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Is sidemount diving relevant to open water dives?
Sidemount diving is slowly becoming more common and gaining some popularity.
More and more divers are seen diving sidemount in open water environments.
However, is this just a fad and is it relevant to the diving that we normally do?
Where did it come from?
Sidemount diving, which started with exploratory cave diving, was created so that cave explorers could access tighter and more restrictive holes, allowing exploration further into cave systems.
The benefits of sidemount include the freedom of not having large double tanks on your back, the feeling of being free and less weight to cause backaches, easier logistics from carrying smaller tanks to boats instead of larger doubles, etc.
However, do these benefits apply when diving in the open ocean? IMHO, not so much.
Sidemount from shore
In ocean diving, you would traditionally either dive off a boat or from shore.
Shore dives do see a small benefit from sidemount. Mostly from when you have to transport tanks to the waters’ edge, which may not necessarily be a comfortable beach entry.
There could be large waves or rocks that make carrying a large set of doubles tricky if not dangerous to the diver.
In this situation, yes, you would see some benefit from ferrying the tanks to the water in multiple trips, but this would still mean having to make several trips up and down the beach.
Me personally, I’d rather fight the waves once and get into the water quickly, rather than have to struggle multiple times.
Sidemount from a boat
What about diving from a boat?
There’s no requirement to move tanks around, but most divers will have to put on their tanks in the water next to the boat to prevent having to stand with tanks bouncing on your sides while the boat rocks in the waves.
Of course, it’s possible to put on the sidemount tanks on the boat and backroll with them between your legs. But anyone who has ever had a stage tank bash your head on impact with the water would think twice about this.
What happens if there’s some current on the surface?
This would make the process of clipping off the tanks one by one very troublesome while needing to hold on to the boat as well. In choppy seas, this is not an option I would even consider.
Carrying doubles on your back is a much easier option, as you would be way more stable with the weight on your back.
The water entry will be much easier too because you are free to move away from the boat once in the water.
What about during the dives?
Does the sidemount configuration provide any benefits while you’re diving? Well, there is a sense of freedom and increased maneuverability from not having a large mass on your back.
However, you do have to remember to keep the tanks streamlined by checking periodically that they are clipped on the appropriate D-rings as the tanks get lighter.
Plus, you also have to balance the tank usage by breathing from different tanks every once in a while.
This added task load is unavoidable in sidemount, and an additional task when compared with diving doubles.
I haven’t found a restriction in open water yet
In conclusion, there are some benefits to diving sidemount, but sadly, most of them don’t really apply to diving in the open water environment.
I would say that the configuration is an important one to practice with and get good at before attempting to dive a cave system, so practicing in open water makes sense.
However, I personally don’t think diving sidemount as a default configuration in open water really provides enough benefits to outweigh the added complications.
Do GUE people only dive with other GUE people?
A lot of GUE divers, upon getting certified, will want to plan a trip with other GUE divers and go diving. Whilst diving more is always a good thing, what happens when GUE divers only want to dive with other GUE divers?
The Natural Attrition rate of GUE Divers
For me, this situation is not unsurprising. Who wouldn’t want to dive with a team that has the same training, protocols and thinking as you? Why wouldn’t you want to dive with someone whom you know has your back, and can keep you safe? This is in contrast to the ‘instabuddy’, who first meets you on the boat before the dive. You have no idea the level or experience that this person has, and no way of knowing what he’s like underwater. Generally, this doesn’t inspire confidence…
If we all think that way, then what next?
However, I don’t think this is good for the industry and for GUE in general. Firstly, there’s an impression that GUE divers are elitist, making them seem unfriendly and uptight when it comes to dive parameters. Keeping to oneself and not interacting with other divers definitely doesn’t help that impression, but this sticks even though some GUE divers are well meaning and not elitist by nature.
I say help if you can!
Secondly, I feel that as more skilled divers, we have a moral obligation to help and assist others. After all, can we stand by while the environment and other divers get injured and do nothing to teach and educate them about a better way of doing things?
Most diving incidents and environmental damage are entirely preventable, through better training and an increased awareness. By seeing GUE divers lead by example, my hope is that this thinking slowly permeates through the industry, regardless of agency or affiliation. Our greatest obligation is ultimately to the environment that we’ve all grown to love as divers.
So get out there and let other divers have the benefit of your presence in the water! Let them have a safer dive, just by being there. Wouldn’t you want to do this for all your friends who dive?
Let’s lead by example!
Choosing the best surface marker buoy (SMB) for your dive
Surface marker buoys are handy for a number of occasions, whether it’s to signal your position to your boat at the end of your dive or during emergency ascents.
When you need immediate help or when someone in your dive group needs to get to the surface quickly, you’d want to be able to deploy the bag without it causing other problems or making matters worse. That’s why choosing a suitable SMB for your dive is so important.
There are three main factors a diver should consider when choosing a surface marker buoy: its size, method of inflation and the length of its line.
- What size do you need?
To be useful, the marker must be visible on the water’s surface, so it should be as large as you can manage. My emphasis is on what you can manage. You could have the largest marker on the planet, but if you can’t inflate it properly, it would simply be a limp piece of plastic floating on the surface. That certainly won’t be noticeable from a distance — unless the boat crew is consulting Google Earth.
Therefore, the size of the SMB you choose should be the largest that you can reliably fill from depth. Personally I prefer a smaller, thinner bag that will stand upright when filled with a relatively small volume of gas. I use the Halcyon 1m SMB on all my dives. This bag will fill up completely with only a single regular breath at a depth of about 10m. If you are at a shallower depth, then you’d need to blow in a larger breath of air, but it’s definitely still possible to fill up the bag quickly and send it on its way without much stress.
Now you might be wondering, what if you’re diving at sites with large waves and surge? Wouldn’t a larger (more visible) surface marker be better? In response I would ask: Is the dive worth putting yourself in such a situation? If the answer is yes, then make sure you are prepared for it with a larger surface marker.
Remember that a larger bag must be filled with a greater volume of gas in order to stand upright on the water’s surface. This means you’d need to either blow more gas into it (by exhaling or purging from the regulator) or release the bag when you are at a greater depth to allow for more gas expansion. The latter would be a good option, but the downside would be the much longer line that you would have to reel in as you ascend.
I would normally only inflate these larger surface markers once arriving on the surface and the boat is further away. The bigger marker will be easier to spot from a distance, but will also be harder to manage while underwater.
- Which method of inflation should you use?
Open circuit SMBs are some of the commonest in the market. To inflate an open circuit SMB, a diver typically purges air from his alternate air source into the bag. However, I do not recommend this method of inflation for a number of reasons.
The large amount of air purged from the alternate air source would likely cause a fairly significant and sudden buoyancy change. In an emergency or stressful situation, a sudden change in buoyancy could easily spiral out of control.
The force generated by the large volume of gas also means that the SMB will take off towards the surface really quickly. If the diver does not manage the line well, the line could get tangled with the BCD or tank, and drag you up to the surface. Nobody wants to be a human SMB!
I would always opt for the oral inflation method, because it is quicker and safer. The amount of gas that you exhale would not cause a significant buoyancy change (unless you inhale an extra-large breath of air right before). This makes the buoyancy change much more manageable. You wouldn’t need to find your alternate air source, too.
If like me, you prefer the oral inflation method, what’s left is to choose an SMB that works best with it. It’s possible to orally inflate an open circuit SMB, but due to the line being attached near where the open end of the SMB, there is a higher risk that your regulator might get caught in the SMB line or the SMB itself. Definitely not my first choice.
There are many SMBs on the market that are designed for easy and effective oral inflation. They normally have an oral inflator with a one-way valve. This, in my view, is the best one to use because it guarantees that the gas goes directly into the SMB. It’s also really easy to use. The Halcyon SMB I use does not have a locking mechanism, so you won’t need to fiddle with extra bits to inflate the bag.
- How long should the line be?
Some SMBs come with a 5m line, which means you can deploy the SMB only at the 5m safety stop. Obviously this is limiting, as you might run into other situations where you need to deploy the SMB at a greater depth. My advice: Always get a longer line that’s wound around a spool.
SMBs do not always take a straight path up towards the water’s surface, and might ascend at an angle when there is a current. As such, always make sure your SMB’s line is longer than your deepest planned depth. This means that if you are doing a 30m dive, then a 30m spool is not going to be sufficient. A 45m spool would be a better choice. I would use a 30m spool for dives to depths shallower than 25m.
In summary
My recommendation is to get a small thin SMB that you can reliably fill via oral inflation, and use a spool with an appropriate amount of line. Also, remember to practise deploying your SMB after buying one! A seasoned diver can easily get a bag deployed in less than 15 seconds, so keep practising until it becomes second nature!
The correct way to do a back roll
Here in Bali, we tend to dive from small boats that require a back roll entry into the water. Very often, we encounter divers who do not know how to do a back roll effectively. Some go headfirst into the water while others flip over completely and struggle to get their legs beneath them. While this can be a hilarious sight, there is a safety issue here that shouldn’t be overlooked.
When performing the back roll, the scuba tank should hit the water first. This cushions the diver from impact, and protects the neck from undue stress. Divers commonly mistakenly throw their heads back to initiate the backward roll, and this usually results in the diver hitting the water headfirst.
There’s more than one reason why this isn’t ideal. Firstly, by throwing the head back, you’re likely to hit the first stage with the back of your head. Obviously that’s going to be uncomfortable. The mask strap might also slip off the head upon impact with the water. If the diver isn’t holding the front of his mask and regulator, the mask might very well slip off and drift away. In truth, many divers have lost their masks this way.
Thirdly, if the diver isn’t able to get his legs under him quickly enough in a high current situation, then he might surface far away from the boat and the rest of the divers, or heavens forbid, near the propellers at the back of the boat.
Here is how a back roll entry should be safely and effectively executed. Before getting into position, ensure all your gear is in order: Fins securely strapped on, BCD fully inflated, mask and regulators in place.
Step 1 – Sit as far back on the edge of the boat as possible. Lean forward to prevent the tank from hitting the side of the boat as you enter the water.
Step 2 – Keep your head facing forward, and place your right hand on the mask and second stage. Check again that the BCD is fully inflated to be doubly sure.
Step 3 – Cross feet (stack one fin on top of the other) to avoid hitting anything or anyone beside you.
Step 4 – Keeping your back straight, slowly lean back, as if lying back on your bed. The weight of the tank will pull you backwards into the water. Let the weight of the tank lead the backward roll. Avoid rocking backwards forcefully as this might cause your body to over-rotate. Ideally, the corner of the bottom of the tank should hit the water first, and this should slow your entry into the water.
A nice entry where the tank hits the water first
Step 5 – As you enter the water, keep your head, hands, legs and waist in roughly the same position as while you were seated on the edge. Avoid spreading your legs as your calves might hit the edge of the boat.
An over rotation, where the head is the lowest point on the entry
Step 6 – Once the tank hits the water, move your legs in a breaststroke kick to get them under you in the quickest time possible. This should also prevent you from drifting too far into the current.
Step 7 – Signal to the boat that you are okay.
An advanced option: As you lean back into the water, turn and angle your body slightly so that it faces where the current is coming from. This brings your legs and fins around into a better position to push back against the current if the need arises.
Should we use an inflated surface marker buoy throughout a dive?
Most divers recognise that the surface marker buoy, or SMB for short, is an essential piece of dive equipment. However, not everyone agrees on the point of whether to use it throughout a dive.
Some divers inflate a highly visible surface marker buoy before descending, and the buoy follows the group throughout the dive. You might see this happening at shallow bays or dive sites where boat traffic is high. It seems like a good idea, since the marker lets boats know that there are divers below, but is it really?
Now let’s look at what could go wrong in such a scenario.
Firstly, having to tow something along (in this case, an inflated marker on the surface connected to a line held by an underwater diver or attached to his BCD) is not only tiring but also hard to manage. The diver holding on to the reel or spool has the responsibility of releasing and taking in the line according to changes in depth. If your divemaster had to manage this, do you think he would have the capacity to also lead the dive and keep track of all the divers?
What’s more, divers might also swim into the line and get entangled, making the dive even more difficult.
Secondly, there are often winds or surface currents at many dive sites. This force pushing on the surface marker buoy may oppose the underwater current or the direction taken by the divers. Fighting the drag and getting the SMB to follow you during the dive would be a challenge.
Lastly, even though the surface marker buoy serves to warn boats, people do still make mistakes. In my years of diving, I’ve seen more than one boat drive right over an SMB. If the SMB line was attached to a BCD, what would happen if the line got caught in a propeller? I shudder to think of the possibilities.
In my view, surface markers are useful only when divers are surfacing or in situations where the conditions are such that the boat must follow the divers throughout the dive (for example, strong current, heavy surge and open ocean diving). The method of diving with an inflated SMB throughout a dive would not be a first choice for me, when planning dives in relatively good conditions.
What’s more important is ensuring the diver has good skills, especially buoyancy in this case. If a diver had excellent buoyancy and awareness, he would be aware of the loud noise generated by an approaching boat, and stay close to the bottom.
Finally, let’s consider two divers with excellent buoyancy skills: One has an inflated SMB attached to him and the other has none. A boat passes overhead. The diver with the line, through no fault of his own, might very well get pulled up into the boat’s propeller. The diver without the line, who upon hearing an oncoming boat, stays close to the reef or bottom and faces no such risk.
Should I hold on to a line while descending/ascending?
Let’s start our discussion by looking at the line itself. What kind of line is it, and why is it at the dive site in the first place?
It could be a mooring line, which is usually anchored to a large concrete block on the seabed. Boats secure themselves to the mooring using this line.
Or it could be a diving shot line, which is typically deployed to mark a dive site. A boat may also sometimes use it to locate a submerged wreck. This type of line is often tied to a weight and is not securely anchored to the bottom.
If the line was not deployed by you or your boat crew, it could very likely have been placed by a previous group of divers to mark the location of their ascent or descent. In this instance, the line is often connected to an inflated surface marker buoy at the surface, with its spool is tethered to a rock or coral structure at the bottom. Such lines serve as a reference for divers visiting a particular dive site repeatedly for survey or conservation work, among other purposes.
From these examples, you probably have a sense of when it is appropriate (and not) to hold on to the line. In situations where the line is not anchored securely to the bottom, touching or tugging on the line may dislodge the weight or move the line, and render the location reference useless.
However, even if the line is securely anchored, I still wouldn’t recommend holding on to the line unless the current is so strong that a diver is unable to kick to maintain position next to the line.
I think it’s important that we use the line as a visual reference during a descent or ascent, and not as a means to control or manage buoyancy. A diver should actively manage his buoyancy whether he is holding on to a line or not.
Consider the situation where a diver is holding on to a line and ascending, but does not bother or remember to deflate his BCD. The diver does not realise that the BCD has inflated to the point that he is very buoyant. This could result in a runaway ascent if the diver, for some reason, loses his grip on the line.
Ideally, a diver should avoid holding on to the line during an ascent or descent. Instead, he should use his kicks and buoyancy to stay close to or within visual range of it. If the line is about an arm’s length away, one strong kick would bring the diver close enough to grab the line if need be. The rest of the team then forms up beside the diver, so everyone is able to grab the line too, if the situation calls for it.
Finally, when ascending next to a mooring line, divers should remember that there is likely a boat tethered to it. If there is a current, both the boat and the diver will be on the same side of the line, which means the diver is ascending directly below the boat. This can be dangerous if neither the boat crew nor the divers are aware of their respective positions. If this is the case, then make sure you check upwards to see if there’s a boat on the line, and if so, then shoot an SMB and drift off the line to be on the safe side.
Moral of the story: Don’t hold on to any line while ascending or descending if you can help it!
How can you keep going to the same place and not get bored?
Many divers tend to visit one dive location, dive a few sites and say they’re done with it. “We’ve seen everything there and don’t need to go back” is the common refrain. Personally, I love returning to the same dive sites. People often ask me how I can do that and not get bored. To this I counter: Can one ever claim to have seen everything in a dive? I wouldn’t.
Then there are the divers who decide not to return to a dive site after just one visit because there was “nothing much to see”. Well, your experience depends a lot on how you dive. Many divers tend to do what I call “helicopter diving”, where the diver hovers about two or three metres above the sea floor, just drifting along without an awareness of what’s going on below them. At that height above the reef, you’ll only see the larger marine life, and miss out on the smaller critters that often hide among the corals.
Of course, if you “helicopter dive” to avoid kicking up silt, you should look into improving your diving skills so you can go closer to the reef without damaging it. Mastering key skills like buoyancy and manoeuvring kicks will give you better control of your position in water. When you can hold a fixed position, you can see and do much more—like underwater photography and videography.
When you go slow and stay low, you’ll find that the reef takes on a new dimension. Pause to observe the coral for a moment and you’ll spot creatures you haven’t noticed before. Once you’ve been there for a while and the animals realize that you aren’t a threat, they will come out of hiding and resume their daily business. Animal behaviors are really quite interesting!
I also enjoy revisiting dive sites because the reef is a living environment, continually changing and evolving over time. Over the years, I’ve noticed how different reefs have changed, sometimes for the better, but unfortunately, mostly for the worse. Some corals grow bigger, while some get broken by boats or divers, and others get tossed about in storms. These are things that you would only notice if you’ve been to a dive site multiple times, and have become familiar with the reef.
When you’ve dived a site multiple times, it becomes a neighborhood that you regularly visit and appreciate. Old friends come and go, the kids grow bigger and stronger, and eventually leave home for larger and bluer pastures.
It’s a great big ocean with animals small and large. Let’s not miss the trees for the forest!