GUE Question

[DeepDiverBob]

I know on public forums, getting into DIR and GUE can be quite a dance to avoid stepping on toes. However, the GUE people on here I have met are not the stereotypical GUE people, and are really fascinating to talk to. So, my question is in reguards to sidemount. Has this been an acceptable practice yet, or is it in the works or crossed off the board totally? I did a search for it, but the only results I found was on scubaboard, and we all know what that can be like. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys on this one.

[SLIM]

K I am not a GUE or a DIR. But I do teach to dive Hogarthian and with a team concept.

To answer your question DDB I canb say this. I know that some of the GUE top instructoers (names to remaine namless) have been with a few of the top SM divers that I know and one was at the MO workshop. I will not mention his name but I can assure you it was not FW.

So to kind of answer your question that I know of, it is being looked at and are working on a way to intragrate it into their works for the propper situation.

SLIM

[scububa]

Are they embracing rebreathers? If so, I would think that leaves a lot of room to consider SM. As Slim said, situationally dependent.

[SLIM]

I know that they have been learning difernat RB's They do love the RB80 even with some of the problems that it has but that is my opinioun.

SLIM

[b1gcountry]

My GUE experience is limited to taking one GUE Fundamentals course, and diving with a couple GUE instructors, interns, and former instructors/interns. My equipment and approach to diving are very close to being DIR, but I also like to dive solo, so semantics or not, I don't really term myself 'DIR'.

There is a popular saying on the boards that "there are no DIR divers, only DIR dives." I tend to think of it more as a concept than anything. If it is useful to you and your diving, you can take it or leave it as you wish. I had the benefit of having a conversation with Edd Sorenson one time about this, and he summed it up by asking "what do you think some of the GUE explorer types do when they come to a restriction you can't pass on Backmount? Do they give up?" I guess my point is that just because you tend to agree with certain general principles of a style someone once termed DIR doesn't mean you can't also do a dive on a rebreather or a sidemount system when the environment calls for it. I own a Chevy truck, but that doesn't mean I can never drive my wife's VW wagon if I need better gas mileage.

As far as adopting Sidemounting and DIR go, I don't think Sidemount will ever be 'DIR'. One of the main principles is that 1.you can always donate the gas you are breathing, and 2. You can always go to the necklaced reg around your neck. This converts from doubles to singles pretty easy with backmount, but I haven't seen anyone diving a configuration that allows this in SM. The other concern is that Sidemount is basically independent doubles, another configuration that just isn't "DIR".

One of the ideas behind GUE's classes is to "Begin with the end in mind". Seeing that, I don't think you can really consider sidemount a progression of anything GUE currently teaches. I consider this one of the many good ideas that just aren't DIR.

Tom

[b1gcountry]

PS, the only place I have ever met a "stereotypical DIR" type has been on Scubaboard.

[DeepDiverBob]

PS, the only place I have ever met a "stereotypical DIR" type has been on Scubaboard.

To be honest, same here. Tony was my intro to the good side of GUE, which Brett, Duane and others followed.

[MgicTwnger]

I asked my "tech" guru, Duane Johnson, for his thoughts. Although he has no personal experience with sidemount configurations, he is skeptical of the whole idea. His reasoning is that since you are breathing independent doubles, the tendency is to breathe down one tank and create a problem if your buddy needs to share air.

[ppo2_diver]

Actually, my concern was that sidemount creates an additional level of complexity that if not managed properly, could have disastrous results. Having never talked to anybody that does sidemount regularly, I can't speak intelligently on the topic. I would be concerned if someone diving sidemount becomes complacent and/or doesn't manage the gas supply correctly (for sidemount that is) could create problems for the team.

An acquaintance of mine, Don Chennavasin, dives sidemount and is a UTD instructor. He has written some blog posts on the topic of sidemount. Here's one on hose routing.

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/equipment/how-to-route-hoses-on-sidemount-tanks/

[DeepDiverBob]

Actually, my concern was that sidemount creates an additional level of complexity that if not managed properly, could have disastrous results. Having never talked to anybody that does sidemount regularly, I can't speak intelligently on the topic. I would be concerned if someone diving sidemount becomes complacent and/or doesn't manage the gas supply correctly (for sidemount that is) could create problems for the team.

An acquaintance of mine, Don Chennavasin, dives sidemount and is a UTD instructor. He has written some blog posts on the topic of sidemount. Here's one on hose routing.

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/equipment/how-to-route-hoses-on-sidemount-tanks/

You make a valid point, however, in my opinion, if you dont have good gas management skills, you shouldnt be diving anyway, let alone anything tech diving.

Also, when I was playing with sidemount at the DiveRite tech tour, I found I was looking at my gas pressure more than normal, and thats a lot since I usually check it at least once a minute.

[b1gcountry]

Kathy and I are driving down to Florida in 12 days. We signed up for a sidemount demo at Cave Adventures while we're down there. It should be interesting. Kathy is excited because she has had so many biomechanical issues lately that taking the tanks off her back sounds like heaven to her.

I'll be sure to post some impressions when I get back.

Tom

[Atlaua]

PS, the only place I have ever met a "stereotypical DIR" type has been on Scubaboard.

And rec.scuba