Browsing Tag water entry
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.
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.