Thursday, January 14, 2016

Sea Trek~ "Cozumel Mexico"




 Cozumel (Spanish pronunciation: [kosu'mel], Yucatec Maya: Kùutsmil, English: Island of the Swallows) is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatán Channel.

The economy of Cozumel is based on tourism.

There are a number of visitors to the island's balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel.

The islands belongs to Cozumel Municipality of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.



Cozumel
Native name: Kùtz
Nickname: Cuzamil
Isla cozumel April17-2001-crop.jpg
Satellite image of Cozumel Island in 2001
Cozumel en Quintana Roo.svg
Geography
Location Caribbean Sea
Coordinates 20°25′N 86°55′WCoordinates: 20°25′N 86°55′W
Total islands 2
Area 647.33 km2 (249.94 sq mi)
Highest point 14m
Country
Mexico
State Quintana Roo
Municipios (Municipality) Cozumel Municipality
Largest settlement San Miguel de Cozumel (pop. 77,236)
Presidente municipal (Municipal president) Juan Carlos González Hernández (PRI)
Demographics
Population 100,000 (as of 2011)
Density 154.5 /km2 (400.2 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Maya
Additional information
Official website Government website
Time zone UTC −5
DST: UTC −4


Etymology

The name Cozumel was derived from the Mayan "Cuzamil" or "Ah Cuzamil Peten" in full, which means the island of swallows (Spanish: Isla de las Golondrinas).[1][2]

Geography

The island is located in the Caribbean Sea along the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula about 82 km (51 mi) south of Cancún and 19 km (12 mi) from the mainland.

The island is about 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (9.9 mi) wide.

With a total area of 477.961 km2 (184.542 sq mi), it is Mexico's largest Caribbean island, and Mexico's third-largest island, following Tiburón Island and Isla Ángel de la Guarda.

The majority of the island's population lives in the town of San Miguel (pop. 77,236 in 2010),[3] which is on the island's western shore.

The municipality, which includes two small areas on the mainland enclaved within the Municipality of Solidaridad with a land area of 10.423 km2 (4.024 sq mi), has a total land area of 647.33 km2 (249.93 sq mi).[4]



Cozumel southeast coast

Landscape view of Cozumel
The island is covered with mangrove forest which has many endemic animal species. Cozumel is a flat island based on limestone, resulting in a karst topography.

The highest natural point on the island is less than 15 m (49 ft) above sea level.

The cenotes are deep water filled sinkholes formed by water percolating through the soft limestone soil during thousands of years.

Cozumel's cenotes are restricted to qualified cave divers with appropriate credentials.

In the early 1990s, a group of cave explorers here discovered the fifth-largest underwater cave in the world.[citation needed]


Fauna

 

Cozumel has a number of endemic species and subspecies of bird including:

Endemic dwarf mammals are found on the island:

There are three rodents that are larger than their mainland counterpart: Oryzomys couesi, Peromyscus leucopus, and critically endangered Reithrodontomys spectabilis, the latter of which is also endemic to the island.

Endemic marine life:

Other native wildlife includes:

 

 

Climate

Cozumel has tropical savanna climate under the Köppen climate classification that closely borders on a tropical monsoon climate.[9]

The dry season is short, only occurring from February to April but even in these months, precipitation is observed, averaging about 45 millimetres (1.8 in) of rain per month.

The wet season is lengthy, covering most of the months, with September and October being the wettest months, when precipitation averages over 240 millimetres (9.4 in).

Thunderstorms can occasionally occur during the wet season.[10]

Temperatures tend to remain stable with little variation from month to month though the temperatures are cooler from December to February with the coolest month averaging 22.9 °C (73.2 °F).

Owing to its proximity to the sea, the island is fairly humid, with an average humidity of 83%.[10]

The wettest recorded month was October 1980 with 792 millimetres (31.2 in) of precipitation and the wettest recorded day was June 19, 1975 with 281 millimetres (11.1 in).[10]

Extremes range from 9.2 °C (48.6 °F) on January 18, 1977 to 39.2 °C (102.6 °F).[10]


Climate data for Cozumel (1951–1980)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.4
(97.5)		 36.0
(96.8)		 34.7
(94.5)		 39.0
(102.2)		 36.6
(97.9)		 36.4
(97.5)		 39.2
(102.6)		 36.8
(98.2)		 36.6
(97.9)		 36.1
(97)		 35.2
(95.4)		 32.6
(90.7)		 39.2
(102.6)
Average high °C (°F) 28.6
(83.5)		 29.1
(84.4)		 30.9
(87.6)		 32.0
(89.6)		 32.7
(90.9)		 32.4
(90.3)		 32.6
(90.7)		 33.0
(91.4)		 31.9
(89.4)		 30.7
(87.3)		 29.7
(85.5)		 28.6
(83.5)		 31.0
(87.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.9
(73.2)		 23.2
(73.8)		 24.7
(76.5)		 26.0
(78.8)		 26.9
(80.4)		 27.2
(81)		 27.2
(81)		 27.2
(81)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.9
(78.6)		 24.8
(76.6)		 23.4
(74.1)		 25.5
(77.9)
Average low °C (°F) 19.4
(66.9)		 19.4
(66.9)		 20.7
(69.3)		 21.8
(71.2)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.6
(74.5)		 23.1
(73.6)		 21.7
(71.1)		 20.3
(68.5)		 22.0
(71.6)
Record low °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6)		 9.7
(49.5)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.6
(58.3)		 15.2
(59.4)		 18.8
(65.8)		 17.0
(62.6)		 20.8
(69.4)		 20.8
(69.4)		 17.0
(62.6)		 11.2
(52.2)		 12.7
(54.9)		 9.2
(48.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 81.4
(3.205)		 60.0
(2.362)		 32.2
(1.268)		 44.8
(1.764)		 110.6
(4.354)		 191.7
(7.547)		 115.5
(4.547)		 141.7
(5.579)		 240.2
(9.457)		 242.5
(9.547)		 122.5
(4.823)		 106.8
(4.205)		 1,489.9
(58.657)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 8.66 6.46 4.03 3.73 7.20 12.63 11.83 13.37 15.43 15.70 11.06 9.76 119.86
Average relative humidity (%) 82 81 79 79 80 84 84 84 87 85 83 83 83
Mean monthly sunshine hours 198.0 192.3 232.0 257.0 231.9 206.5 220.1 221.7 181.5 193.7 183.9 192.2 2,510.8
Source: Colegio de Postgraduados[10]

 

History


Maya ruins of San Gervasio
The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD, and older Preclassic Olmec artifacts have been found on the island as well.

The island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility.[11]

There are a number of ruins on the island, most from the Post-Classic period.

The largest Maya ruins on the island were near the downtown area and have now been destroyed.[12]

Today, the largest remaining ruins are at San Gervasio, located approximately at the center of the island.



Chan Santa Cruz Monument in Cozumel
The first Spanish expedition to visit Cozumel was led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518.[13]:28

In the following year Hernán Cortés stopped by the island on his way to Veracruz.[13]:57 The Grijalva and Cortés expeditions were both received peacefully by the Maya of Cozumel, unlike the expeditions’ experiences on other parts of the mainland.

Even after Cortés destroyed some of the Maya idols on Cozumel and replaced them with an image of the Virgin Mary, the native inhabitants of the island continued to help the Spanish re-supply their ships with food and water so they could continue their voyages.

Gerónimo de Aguilar was rescued at this time.[13]:60–64

As many as 10,000 Maya lived on the island then, but in 1520, infected crew members of the Pánfilo Narváez expedition brought the smallpox contagion to the island and by 1570 only 186 men and 172 women were left alive on Cozumel.

In the ensuing years Cozumel was often the target of attacks by pirates, and in 1650 many of the islanders were forcibly relocated to the mainland town of Xcan Boloná to avoid the buccaneers’ predation.

Later, in 1688, most of the rest of the island’s population, as well as many of the settlements along the Quintana Roo coast, were evacuated inland to towns such as Chemax.



San Miguel Church
In 1848, refugees escaping the tumult of the Caste War of Yucatán settled on the island and in 1849 the town of San Miguel de Cozumel was officially recognized by the Mexican government.[14]

In 1861, American President Abraham Lincoln ordered his Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, to meet with the Mexican charge d’affaires Matias Romero to explore the possibility of purchasing the island of Cozumel for the purpose of relocating freed American slaves offshore.

 The idea was summarily dismissed by Mexican President Benito Juarez, but in 1862 Lincoln did manage to establish a short-lived colony of ex-slaves on Île à Vache off the coast of Haiti.[15]



Cruise Port in San Miguel de Cozumel.
Although the original airport was a World War II relic and was able to handle jet aircraft and international flights, a much larger airport was built in the late 1970s.[citation needed]

Scuba diving is still one of Cozumel's primary attractions, mainly due to the healthy coral reef marine communities.

These coral reefs are protected from the open ocean by the island's natural geography. In 1996, the government of Mexico also established the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, forbidding anyone from touching or removing any marine life within the park boundaries.[16]

Despite the importance of healthy reefs to Cozumel's tourist trade, a deepwater pier was built in the 1990s for cruise ships to dock, causing damage to the reefs, and it is now a regular stop on cruises in the Caribbean.



Cozumel seen through the eye of Hurricane Wilma
The island was struck directly by two Category 4 hurricanes during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. In July, Hurricane Emily passed just south of Cozumel, exposing the island to the storm's intense inner core.

Despite Emily being a powerful storm, it was the larger, stronger, slower-moving Hurricane Wilma that caused the most destruction when it hit the island in October.[17] Wilma's eye passed directly over Cozumel.

There was some damage to the underwater marine habitat. This included the coral reefs, which suffered particularly at the shallower dive sites, and the fish that inhabit the reefs.[18][19]

Economy

 


Small bars and restaurants along the east coast of the island.
Tourism, diving and charter fishing comprise the majority of the island’s economy.

There are more than 300 restaurants on the island and many hotels, some of which run dive operations, have swimming pools, private docks, and multiple dining facilities.

Other water activities include para-sailing, kitesurfing, and a tourist submarine. There are also two dolphinariums.

At the cruise ship docks there are several square blocks of stores selling Cuban cigars, jewellery, T-shirts, tequila, and a large variety of inexpensive souvenirs.

There are many restaurants in San Miguel that have a huge variety of different cuisines. In downtown Cozumel there are several discothèques, bars, cinemas, stages and restaurants.

The main plaza includes; seasonal vendors, Mayan fire shows and a fixed stage where Cozumelenians and tourists celebrate the Sunday evening with a dance into the night.

All food and manufactured supplies are shipped to the island. Water is provided by three different desalination facilities located on the island.

Education

There are two universities on the island: the University of Quintana Roo and Partenon.

In addition to teaching English as a degree, they offer five other career options including natural resources research, tourism and commercial systems.

Government

Main article: Cozumel Municipality

Conservation

Culture

The Festival of El Cedral is a festival held in the town of El Cedral, in the south of Cozumel Island at the end of April.

This annual event is said to have been started over 150 years ago by Casimiro Cárdenas.

Cárdenas was one of a group that fled to the island from the village of Saban, on the mainland, after an attack during the Caste War of Yucatán.

The attackers killed other villagers, but Cárdenas survived whilst clutching a small wooden cross.

Legend has it that Cárdenas vowed to start an annual festival wherever he settled, to honor the religious power of this crucifix.

Today, the original Holy Cross Festival forms part of the wider Festival of El Cedral, which includes fairs, traditional feasts, rodeos, bullfights, music and competitions.

The celebrations last about 5 days in all and are held every year at the end of April or beginning of May.[citation needed]

The Cozumel Carnival or Carnaval de Cozumel has been celebrated as a tradition beginning from the late nineteenth century that fills Cozumel’s streets with parades.

It begins the week before Mardi-Gras in February.

Source: Wikipedia.org


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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Side Mount Diving~ "The Art of Diving"


TheLongHose.com
Published on Nov 13, 2013
This video is the first one of a sidemount diving video series.

The purpose of this movie is to show you how easy sidemount diving can be.
You can also get an idea of what diving on Lanzarote looks like, with a focus on underwater landscapes.

Stay tuned for the videos 2 : Technical Sidemount on Lanzarote which will document the bigger marine life and the video 3: Cave Sidemount Diving on Lanzarote.


Sidemount is a scuba diving equipment configuration which has diving cylinders mounted alongside the diver, below the shoulders and along the hips, instead of on the back of the diver.

It began as a configuration popular with advanced cave divers, as smaller sections of cave can be penetrated and tanks can be changed with greater ease.

The same benefits for operating in confined spaces were also recognized by divers who conducted technical wreck diving penetrations.

Sidemount diving is now growing in popularity within the technical diving community for general decompression diving,[1] and is becoming an increasingly popular specialty training for recreational diving, with several diver certification agencies offering recreational and technical level sidemount training programs.[2][3][4]

Sidemount diver pushing a cylinder in front

Terminology


Sidemount diver using an OMS Profile adapted wing BCD
Sidemount diving
Sidemount diving is the, now increasingly formalized, approach towards conducting dives with 2 or more primary cylinders secured at the side of the body and in line with the torso – with no cylinders on the diver’s back.[5] 

A common feature that defines sidemount configuration is the use of bungee cords to provide an upper attachment on the cylinder valve, normally routed from behind the diver’s upper back, whilst the lower cylinder is secured to the diver’s lower harness (butt-plate or waist D-rings) via bolt-snaps.[6]

Sidemounting stages
Sidemount stages is the practice of using sidemount configuration (bungee loops and/or buttplate rails) as a means for stowing stage/deco cylinders in a streamlined manner against the sides of the torso, when otherwise diving in back-mounted doubles or CCR.[7]

Monkey diving
Monkey diving is the use of sidemount configuration/procedures, whilst only carrying a single cylinder.

It is presented as an option on some recreational level sidemount courses (dependent on agency) and may also be a considered strategy for certain overhead-environment (cave/wreck) penetrations. 

The use of a single cylinder may require a strategy of counter-weighting to prevent diver instability in the water, depending on the buoyancy of the chosen cylinder.

No-mount diving
No-mount diving is a specialized overhead-environment strategy for dealing with particularly tight restrictions.[8] 

This may involve divers wearing a very basic harness under their existing configuration, or simply hand-carrying cylinders. Upon reaching a restriction through which they couldn’t otherwise pass, they will ‘strip down’ out of their primary gear, hand-hold or attach a cylinder/s to their ‘no-mount’ harness and move forwards.[8] 

A ‘no-mount’ harness can consist of nothing more than a weight-belt with several D-rings attached. The evolution of sidemount techniques and configurations has largely made this approach unnecessary, as a minimalist sidemount harness/BCD can be worn beneath back-mounted doubles, or even a CCR.

Benefits[edit]


Sidemount diver partially removes (forward rotates) both primary cylinders to permit passage through a restriction in a wreck.

Flexibility

The sidemount diving approach offers divers significant benefits to the flexibility of their approach. 

Unlike back-mounted doubles, acquiring and transporting sidemount suitable cylinders is often much more convenient and accessible.

Sidemount diving configuration allows the travelling diver to conduct technical and/or overhead environment dives without having to source traditional back-mounted twin cylinders. 

When diving in remote locations, the transportation of diving cylinders, especially by hand, is considerably less physically taxing.[9][10]

Sidemount diving equipment is also considerably lighter, and less bulky than back-mounted alternatives – allowing for easier and cheaper (considering the rate of many airlines’ excess baggage costs) travel.[citation needed][dubious – discuss]

Accessibility

Unlike back-mounted cylinders, the sidemount diver has immediate access to, and observation of, the regulators and tank valves of their cylinders. 

This enables immediate problem identification and allows swifter resolution, without recourse to ‘behind the head’ shut-down drills that require a higher level of mobility, flexibility and freedom to operate.

Streamlining

Sidemount diving configuration places the cylinders under the diver’s armpits, in line with their body. This decreases water resistance (improving air consumption and reducing fatigue) whilst also allowing the diver to pass through smaller restrictions than would otherwise be possible in back-mounted cylinders.

The flexibility to remove tanks, and propel them in front, allows the diver to pass through very small passages and holes when penetration diving – being limited only by the size of their bodies and exposure protection.[11]

Safety

Increased accessibility to life-supporting regulators, first-stages and valves improves efficiency and speed of critical cylinder shut-down procedures, allows immediate gas-loss identification and provides the diver with quick access to alternative safety procedures; such as regulator swapping (between cylinders), valve-‘feathering’ to access gas within a cylinder whose regulator is malfunctioned/free-flowing... or even breathing directly from a tank valve.

In addition, stowage of the cylinders next to the diver’s torso, and beneath his armpits, serves to protect vulnerable valves and regulator first-stages from collision, impact and abrasion damage, or accidental shut-down through contact with a ceiling. It also significantly reduces the risk of entanglement behind the diver, where it is least easy to rectify.

Comfort

Many divers will testify that sidemount diving configuration offers greater stability and easier-to-attain trim and control in the water. It is also less physically tiring to carry, and get into, sidemount equipment than with traditional back-mounted doubles – especially when operating from a small boat or a rough shore entry.[12]

The ability to attach, remove and replace cylinders whilst in the water allows the diver to avoid ever having to carry heavy-weight back-mounted cylinders. This is combined with reduced physical exertion when conducting regulator shut-down procedures, which is a major benefit to technical divers who suffer from shoulder or back discomfort or reduced mobility from old injuries.

Redundancy of gas

Whilst technical divers have always utilized a redundant gas system, either isolated-manifold or independent back-mounted cylinders, recreational divers have traditionally resorted to using ‘pony cylinders’ or ‘ascent bottles’ as contingencies against out-of-air emergencies. 

Whether attached to the primary cylinder, or slung at the chest, these cylinders often presented problems with stability and streamlining, whilst simultaneously only providing a bare minimum supply of air for emergency ascent.

Sidemount diving with two cylinders helps resolve stability and streamlining issues, and ensures that a truly capable redundant supply of air is maintained.

Technical divers debate the pros and cons of independent cylinders versus isolated-manifold doubles. Back-mounted manifold cylinders provide easy access to complete gas supplies, in the event of a regulator failure and shut-down.

However, the manifold itself creates additional o-ring failure points and a failure in that component will deprive the technical diver of, at least, one-half of his remaining gas supply. Independent cylinders, when sidemounted, provide true gas redundancy, whilst offering access (via switching regulators between cylinders or feather breathing[13]) of all remaining gas.

Sidemount for the recreational diver


Sidemount diver removes a cylinder on ascent.
The benefits for cave diving and wreck diving with tight penetrations are largely accepted, but they are not so clear for the typical recreational diver.

Most recreational divers rely on their buddy for bailout gas, and do not carry a redundant gas supply. When there is only one cylinder, there is only no need to control several valves. 

The position of the cylinder valve behind the head has proven to be reasonably safe in millions of dives, though some divers do have physical difficulty reaching the valve while wearing the set, particularly if the cylinder is mounted relatively low on the harness.

In single cylinder diving there is seldom a reason to shut a cylinder valve while diving, and there is no need for changing cylinders or managing different gases. The recreational diver with a single cylinder is not supposed to enter low overhead spaces, so the single valve behind the divers head is unlikely to come into contact with objects which might roll it closed, as the diver tends to avoids situations where the head might impact with obstructions.

Since many recreational divers prefer to swim with their arms crossed in front of the chest, a side mounted cylinder might get in the way. Carrying one cylinder on one side does not increase stability or control, especially when it comes to a rough shore exit and other situations when freedom of movement of the arms is needed.

There are rarely any transportation benefits since the detached transportation of a back mounted cylinder is possible, and carrying the weight on the back is less stress on the spine than carrying it to one side when out of the water. Since backmount equipment designed for travelling is readily available, the weight advantages are unclear.

History

The 1960s - UK sump diving

The concept of sidemounting cylinders originated from cave diving in the UK, during the 1960s. 

During 'dry' explorations of Wookey Hole, the River Axe and other underground systems, divers occasionally encountered submerged passages that blocked further exploration. These cavers began incorporating scuba equipment specifically to progress beyond underwater areas. 

However, because they operated in very confined spaces, and most exploration remained primarily 'dry', they began experimenting and improvising with extremely minimalist configurations, minimizing bulk, allowing cylinders to be easily removed and replaced, and retaining the capacity to squeeze through the tightest restrictions.[10][14]

The nature of these 'dives' in cramped sumps did not prioritize the need for buoyancy control or underwater propulsion – so the bare minimum needed was a mask, a cylinder, a regulator, a method of attachment to the body and, only on rare occasions, a set of fins.[8]

Many of these early sump explorers adopted an approach based upon a sturdy belt, with attached cam-band, that allowed a cylinder to be dropped in and carried alongside the outer thigh. This allowed them to crawl, or wriggle, through the dry cave sections, whilst presenting a secure method of attachment for passing through submerged areas.[8] 

Swimming efficiency, reduced water resistance, trim and buoyancy control were not generally required due to the nature of those caves. At the time, this approach to 'wet' cave exploration was generally called the 'English System'.[15]

The 1970s - Florida

During the 1970s the 'English system' began to be incorporated by American cave divers, operating in Florida.[8] 

Those cave systems were predominantly 'wet' and involved prolonged swimming with SCUBA; thus more emphasis was paid towards developing the diving performance of the system, in particular buoyancy and trim. 

Divers required buoyancy control devices for extended fining and began shifting the location of the cylinders from against the thigh, up to the armpit and against the torso.

These exploratory level cave divers began by making their own systems, using and adapting 'off-the-shelf' SCUBA equipment for their needs or creating configurations ‘from scratch’, based upon webbing harnesses and improvised bladders for buoyancy.

The 1990s - release of first commercial rig


In the mid-1990s Lamar Hires designed the first commercial sidemount diving system and this was manufactured by Dive Rite. Dive Rite focused on the newly released 'Transpac' harness.[16] 

Other cave divers continued to manufacture their own DIY configurations.
At this time, the use of sidemounted configuration was primarily restricted to a small number of exploration-grade cave pioneers.

The 2000s - cave diving popularity and sidemount evolution

In 2001 Brett Hemphill designed the Armadillo Side-Mount Harness. The Armadillo innovated several features that would be utilized in many future side-mount harness designs ; Butt anchoring rear attachment pad, Cylinder bungee attachment located under the wing, cylinder bungee location straps for quick location of bungees and primary BCD inflation located at the bottom of the harness instead of the top.[17] 

Widespread popularity of sidemount diving systems did not truly emerge until the mid-2010s, when the growing popularity of technical and cave diving became exposed to sidemount proponents on the internet who were offering an alternative approach that matched the minimalism and functionality of the popular 'DIR/Hogarthian' back-mounted systems, whilst offering advantages in flexibility, comfort, accessibility and – highly debated online – safety.[18]

The increasing interest in sidemount diving configurations prompted several manufacturers and individuals to design and sell their own designs of a sidemount system. Hollis, OMS, UTD developed equipment, while Steve Bogaerts (a UK-born cave pioneer, who lives and cave-dives in Mexico) released the very popular 'Razor' system and began teaching a specific model training program for his rig.

At this time, several technical scuba agencies developed formal sidemount training programs and incorporated sidemount diving configuration as an equipment option within existing technical diving programs.

When PADI instructor, Jeff Loflin,[19] devised a distinctive sidemount diving speciality course, it proved extremely popular, being replicated by many PADI technical-level instructors. This soon led to PADI devising standardised sidemount diving programs at both recreational and technical levels, making sidemount a viable and mainstream option for both recreational and technical divers. Other agencies, such as ANDI, IANTD,SSI, TDI and UTD also incorporate sidemount training at varied levels.

Configurations

Various harness/BCD configurations have been used to sidemount cylinders. The choice between different configuration approaches is typically determined by the nature of the diving undertaken (open water, technical, wreck or cave) and by the divers' existing equipment, financial budget and whether they have a preferred approach to diving philosophy (minimalist, DIR, Hogarthian, etc.). The size/ material/ volume of diving cylinders to be used also has a large impact on sidemount BCD requirements.[8][20]

Backplate and wing harness adaptation

Rigid Hogarthian style backplate and wing BCD systems may be modified by adding butt-plates, bungee cords and optional special sidemount buoyancy compensators. Cylinders are supported at the valve end by bungee loops that run from the backplate to the front chest D-rings. The lower cylinder clip attaches to D-rings mounted on the waist belt or 'rails' on a butt plate.
Sidemount divers who conduct penetration diving in confined overhead environments (wreck diving or cave diving) will generally prefer a soft fabric backplate,[21] or webbing harness only, owing to the risk of a solid backplate becoming stuck in a small restriction.
An example of a commercial backplate and wing harness adapter, including integrated butt plate and attachment points for bungee loops, is the OMS Profile.[22]

Specialised and hybrid harnesses

Specialised sidemount harnesses are available 'off-the-shelf' commercially.[23] Some of these are designed specifically for sidemounting only, but others are 'hybrid' designs, enabling the diver to swap between sidemount and back-mounted cylinders, as needed.[8]

Source: Wikipedia.org 


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