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| A side mount diver navigates an ocean cave. |
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Side mount diving configurations and techniques are fast becoming recognized as an accepted and safe mode of diving in underwater caves. Manufacturers are now supplying off-the-shelf harness and buoyancy devices that allow divers to take advantage of years of in water testing and modifications. These systems are comfortable, safe and allow the diver to move into side mounting without having to go through the extensive “tweaking” process that was required in the design process.
Side mount diving allows the diver many advantages over standard back mounting configuration. The ease of transporting single cylinders to and from the dive site saves the divers back, knees and ankles from lugging heavy loads, long distances. It also enables the diver to configure for cave diving in nearly any location in the world where scuba diving activities are conducted by allowing for use with standard aluminum cylinders.
However the original rational behind the use of side mounted cylinders stems from the explorers ability to move through smaller cave passages in order to find more cave.
Most cave diving training agencies have realized the need for formal training guidelines in this area and have created curriculums that provide divers with the information and instructional expertise that allow divers to safely venture into the use of side mounts both as an advanced form of cave diving as well as a safe and redundant configuration for the new cave diver.
Side mount configurations can be used by students in their cavern through full cave courses as their primary configuration (if the student commits to completing all levels of training in this configuration). This does not qualify them as a Side Mount Diver in the sense of advanced exploration techniques. The student will only receive a Cave Diver certification, and not a Side Mount Diver certification.
If the diver wishes to use this configuration to it’s full capabilities, then a Side Mount Diver course should be taken after 50 non-training cave dives have been completed. The Side Mount Diver course allows the diver to move on to the more advanced techniques including in-water cylinder removals, negotiating restrictions and gas management considerations for a truly independent cylinder configuration.
The Bahamas Underground teaches Side Mount Diver courses and basic cave training in side mount configurations through the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers ( IANTD), the National Association of Cave Divers ( NACD) and the National Speleological Society – Cave Diving Section ( NSS-CDS ). The Bahamas Underground specializes in Side Mount and No Mount diving techniques and provides training as private courses or to two person buddy teams.
If you are interested in learning to cave dive in side mount configuration or would like to move into side mount as an advanced form of diving, contact Brian Kakuk at the Bahamas Underground for schedules and pricing.
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