#93 - Magnetic Mounting System For Sidemount Tank Scuba Diving

Many sidemount divers prefer to use aluminum tanks over steel tanks. Reasons for this include easier handling and the world wide availablity of alumnimum tanks.

A difficulty with aluminum tanks for sidemount diving is the fact that the tank bouyancy shifts from negative to positive over the course of the dive. This results in the bottom of the tank coming out of trim and increasing swimming effort.

Severa methods have been developed to address this issue. These include sliding drings and a forward and a rearward set of drings on each side for the bottom tank boltsnap.

This video describes a different type of mounting system which utilizes magnets instead of boltsnaps for the bottom of the tank. The advantage of this system is that once the tank is attached, no further handling is required over the course of the dive. The bottom half of the tank is fixed in position regardless of how much gas is in the tank and whether or not it is negative or positive.

For the upper securing method, a ring bungee system is currently being utilized. This is also so that once the system is secured, it does not have to be adjusted. This is an advantage over some systems which may have to be clipped, unclipped, and then bungeed when diving off of a boat or dock. A magnetic system for the upper securing method is currently under examination.

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