad with 50 to 60 lbs of lift is needed...

[JurNL80]

Wow, very cool to watch!  Who's the music from?

[sidemountscubadiving]

Music is from the "audio swap" facility on YouTube, I think it shows title when you mouse over the video.

[soccom8341576]

Clean simple rig. I'm starting to wander if this will simplify future recreational diving.

That water is just right in visibility.

[sidemountscubadiving]

Sidemounting really is an art in itself, allows a very streamlining and simple configuration - the keys are breathing control and correct weighting - then learning new techniques like "advanced finning techniques" is easy from there...

[Apexklaus]

Great video, I think that you can not do better.

Fantastic!

[Shenator1239]

Is this like a river (private to you guys or is this a big pool with this stuff built in it(most likely not I guess)With fish to make it look like the real thing???

[sidemountscubadiving]

@Shenator1239 - It is a fresh water sink hole or pit in the Jungle called Ponderosa, located close to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico, the open water area has many underwater cave entrances inside it.

[JustWonderingHowToDo]

Do you need to use a butt-plate to connect the bottom part of the cilinder or is it okay to attach it to a D-ring on your waist belt?

[sidemountscubadiving]

If you are using multiple steel cylinders then it could be a good idea to mount to the back of your harness (does not have to be a butt plate though) and when these cylinders become more neutral then remount to waist. If using aluminium cylinders then you most likely start with mounted on your waist and then move even lower when they become positively buoyant. I personally don't use a butt plate, just mount from multiple d-rings on the waist.

[lily5912]

The only thing that makes me wonder about this is having to consistently switch regulators. I understand why it would need to be done though.

[sidemountscubadiving]

Anyone who is diving with two cylinders should be comfortable switching regulators often. This way you are confirming each is working throughout the dive, not just if one goes wrong then you switch

[ljjames33]

I LOVE it!

[AFN1991]

very nice video, thank you fpr uploading it!

Well, I am think about it. But is it with steel tanks nice, too?

[john85710]

I can see how this would be great for cave diving!

[sidemountscubadiving]

Yes, also great for advanced wreck penetration and safer for technical diving

[john85710]

cool idea, but probably too much for the average recreational diver

[sidemountscubadiving]

Great for divers with an interest in technical diving and for advanced wreck diving

[syvapurppura]

Very educational video! Thank you for sharing.

[IDCS96982]

Clean rig you've got here!

No nick nacks or bungeed wing, pretty minimalist approach.

And I think I still have to recover 100% before I can siign iin for SM course...Grrrrrrrrrrr :-(