GUE Conference 2010 / Steve Bogaerts

Good evening everyone.

My name is Steve Bogaerts and my presentation tonight is on SM diving.
I have been diving SM now for over 15 years.
In fact my first ever cave dives were made using SM configuration in
sumps in the UK.
Since that time I have done most of my cave diving here in Mexico where
I have been living full time for the last 12 years.
During that time most of my personal diving when not teaching or
guiding has been made in open circuit SM configuration and the
majority of those dives have been exploration dives.
Over the years of exploration a great deal of real world experience,
experimentation and trial and error has had a profound impact of my
approach to SM equipment, equipment configuration, skills and
procedures.
As I have gained experience and knowledge exploring in the cave systems
of QR my diving has evolved and the difficulty of the dives I have been
able to undertake has increased.
As the dives have become ever more challenging I have been forced
to further refine my configuration & technique.
As my configuration and technique has improved I have been able
to undertake still more challenging dives.
So in effect these two processes go hand in hand one driving the other
so that my diving is a constant learning process and I am continually
trying to improve all aspects of it.
In addition to my own personal diving I have learnt a great deal from
teaching other divers SM.
The best way to really learn something in depth is to teach it to someone
else. To be an effective teacher you really have to understand your subject
matter inside out.
If I can find a way to make a skill easy for one of my students then that
technique will almost certainly work just as well for me.
Often when I teach a course I feel that I am learning just as much from
my students as they are from me …
... but let’s try to keep that a secret otherwise my students may start
expecting me to pay them!
So why do I choose to dive in sm configuration?
I can sum that up in 3 words:
Flexibility
Safety
Comfort
I will talk more about these aspects of SM later but first I would like to
run through a quick history of SM diving.
Like many of the innovations in diving SM was born in
the caves and it has been around quite a while.
Probably the earliest ever SM dives were made by members of the CDG in
the UK who used SM to make sump dives in order to extend exploration
in cave systems such as Wookey Hole and Swildon’s Hole in the 1960’s.
In fact practically all cave diving in the UK was and still is done in SM
configuration as this is the only practical way to dive in an environment
where often considerable dry caving has to be undertaken to even get
near the sumped section of cave to start the dive.
Most of the SM cave explorers in the UK were dry cavers who learnt
to dive to pass fairly short shallow sumps that were blocking their
exploration of further dry cave passageway.
Coming from a caving rather than a diving background often their diving
skills were self taught and to be honest fairly rudimentary.
Niceties such as buoyancy control, trim and effective propulsion
techniques did not seem to be high on their list of priorities.
I imagine it’s pretty hard to do a shuffle kick in a pair of
Wellington boots!
The first SM rigs were pretty basic. Often just a waist belt with a couple of
tank cam band stitched to it to drop the sm tanks in. The top of the tanks
would be at waist height with the body of the tank hanging down along-
side the diver’s legs.
Great for crawling along the floor but no so efficient for swimming!
In other parts of the world relatively easy access to large water filled
caves allowed divers to use BM configuration effectively.
For example French cave divers were diving their caves in independent
BM doubles - and some still are to this day!
They christened SM the ”English System”.
In the 1970’s American cave diver Woody Jasper adapted the
“English System” for cave diving in the Floridian aquifer.
Woody moved the SM tanks higher up the body so that the tops of the
tanks were now positioned in the armpits rather than at the waist and
added a buoyancy device in the form of a recreational jacket style BCD.
This made it easier attain neutral buoyancy and proper trim so that he
could move effectively and efficiently in the longer deeper caves he was
diving but still retain the flexibility and functionality of the English
system.
Over the last 50 years many cave diving explorers around the world have
chosen SM configuration as the optimal exploration system and typically
built their own SM rigs from scratch or adapted existing scuba equipment
to suit their purpose.
Dive Rite was probably the first manufacturer to offer an off the shelf
commercially available SM rig when they introduced the Transpac system
in the mid 1990’s that was designed by the owner of DR, cave explorer
Lamar Hires.
Even 5 years ago it was fairly rare to see SM divers at dive sites unless they
were explorers but just recently SM has been growing enormously in pop-
ularity and has been getting more and more exposure.
Today there are quite a few manufacturers offering SM systems and more
and more divers choosing to dive SM both in the caves and in the open
water and SM is no longer just the preserve of cave explorers or even cave
divers.
There are probably as many different reasons divers choose to dive in SM
configuration as there are SM divers and each individual will have their
personal reasons for choosing to use SM.
As I mentioned earlier flexibility, safety and comfort are the 3 main rea-
sons I use SM and I would guess that most SM divers have those reasons
pretty high up on their list so let’s look at each of these in more detail.
SM is by far the most flexible system in all senses of the word.
Anywhere there is diving you will find single cylinders but you may not
be able to find doubles in more remote locations.
Transporting single cylinders to and from the dive site particularly in
remote areas or if the entrance is difficult to access is easier than with
doubles.
Imagine the difficulty of having to crawl or climb through a dry cave or
hike 5 miles through dense jungle with a set of doubles.
Once in the water the ability to quickly and efficiently remove and replace
your tanks either one at a time or both together means that you can pass
tight or awkward areas easily, opening up parts of the cave or wreck you
would not be able to access otherwise.
SM equipment is lighter and less bulky to travel with which is certainly an
advantage in these days of shrinking airline baggage allowances.
In any BM configuration all your critical life support equipment is in an
exposed location, out of sight, difficult to access and limits potential solu-
tions to failures.
Let me say that again because I think it is a very important point that
needs emphasis.
BM puts your tank valves, valve hand wheels, regulator first
stages and all the hoses coming from them in the most exposed
position they could possibly be in.
This creates a huge potential for impact damage of these critical
components in an OH environment such as a wreck or a cave.
It also presents a much greater risk of entanglement.
If you do experience a problem you may not immediately be able to
identify what or where the problem is as you can’t see any of this
critical equipment either.
You may have to work your way blindly through a valve shutdown
sequence or have to rely on a team mate to assist you or to clear an
entanglement for example.
Trying to solve the problem is going to be less efficient and more time
consuming and some failures will be difficult if not impossible to solve.
Breathing from a free flowing regulator by feathering the tank valve,
switching out first stages underwater, or breathing directly from the tank
valve itself, are not practical solutions in BM but can all be done easily
and comfortably in SM.
Although extremely unlikely catastrophic gas failures are possible.
True gas redundancy is only possible with independent tanks so BM divers
equipped with a manifold must either dive as a team or carry a safety bot-
tle to confer sufficient safety in the event of a catastrophic failure.
SM divers have true redundancy and are completely self sufficient.
In the event of a catastrophic failure only half of the gas would be lost
and assuming proper gas planning there would be sufficient remain-
ing gas to exit safely without having to rely on a team member or safety
tanks.
When you actually think about it you really have to wonder who thought
it was a good idea to put the tanks on the diver’s back in the first place.
The best place for your tank valves and regulator first stages is in your
armpits where they are protected, where you can see them and where
you can reach them easily!
For me SM is the most natural diving configuration and is the most com-
fortable and enjoyable to dive.
I love to free dive and the sense of complete freedom in all 3 dimensions
is really exhilarating.
Unfortunately I don’t have gills so cannot stay down as long as I would
wish hence the need for Scuba.
Unfortunately as soon as you have a steel back plate and set of doubles
locking your body rigidly in place you lose a great deal of that freedom.
SM returns that sense of freedom as you are able to move your whole
body and twist and turn so that diving can become a graceful and fluid
dance in a weightless three dimensional world.
Unfortunately old injuries also are also catching up with me.
For example I have scar tissue in my left shoulder that limits my flexibility
and a reconstructed right knee, the result of Rugby injuries in my youth
that make certain movements or activities painful or difficult.
Cave diving is much safer than Rugby!
For me manipulating BM valves is awkward and painful whereas in SM it
is no problem at all.
Often when I am exploring the most difficult and dangerous part of the
entire experience is getting both my equipment and me all to the water
in one piece.
Carrying tanks over uneven trails or climbing down into difficult cave en-
trances is challenging and potentially dangerous especially because of my
knee injury. The last thing you want is to fall and seriously injure yourself
in a remote location.
Again single SM tanks are easier to deal with than a set of doubles.
Once you have your equipment at the dive site being able to gear up ac-
tually in the water at the start of the dive and then take everything back
off again still in the water while essentially weightless before climbing
out at the end is also often easier and more comfortable than having to
make an entry or exit carrying all of your gear including tanks.
As we are all aware post dive exertion is one of the biggest contributors
to DCS.
Ultimately the more comfortable you are the safer you are and the more
you will enjoy both the dive and the whole diving experience.
That search for flexibility, safety and comfort led me to the invention and
development of the Razor SM Harness.
As they say:
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
I originally designed the Razor Harness for use on Side-mount / No-mount
exploration dives in very restricted cave where every piece of extra equip-
ment seems as if it is trying to kill you.
The problem was that in many cases to get to the part of the caves where
I was exploring required long penetrations using DPV’s and multiple stag-
es thus increasing my equipment load considerably.
But when I got to the area I wanted to explore I needed to be as small
and streamlined as possible. I wanted some way to integrate these dispa-
rate requirements in one system.
Over the years I have dived just about every Side Mount rig on the market
as well as various homemade versions.
All of them worked to a degree but none were ideal.
Like most Side Mount divers I spent a lot of time making modifications to
improve the various rigs but was always constrained to a certain extent by
the original design and never had a Side Mount harness that I was totally
happy with.
As my exploration dives became more and more challenging, particularly
over the last few years, I started to run into the limits of both the equip-
ment and the equipment configuration I was using.
Trying to squeeze myself into ever smaller places was pretty rough on all
my gear.
I was getting hung up and stuck quite often and in fact in the year of
exploration leading up to the connection between Sistema Sac Actun
and Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich I managed to destroy three different
Side Mount rigs.
To illustrate just how important a streamlined SM rig was for many of
these dives even the thickness of my wetsuit could be a problem when
diving certain areas.
I have several wetsuits that now look more like Teabags with lots of per-
forations.
I was both running out of equipment to dive in and also frustrated
by its shortcomings.
Around this time I decided to start experimenting with different equip-
ment solutions.
I began by making a very simple No Mount harness to go under my Side
Mount harness so that when the cave really started to get small I could
ditch the comparatively bulky Side Mount rig I was diving and carry on No
Mount.
The problem was managing all this equipment a long way back in very
small cave usually in zero visibility while trying to run a line or survey.
I was spending too much time dressing and undressing while underwater
a long way back in the cave and not enough exploring.
Also trying to make sure that I had all the stuff I needed on the right har-
ness at any given moment was a problem and at various times I forgot
or lost various pieces of equipment as I changed from one harness to the
other.
For example on one exploration dive having no mounted 20 minutes
through very small cave and getting ready to begin my survey I realized
that my survey slates were still attached to the Side Mount rig I had left
behind me in the cave and were not on my No Mount harness.
Additionally often having passed through a No Mount section of cave the
cave would open back up again and then having a Side Mount harness
would have been an advantage so that I could swim more efficiently.
I needed a simpler more flexible system that fitted my current,
more demanding needs.
As nothing like that existed I decided to start from scratch and design a
completely new harness for myself.
So the development of the Razor Harness began at this point in
early 2007.
I wanted a harness that was flexible and would meet several different
needs.
It had to function as both a No Mount and a Side Mount harness and I
needed to be able to switch quickly and easily between configurations
while underwater.
The harness also had to work with multiple stages and with DPV’s and
to accommodate a totally separate and removable modular buoyancy
system.
Ideally the harness also had to meet the following criteria on my rather
extensive wish list as well:
• Small and light so as to be easy to carry on long treks through the jungle.
• Comfortable to wear and easy to get on and off on the surface.
• A simple design with no stitching, complicated hardware or multiple closure points.
• Rugged to stand up to the most challenging dives in the most
challenging environments where it was going to take a beating.
• Safe and reliable because my life depended upon its performance.
• As low profile and streamlined as possible to allow me to fit in the
smallest areas possible.
• Easy to use in very challenging conditions.
• Easy to adjust.
• Easy to repair if and when it does get damaged.
Over many hours of brainstorming, lots of test diving and various
“Eureka” moments in the middle of the night the Razor Harness finally
evolved into what you see today.
There were several prototypes along the way but the final version that I
am currently using meets all of my requirements and is by far the best and
most flexible Side Mount / No Mount harness I have used and has made
my exploration dives far more efficient and productive and safer too.
I finally have a harness I am 99% happy with and that level of comfort is
directly translated into the difficulty level of the dives I can now under-
take that I would have hesitated to do before.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and judging by the
number of people now copying the RH I guess it works prettz well!
After years of experience diving in Side Mount I really thought I knew
what I was doing but the last few years spent experimenting with the
Razor Harness have completely redefined my approach to, and philosophy
of, Side Mount diving.
During this evolution I have learned so much and become a much better
Side Mount diver along the way and that has been a really enjoyable
experience.
I have attempted to streamline equipment, skills and procedures as much
as possible.
Standardizing equipment choice and equipment configuration has
allowed me to standardize skill and procedures as well.
The Bogaerthian SM Philosophy is based on a very minimalist approach
to SM diving trying to keep everything as simple as possible.

The key being “less is more”

Each of the components in the overall system is designed to fit together

seamlessly and work as part of an integrated whole.
The Razor Harness is at the heart of this system but is only a part of it and
is complemented by all the other equipment choices and configuration
decisions.
The philosophy is holistic in approach and is designed from the inside out
so that as additional layers of equipment are added there is no change in
the core equipment, equipment placement, procedures or skill sets.
I soon realized that if the system worked so well for me then it would
work just as well for other divers.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
I started teaching all my Side Mount students in the Razor Harness us-
ing my “Bogaerthian Philosopy” and immediately noticed a dramatic im-
provement in their skills, abilities and comfort levels.
Their pace of learning accelerated considerably and I was able to focus
much more of the finer points of SM diving.
Getting proper training for all levels of diving is extremely important.
The more advanced the level the more important it becomes.
Finding a knowledgeable experienced SM Instructor will be a huge advan-
tage for the diver wishing to progress in a safe, efficient manner
Being a good Side Mount diver requires a great deal more thought and
attention than just hanging two tanks off of the side of your body.
SM diving is not the same as stage diving or monkey diving although
many people mistakenly believe that it is.
A poorly configured setup will make everything much harder.
Choosing the right equipment and then having it configured correctly is
half the battle in becoming comfortable as soon as possible in SM.
But equipment is only half the battle.
When you completely change your equipment configuration from Back
Mount to Side Mount a lot of other things are going to change as well
and a whole new skill set is going to have to be learned and practiced.
However learning exactly what those skills are and how to perform them
correctly is critical as practice makes permanent and only perfect practice
makes perfect!
Before advanced Side Mount skills can be learned basic ones have to be
mastered and before entering a more challenging environment those
basic skills need to be rock solid and comfort levels high. For this reason
complete SM training should be modular.
The courses I have designed have 3 main levels of training.
The Level 1 Basic Side Mount Course teaches the skills and procedures
necessary to dive safely in Side Mount configuration.
It is essentially “Fundamentals” for SM.
Any new equipment configuration takes some time to master and this
should be done in a low stress safe environment so the intent is not to
dive in very small areas.
The Level 2 Advanced Side Mount Course builds on the skills and procedures
learnt in the Level 1 course as well as adding additional skills with the intent
to train divers to be comfortable and safe diving in small areas which increas-
es the environmental hazards and psychological stress levels considerably.
The Level 3 Exploration Side Mount/No Mount Course provides the diver
with the tools to be able to explore effectively and safely in the most ex-
treme environments one will encounter in diving.
There are also a number of complimentary specialty courses that can be
taken in Side Mount configuration such as Stage/Multi Stage, DPV and
Survey.
As we have already seen SM is a very flexible configuration and it lends
itself to Team diving just as effectively as BM under the same
conditions.
Ideally team members should all be diving compatible equipment, config-
ured in the same way.
Each diver is therefore familiar with other team member’s setup and skills
and procedures can be standardized to simplify and streamline protocols
and emergency procedures.
With this in mind it is preferable if all team members dive in a standard-
ized SM configuration.
To simplfy dive planning the same volume SM tanks and standardised gas
mixes should be used.
However dives with mixed teams of both SM and BM divers can be done
effectively and safely with a little extra planning.
In order to simplify and facilitate gas sharing procedures all team mem-
bers including SM divers should be equipped with a long hose to donate
to an out of gas diver no matter what configuration they are diving.
Team gas management should be implemented based on the smallest
volume of gas carried by any of the team members either in any of the
single SM tanks or in half of the BM doubles.
Reserve volumes in each and every SM tank should always be sufficient
to get any other team member safely back to the exit in the event of a
catastrophic gas failure at the point of maximum penetration.
Usually the optimal team size for diving in BM cave is 3, this will often be
the case for SM dives as well when they are conducted in similar areas of
the cave that are relatively large in size.
As the cave gets smaller there is a need to reevaluate the optimal team
size in terms of safety, efficiency and practicality.
In true SM cave a team of 3 divers will in many instances be too many.
The conditions encountered will make effective communication between
three divers difficult or even impossible and this will lead to problems in
and of itself.
In the event of a problem or emergency it may prove to be inefficient or
impossible to provide any assistance to a team member.
In reality too many divers in close proximity to one another in very small
cave, often working in zero visibility conditions while having to remove
and replace equipment to pass multiple restrictions, can create additional
hazards while doing nothing to enhance safety.
Team members that cannot see you, the cave passage or the guideline
cannot help you if you do have a problem.
Even if they are aware of a problem the inabillity to provide effective as-
sistance does nothing to enhance your safety and their presence may well
make the dive less safe for all.
Both the ideal equipment configuration and the ideal team size should be
considered carefully before every dive. It should be based on the actual
environment the dive will be conducted in and the prevailing conditions
at the time of the dive.
Sometimes the ideal team size will be 3, sometimes 2 and for some dives 1 is the
best number. For many of my exploration dives the ideal team size was 1.
Getting properly trained is not just a safety issue but also an important
conservation issue.
SM has the potential to spread impact into previously inaccessible areas
of the cave or wreck.
It is critical that your skills and knowledge are matched to the environ-
ment you are diving to minimize any impact you may have.
The more challenging the dive the better both your equipment configura-
tion and skills must be.
• SM is here to stay and I really see it getting more and more popular.
• There will be more SM specific equipment available.
• Equipment configuration is going to become far more standardized
as are skills sets and procedures.
• SM rebreather systems are going to become more common.
For my part I have a bunch of new SM stuff I am working on and
I am very excited to take the “Bogaerthian SM system” to the next level.
So go out and give SM a try …
but be warned once you go SM you may never go back!
In closing I would like to say whatever equipment configuration
you choose to dive in ...
BE SAFE!
Enjoy your diving and please cave softly

Thank you!
www.go sidemount.com