Equipment
Whole Lotta CHO2ptima Going On
Launched in early 2020, just as the pandemic was getting started, Dive Rite’s innovative chest-mounted O2Ptima, aka the CHO2ptima, is generating significant buzz among instructors and users as the hot new rebreather on the market. Accordingly, InDEPTH chief Michael Menduno sat down with general manager Jared Hires to explore Dive Rite’s latest purpose-built creation. Is there a CHO2ptima in your future (carry-on case)?
By Michael Menduno. Header image: Max Kuznetsov going through the Manhole at Ginnie Springs by Fan Ping. Other images courtesy of Dive Rite unless noted. Full disclosure: Dive Rite is a sponsor of InDEPTH.
🎶🎶 Pre-dive Clicklist: A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On by Jerry Lee Lewis
Various brands of mixed gas rebreathers have taken their turn in the spotlight over the years as a result of their functionality and innovation. In the early days of the 21st century, it was AP Diving’s pioneering rebreather, the Inspiration, followed by the KISS Classic, and shortly after, Inner Space Corp’s Megalodon that were grabbing all the attention. Later, the rEVO and Hollis PRISM came to prominence. The O2ptima drew attention. Poseidon had its day in the sun when Type R i.e., recreational rebreathers were a thing. Remember them? Of course, in recent years, the JJ-CCR, including GUE’s configuration, the Fathom, and Divesoft’s Liberty—both backmount and sidemount versions—have garnered significant community attention, and still do.
However today, it is arguably Dive Rite’s unique and innovative rebreather, the O2ptima Chest Mount, aka “The CHO2ptima,” which was launched during the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, that is receiving considerable buzz in the market and garnering new instructors and users. Ironically, while the community collectively moved to back-mounted counter lungs (CL) to free up chest space, Dive Rite has taken a different approach altogether, and moved its rebreather to the front of the diver, reminiscent of combat divers units (offering optimal CL placement when in trim), and that’s only part of its novelty.
Weighing in at 7.7kg /17 lbs and able to fit in a small carry-on roller case, its compact size along with its ability to interface with practically any open circuit configuration—from Rec to Tec—to drive it, makes CHO2ptima a serious choice in travel rebreathers. As the tagline says, “Dive Rite—Equipment for Serious Divers.” Interestingly, many divers, including some GUE members, are considering the CHO2ptima as their next rebreather.
Accordingly, we reached out to Dive Rite’s 31-year-old General Manager Jared Hires, who has been diving rebreathers since he was 15, to take us for a deep dive into their newest rebreather. Hires, who is an active, advanced Technical Diving International (TDI) tech and CCR instructor, and an apprentice cave instructor with the National Speleological Society-Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS), explains the philosophy behind the CHO2ptima and its development, discusses its use and applications, and talks about the possibility of getting the unit CE-tested, so it can be sold in Europe.
I conducted the interview with Jared while he was in between duties managing the nearly 40-year old family business, and teaching a CHO2ptima class. Here is what the man had to say.
InDEPTH: Dive Rite launched its O2ptima backmount rebreather in 2006. Then, in March 2020, you launched the O2ptima CM, aka “The CHO2ptima”—a modified O2ptima with chest-mounted counterlungs. I get the distinct impression that the CHO2ptima has surpassed its predecessor’s sales by quite a bit, and there’s considerable buzz around the unit. Is that an accurate characterization?
Jared Hires: The CHO2ptima has gained a lot of attention since its release, and sales have surpassed the backmount version. I think this can be attributed to several different factors. Since the unit is integrated into a diver’s primary gear configuration, they are less apprehensive in making the jump to a CCR. There is less of a learning curve since everything is not new.
Another contributing factor is cost. The CHO2ptima is extremely affordable (by rebreather standards), which is making it more attainable for divers. I would like to think that we have grown the rebreather market, not that we have just taken a larger portion of the pie.
What’s the retail price?
$6,900 with a Shearwater Petrel 3 controller or $7,200 with a NERD 2 Controller.
Wow. That is very affordable. Lamar [Hires] told me that CHO2ptima sales really made a difference during the pandemic!
Releasing a new rebreather at the start of a pandemic was hard. It was difficult to get it out there for people to see and to get instructors up to speed. Somehow, we were able to do it. It was a welcomed addition to our line and helped the business continue to grow through the pandemic. We have been extremely busy.
So, how did the CHO2ptima come about? What was the motivation?
It was a long project—something that we were working on for at least three to four years. During that process, we tried out many different concepts and renditions. It all really stemmed from the fact that sidemount rebreathers had started to become popular, and we had people asking for them. People were wondering if we were going to offer one since we had already made a name for ourselves in sidemount. We were the first to offer a commercially-available sidemount rig and one of the pioneers in sidemount diving. It seemed natural that we also have a spot in the sidemount rebreather market.
I remember some of Lamar’s early sidemount units that he developed with Woody Jasper and Wes Skiles back in the day.
That’s right. Of course, we also had a very strong background in rebreathers working on producing the O2ptima since the mid-2000s and having lots of units on the market. So we started working on a concept.
One of the things that held us back from sidemount rebreathers, especially early on, was the fact that all of the units at the time, like the SF2 or the KISS Sidekick, featured a single sidemount rebreather attached on one side, and most divers, particularly around here, wore a single bailout bottle attached on the other side. And a lot of people still do that. We didn’t really like that idea.
We are cave divers, so it’s all about redundancy. You won’t see many of us going into a cave with only one bailout bottle. Some people in Florida were using a bailout bottle with an H-valve, so they at least had two regulators. That was a little bit better, but there were still quite a few people not carrying what we thought was adequate bailout. So that kind of turned us off on the idea of doing just a straight sidemount unit.
Other integrated sidemount units, like the KISS Sidewinder, which has been really popular, alleviated the issue of bailout because the diver carried a bailout bottle on each side, which provided adequate bailout gas. The drawback was that it had to be completely integrated into your sidemount system. So, it wasn’t something that you could take off mid-dive if you were exploring and had to pass through a tight restriction. You essentially had to dedicate a complete sidemount rig to nothing but that. And we just didn’t like the concept of that either.
The idea was to modify Dive Rite’s O2ptima rebreather, right?
That’s right. We wanted to keep as much of the O2ptima intact as possible—especially the scrubber design—we really liked the Micropore scrubber. It’s always easy to pack consistently. There’s no user interface when it comes to having to pack a scrubber. We also wanted to keep the electronics—we wanted a fully electronically controlled rebreather and not a manual rebreather. We didn’t want to have to sacrifice any of the features that we had come to enjoy on a traditional back-mounted O2ptima. So that’s why we started looking at the chestmount as an option rather than sidemount.
The chestmount would actually allow you to add it to any type of diving system. You could add it to any sidemount harness, you didn’t have to make modifications to an existing sidemount harness,and you didn’t have to worry about integrating it in and dedicating a rig to nothing but that. But it would also work with other configurations like back-mounted doubles or even a single tank.
So, the CHO2ptima started out as an exploration tool for sidemount—a sidemount rebreather concept, but it has now evolved to become a travel rebreather, basically, or an add-on rebreather to any open circuit configuration. People are diving them with a single tank, doubles, and sidemount.
I don’t know if all our readers know this, but a chest-mounted counterlung is optimal from a work of breathing perspective, assuming that you’re in trim. That’s why combat divers, who kick long distances, wear chest-mounted oxygen rebreathers.
That’s right. One of our design philosophies with the CHO2ptima, and actually the O2ptima as well, has been to keep the breathing loop as short as possible. Even on the backmount unit, the scrubber is right behind the diver’s head. As a result, our hoses and the counterlungs can be smaller since it’s got a shorter breathing loop.
As you said, the lungs are right below your lungs, so also it’s not just the fact that the work of breathing is better, but even your change in buoyancy from breathing. That was one of the issues with sidemount rebreathers, the ones that go completely on your side. Every time you breathe, there is a slight shift in buoyancy and you will tilt to the side. Everyone will tell you that you just have to get used to it. But you can eliminate that by putting the lungs in the same exact position as your lungs as we did with the chestmount.
I know I felt relief went I went from over-the-shoulder counter lungs to back mounted counter lungs. How do your users feel about having the counter lungs over their chest? Does it feel cluttered or difficult to manuver?
I felt the same relief moving to backmounted lungs from the over the shoulder lungs on the O2ptima, and had some apprehension about the chest mounted ChO2ptima. The main relief felt with backmounted lungs is the ease of carrying bailout. You get the same relief with the chest mounted unit, especially if you’re using it with a backmount open circuit configuration. I can carry a lot more bailout comfortably with the ChO2ptima than I can with a BM unit.
With the way the counter lung bag is shaped, most of the bulkier parts are lower down, so you really have the free use of your hands, and the chestmount does not get in the way on working dives. Even when diving in sidemount, I have easy access to my drysuit inflation and power inflator.
The rebreather is attached to the diver’s existing open circuit rig and is set up so that the diver can actually remove it during the dive; for example, in order to go through a restriction. That’s totally unique in itself.
For sure! That was one of the features and purposes that we envisioned for the unit. Generally, when we design equipment, we have a purpose for it. We don’t just set out to say, “Hey, we want to make a new gadget.” I like to think that sets our equipment apart from other dive gear manufacturers. We don’t just come up with a new color for something and release it as a new product.
When we come up with something new, it has a purpose, whether it’s to make it easier to do a certain dive or alleviate a problem that divers have.
Lamar definitely had in mind the ability to remove the unit underwater when we were designing the CHO2ptima. There are a couple of exploration dives that he had left off and wanted to go back to.
Yes, in the interview we did a few years ago, I remember Lamar talking about going back to Cow Springs.
Yeah, his thought was, I want to be able to dive my rebreather all the way up to this tight restriction and basically remove and leave it, go through the restriction, do some exploration on open circuit going through these tight restrictions, come back out, grab my rebreather, and exit the cave. So, to do that, we wanted something that was completely independent.
We also thought about travel. If divers are traveling and/or diving with friends, maybe they don’t want to dedicate a whole dive trip to a rebreather or dedicate all their dives to a longer dive or a bigger dive. We do this all the time when we go down to the Keys, for example. So, maybe in the morning we’re going to do a deep wreck dive with some decompression. I can carry a single 95 on my back with my CHO2ptima on the front, and stage a deco bottle. But then, in the afternoon, maybe I’m with my wife or with friends that are just diving a single tank dive on Molasses Reef, and I don’t want to have the complexity of a rebreather added into that dive. So, I just leave the rebreather on the boat and still have my same full configuration. We do that quite often.
So, it gives the diver maximum flexibility. That makes sense. I was at Bonaire Tek last Fall, and friends showed up with their CHO2ptima in a little roll-away travel case. It was impressive.
That’s right, when I travel, the whole rebreather, plus extras, fits in a carry-on Pelican case. And it was not just the rebreather. I had lights and all kinds of extra stuff in the carry-on case and the rest of my dive gear can go into its normal suitcase. That’s it. The unit itself only weighs 7.7kg /17 lbs.
When I travel with my backmount unit, it takes a large suitcase for the rebreather and another one for my camera and the rest of my dive gear. I barely have room for two swimsuits.
What I find most intriguing and unique is that the CHO2ptima can basically be worn with any sort of open circuit gear.
Yeah, to add the CHO2ptima to any harness, to any configuration, all it takes is two attachment points on your shoulders and two attachment points on your waist. Some people are able to use the D-rings that they already have on their harness. However, I usually add an additional set that I dedicate just to the unit because I like the top attachment points to be up closer to my clavicle. And then I just add an extra set of D rings to my bottom. Two clips on your shoulder straps and two clips on your waist strap is all you need to add the unit. Then there’s a single low pressure inflator hose or whip to plug the unit into your back gas or to your side mount tanks or whatever. The only thing extra on your kit is a single additional inflator hose.
The unit itself contains the scrubber, head, and oxygen cylinder.
That’s right. However, some people mount the O2 offboard, which you can do. You can carry your O2 as a stage cylinder, especially if you’re carrying a deco stage anyway, and you weren’t planning to drop it like some of the ocean guys do. So basically, everything else is self–contained except for a diluent feed hose.
What were some of the challenges in packing all that functionality into a very small space?
It was a bit like trying to pack 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag. That was definitely a challenge, but we were not willing to sacrifice any features.
The scrubber is in the middle, and then you have the head on one side, and the cap on the other side is basically a water trap—it’s the same exact module that we use on the back-mounted O2ptima. So that was the easy part. One of the biggest challenges was designing the outer bag, so it would accommodate most divers. Something that would fit a really tall guy wouldn’t fit someone who was petite. So we had to do some work on that. The counterlung design was also a big challenge. We went through multiple iterations trying to find just the right size that would provide good work of breathing but not add too much to the size of the unit.
The lungs are inside the unit?
Yes, the whole bag assembly contains your inhale and exhalation counter lungs in the bag. We had to do a lot of work on the designs of those counter lungs to make it all work. And there were little things along the way. We worked through several renditions of water trap designs, and we went through several Diver Surface Valve (DSV) designs and changed up some of the fittings to make them work just right. We looked at using an actual sidemount type DSV where the fittings came off of the DSV and went down. We ended up putting the elbows on the actual bag instead of putting them on the DSV to give it more of a natural feel. We also changed bag materials and added a pocket for accessories.
What about for women divers? Do their breasts get in the way?
Luckily, wetsuits and drysuits take care of most of that for us. They actually act like a corset. So that hasn’t really been too much of an issue. The only people that maybe struggle are the guys with the big beer belly. We have a few of those in the community, but even for those guys, the CHO2ptima works pretty well. Big guys, like myself, don’t have a problem. However, the one group that has problems with a stock unit without making modifications are super short people. Because of the actual length of the unit, they may have issues. But that’s just with the standard mounting hardware. Many of these people can make a few adjustments to a stock CHO2ptima and have zero issues.
I see that you are also continuing with the Micropore scrubber cartridges, which are basically pre-packed scrubber cartridges that eliminate the need to hand pack the scrubber with sorb. I know that the military loves them. Are there other civilian rebreathers that use them?
I think we are currently the only vendor that is actively promoting the use of cartridges with their unit. When we first started using the Micropore cartridge in the early 2000s, there were some other ones. Most notably KISS had started using the cartridge—they actually made some units that were only able to work with the cartridge. Another was the Titan rebreather.
The French chest-mounted rebreather?
No, not the Triton but the Titan—the original one that was basically a backpack. It used Micropore cartridges. And we built the original O2ptima with the idea of using cartridges. At that time, 2003, 2004, the idea of cartridges was starting to pick up steam. So, there were a few units that used them, and divers were also making adapters for the AP Diving’s Inspiration, which was one of the first commercially available mixed-gas units on the market, as well as a few other rebreathers, so that they could use the Micropore cartridge.
We bought into the concept, and still do—we think it’s the right way to do it. You remove the potential for user error in filling the scrubber, and it’s consistent and solid. That’s what’s written on the packaging, “A Solid Choice,” because you don’t have granules to deal with. Everything is exactly the same. People were using the extender cartridges because of the benefits. A lot of O2ptima users tell us that the cartridges are one of the reasons they like the unit. Of course, both the O2ptima and CHO2ptima unit can use granular sorb as well, so you are not locked into the Micropore cartridge.
You can do either one?
Exactly. Our scrubber was actually designed in collaboration with Micropore to give our unit the best work of breathing, the best duration and the best efficiency with the cartridge. So that was the main goal.
At the time, the mid-2000s, there was a big after market for conversions. A lot of divers were upgrading their units with Hammerhead Electronics, which was the gold standard of the day, and many were also having us add Dive Rite harnesses and buoyancy devices to their units, and as I mentioned, many were adding adapters to be able to use cartridges.
Let me ask you about electronics. I know that you started with Hammerhead electronics on the O2ptima, but then eventually migrated to Shearwater electronics, which of course has become the de-facto standard in the tech market.
Yes, Hammerhead was a collaborator of ours. Our original units had Hammerhead electronics. We used them all the way up until about 2013. I believe it was the very beginning of 2013 when we made the switch to Shearwater. So, we had a long relationship with Hammerhead, and a great relationship with founder Kevin Jurgensen. He remains one of the pioneers in the rebreather world, and he’s a great guy. Unfortunately, there were others that came to market, and they were not able to keep up.
Shearwater was able to bring new technology to the market, both with their computers and rebreather controllers. They created a lot of buzz when they released the Predator in 2009 and they continue to do so.
I think JJ-CCR was the first rebreather manufacturer to go with Shearwater.
Yes, I believe JJ was first. Then others such as rEvo and Hollis started integrating them as well. After the Predator was released, we had many divers asking us to integrate them into the O2ptima. Some sent us in Fisher connectors to attach to their rebreathers so they could run a secondary Shearwater computer. A lot of our instructors and distributors were big Shearwater fans.
We finally met with Shearwater at the DEMA tradeshow in 2012. Later that year we got our first set of electronics, added them to the O2ptima and started doing test dives through the early part of 2013. I think we actually released the new unit at Beneath The Sea (BTS) 2013 using DiveCan and the Petrel controller.
I have a few more questions about electronics. Solid-state oxygen sensors? Is that something you are looking at, thinking about?
If they ever become readily available, yeah, we would look at them. And if Shearwater bought into the concept and integrated them into their technology, then we would, of course, look at it. We take the lead from them when it comes to sensor technology. Solid state sounds cool in theory. The thing is, you always have to have redundancy, so you’d need two of them at least. For sure, it would be awesome if you didn’t have to change out your sensors every 12 months.
How about scrubber thermal sticks and gaseous CO2 sensors.
The sticks are not really CO2 sensors, but they do measure scrubber duration.
Right. They’re distinct from gaseous sensors. Only a few vendors are using either of these.
Thermal sticks are being used by a couple of manufacturers, most notably AP and rEVO. They track scrubber usage by looking at the temperature fluctuations caused by the chemical reaction of the scrubber. Thermal sticks tend to be an add on upgrade and not standard.
Some companies are also starting to use CO2 sensors as well, though they have not been widely adopted yet. The issue that we have seen with CO2 sensors is that they’re large. So, integrating one into a small package rebreather is hard. Another issue is that they don’t like moisture, and a rebreather is inherently a moist environment. The byproduct of the reaction in the scrubber is moisture— water and heat. They require extra precautions and consumables like desiccant packs to absorb the moisture. If those precautions are not strictly followed the sensors can produce false alarms. Eventually, if a diver gets too many false alarms, they become complacent and ignore the alarms altogether.
Right.
I know of many instructors who tell their students not to buy the CO2 sensor upgrades due to their finicky nature. Especially if diving in high humidity environments like the Caribbean.
But, when someone comes out with a sensor that is smaller and more reliable i.e., more humidity tolerant, then I think it would make a good additional alert. Remember that scrubber breakthrough is not completely linear. Breakthrough is exponential at the end of the scrubber life. When it breaks through, it’s an, “Oh Shit Moment,” and you need to bail out right away.
Let’s talk about building the unit. You build the CHO2ptima in the US right?
The ChO2ptima is assembled right here at our headquarters in Lake City, FL. We partner with other small companies here in the US for our machined parts and sewn pieces. But everything is brought into our factory in pieces to be assembled from scratch and to go through the rigorous final quality control check.
The most tedious part is integrating the raw electronics that do come from Shearwater in Canada. From start to finish, a single rebreather head takes a minimum of 3 days to go through the different steps. This includes multiple components that are potted and over 300 solder points.
Made in America! That will no doubt appeal to some users. Talk to me about who is actually using the CHO2ptima.
The ChO2ptima is worldwide with divers across North America, South America, Asia, and Australia. This is one of the areas the pandemic hurt us with the launch, because instructors were not able to travel as easily to get up to speed on the new unit. That’s why we have started with a better stronghold here in the US because we could reach those instructors easily.
We are starting to get some interest in Europe and have a few divers using the unit there, but it’s limited because the unit is not currently CE approved. This may be something we pursue in the future for a bigger expansion.
I’ve heard that the cost of CE testing is somewhere between US$50,000-US$100,000.
We have gone through CE testing for many of our products over the years and based on those experiences, the figure is more on the high end of your range. It is a lot harder and more expensive for non-European companies to do as well. The issue is that you have to pay for the testing to be done at a European facility most of the time and then do all the paperwork and the documentation to their liking. A lot goes into it besides what the test house does, which adds even more to the cost
We do know that Rebreathers require proper testing before divers can trust them with their lives. We’ve done all the main CE tests through a third-party testing facility here in the US called Dive Lab. We have a blog on our website that has all the results from that and some pictures of it going through testing if you want to take a look at that. That would be in addition to the hundreds of actual dive hours on the unit by our in-house test divers, myself included.
Another neat aspect about our relationship with Micropore, is they actually have testing machine on site, based off the testing machines used at the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit. We do a lot of testing there. Every time they do a production run of scrubber material, they do a quality control check of the scrubber material in a Dive Rite rebreather, whether it’s the back-mounted O2ptima or the CHO2ptima, in the ANTSI testing machine. I don’t think many other sorb companies are testing their product in an actual rebreather for quality control after a production run, which is kind of cool.
It is! What agencies support CHO2ptima training?
A number of them, though I would say that TDI and IANTD are the main ones. Most of the instructors have a TDI or IANTD qualification, and some have additional ones on top of that. I know that we have a couple of PSAI instructors and a few PADI instructors that can teach Tec 40 and up on the unit. Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), of course, only teaches its specially configured JJ-CCR and the RB-80.
Interestingly, the CHO2ptima is actually broadly compatible with GUE’s CCR configuration i.e., two diluent cylinders in doubles configuration with a long hose and secondary in addition to the loop, when worn with doubles. (See “The Thought Process Behind GUE’s CCR Configuration”)
I dive a DIR configuration on my doubles kit. You’re looking at a card-carrying Fundamentals diver, though I haven’t done anything past that, but I dive a DIR setup for sure. With the CHO2ptima you can easily dive it in a DIR configuration. And probably a little bit easier than you can even with JJ-CCR. It’s a lot easier to deploy a long hose—you don’t actually have to bail out to deploy it with the CHO2ptima, which we’ve already known has caused issues. There have been people that have flooded units in the process of trying to donate gas.
Practice, practice, practice, right?!? We covered the development and working of the CHO2ptima. Talk to me about some of the exploration that’s being done. I know that people like Steve Lambert are doing some incredible new stuff at Peacock Springs. [See: The Taming of the Slough: P3 Edition]. Talk to me about some of the projects people are using these for.
We’re lucky. People like Steve are doing some really cool stuff with the unit. He’s was one of the catalysts that helped push the ChO2ptima over the finish line when he came to work for us. He was excited about using the CHO2ptima just like Dad and a couple of the other guys were. He volunteered to be one of the test divers and immediately started doing big dives with it.
He’s been doing some great exploration and has gotten a couple of his buddies from Karst Underwater Research (KUR) and “Beyond the Sump” into CHO2ptimas. They just came back from that expedition in Huautla (See: Sump Potion No. 9). They had two divers on CHO2ptimas, one on a KISS sidewinder, one on a JJ-CCR and two of them on Fathom units. So the CHO2ptima was well represented down there and they were doing some awesome dives with that.
They’ve been working hard in Peacock and exploring in Peacock 3 down deep in Henley’s Castle. They also did some really deep exploration at Chaplain in early 2021, which is another deep spring up here and I was lucky enough to do one dive with those guys. It’s 55 m/180 ft deep for most of it—a deep river cave. We also have people who are doing deep ocean dives with them. Ben Lair, one of our CHO2ptima instructors based in Arizona, has done a number of deep wrecks in the 92 m/300 ft plus with the unit. So, there definitely are people that are doing some cool stuff with it. It’s not just doing tourist dives, that’s for sure.
And how about Lamar? Wasn’t he planning to use one at Cow Springs?
Yeah, Cow was one of the big ones that he wanted to do. And he’s gone back and has definitely checked out those leads that the CHO2ptima was designed for. Unfortunately, I guess he let the cat out of the bag to a couple of his friends that also went and checked out the leads before he could.
Ha! I guess you have to keep your mouth shut in cave country! Thanks for taking us through the unit, Jared. Wishing you continued success with your rebreathers.
See our companion story, Taming the Slough: P3 Edition by Steve Lambert
Dive Deeper
CM Instructors: O2ptima CM Community Page
TDI blog: BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME (CAVE DIVING): AN INTERVIEW WITH CONSUMMATE UNDERGROUND GEARHEAD LAMAR HIRES by Michael Menduno
CHO2ptima Reviews:
PodDiver Radio: Optima CM: Chest-mounted CCR Review
Dive Addiction: ChOptima ECCR Review (Dive Rite Optima CM)
The Dive Locker: Chest-mounted Rebreather Dive! Choptima (O2ptima CM) Action!
For more information on scrubber cartridges: Micropore
Michael Menduno/M2 is InDepth’s editor-in-chief and an award-winning journalist and technologist who has written about diving and diving technology for more than 30 years. He coined the term “technical diving.” His magazine “aquaCORPS: The Journal for Technical Diving” (1990-1996) helped usher tech diving into mainstream sports diving, and he produced the first tek.Conferences and Rebreather Forums 1.0 & 2.0. In addition to InDepth, Menduno serves as an editor/reporter for DAN Europe’s Alert Diver magazine, a contributing editor for X-Ray mag, and writes for DeeperBlue.com. He is on the board of the Historical Diving Society (USA), and a member of the Rebreather Training Council.
Equipment
Configure Me This: The Annotated Sidemounter
We make a deep dive into the world of sidemount diving, and examine seven leading sidemount systems with guest editors Steve Davis and Stratis Kas.
This feature was created by Steve Davis, Stratis Kas and Michael Menduno. Introduction by Michael Menduno. Special thanks to Michael Thomas and brand representatives who helped us. Cover collage by SJ Alice Bennett with photos by Jason Brown of Bardo and Stratis Kas. Images by Stratis Kas unless noted.
🎶 Pre-dive Clicklist: Dave Brubeck – Take Five 🎶
At last, I am pleased to present InDEPTH’s long awaited sidemount edition, which has been in the works for over a year. The purpose of the issue is to celebrate the art and practice, as well as the equipment and culture of sidemount diving. Call it, “The Joys of Sidemount.” But whether you already follow the Bogarthian way, or simply regard it all as “widemount,” I promise you there is something for you in this issue.
The seed of an idea for a sidemount issue grew out of two things: First was the popularity and interest of our NOV 2021 feature that celebrated our innate gear headedness: “Annotated Tekkie,” which examined the question of what and how much kit is required to safely explore our underwater world. Diving is a technology-dependent activity to be sure.
Second, was, that we’ve been seeing tremendous growth and interest in sidemount diving we’ve been seeing. Like technical diving itself, what started in the cave community with small groups of experienced divers experimenting with DIY sidemount configs some three plus decades ago, has now blossomed into a mainstream, commercial tech diving activity in both cave and open water. Sidemount diving has now even spilled over into recreational diving—the configurational equivalent of recreational nitrox in the era of tech mixed gas diving.
One of the important inflection points was bringing sidemount diving out of the caves where the configuration was born, into open water. Sidemount pioneer Jeff Loflin was one of the individuals instrumental in bringing sidemount to recreational divers and the open water tech community. He explained it this way to me in our interview, “We were taking sidemount from the dark, and bringing it into the light.”
“We were taking sidemount from the dark, and bringing it into the light.”—Jeff Loflin
Interestingly, over the last decade, sidemount rebreathers, used as both a primary or a bailout, or both, have also gained significant traction driven by innovative vendors like KISS/XDEEP, SF2, Divesoft, and others. In fact, seven vendors are currently producing sidemount rebreathers. Note that we have also seen an increase in the number of chest-mounted units that can be integrated with sidemount systems. However, we decided to focus on open circuit sidemount for the purpose of this issue, andl address sidemount rebreathers at a later date.
Today, virtually all of the tech diving agencies offer open sidemount courses, with the possible exception of NAUITEC. For example, these range from “Intro to Tech” level sidemount courses, at RAID, which are aimed at getting divers into sidemount at the beginning of their tech journey. At the other end of the spectrum, Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) only offers a cave sidemount course to those who have completed GUE’s advanced cave training (Cave 2) and have at least 50 post-class cave dives.
Similarly, the majority of the major recreational agencies offer a recreational sidemount class for open water divers, including CMAS, NAUI, PADI, RAID, SDI, and SSI. Collectively, these agencies are issuing thousands of certifications a year.
So how big is sidemount diving? Good question, right?!?
How big is tech diving?!? We don’t really know. As an industry we suffer from a severe case of data insufficiency syndrome (DIS). [We can combat this—see our survey below!] However, in speaking with insiders involved in the sidemount business, some rough comparisons emerged.
Sidemount diving is likely bigger than rebreather diving, which according to estimates presented at Rebreather Forum 4 in April, likely represents about 15-20,000 divers globally. This seems like a plausible estimate given the significant cost difference, familiarity with the equipment, and perhaps greater accessibility to training and equipment with open circuit sidemount compared to rebreathers.
Another comparison: sidemount diving is likely bigger than cave diving! “Sidemount is not just used for cave diving anymore, but I would say that at least 80% of cave divers have at least tried, or have sidemount in their tool kit. Fifty percent or more dive it exclusively,” Dive Rite general manager Jared Hires explained. Add in tech sidemount diving in open water and wrecks, and the growing number recreational sidemount divers, and we are likely to arrive at what sidemount instructor Steve Davis of Sidemount Pros estimates as “Cave divers plus some.”
On the recreational side, a PADI exec told InDEPTH that PADI’s Sidemount Standard Specialty is now as popular as its Dry Suit Specialty, which is PADI’s third most popular Specialty Diver course, behind Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver and Deep Diver, and ahead of Peak Performance Buoyancy. No drills on the knees, puhleez! I kid our friends at PADI.
Despite its growth and relative new-found prominence, sidemount still remains a kind of a best kept secret—the elephant in the restriction?—by which I mean many tekkies (including myself until recently) lack awareness and working knowledge of sidemount diving and may not have even tried it.
Not surprising divers being what they are, even among sidemount instructors and users, there’s a range of opinions on its use and application. On one hand, some view sidemount as a specific tool to be used exclusively for diminutive karst cave, on the other, many consider sidemount more of a platform choice. In fact, Davis, who you’ll hear more about in a minute, offered this question and assertion in our interview, Speaking Sidemount, and then went on and made his case:
“Is backmount the best tool for cave diving? No, it’s not. Sidemount is far and away the best tool for cave diving!”—Steve Davis
Certainly, many including GUE, would challenge this assertion. But on the other hand, who died and left legacy twinsets in charge? Jacques Cousteau? Is backmount intrinsically safer? Does it offer better performance? If so, please share the data with everyone. There is room for respectful debate. Of course, every platform has its strengths and weaknesses, and environmental conditions, and individual physical and preference differences play an important role in choosing the appropriate platform. However, because of the lack of awareness, knowledge, and direct experience in the overall diving community, the limitations of sidemount get exaggerated, and its application, perhaps, under appreciated.
“There’s absolutely nothing I can’t do in sidemount that you can do in doubles, and there are a shit ton of things that I can do in sidemount, that you can’t do in doubles.”—Edd Sorenson
As instructor trainer and cave rescuer Edd Sorenson explains in his Who’s Who interview, “People used to tell me all the time all the things I couldn’t do in sidemount, and still do. ‘You can’t dive off a boat, you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t scooter, you can’t double stage, you can’t quad.’ I would tell everybody the same thing. There’s absolutely nothing I can’t do in sidemount that you can do in doubles, and there are a shit ton of things that I can do in sidemount, that you can’t do in doubles.” Note in his interview Sorenson recounts taking GUE founder and president Jarrod Jablonski for his first sidemount dive. A trust me dive with Edd? Trust me, you don’t want to miss it.
Not surprising, it seems that many, or most of the dedicated sidemount divers we spoke to for this issue (See: The Who’s Who of Sidemount Diving) offered some version of the following, and or, would likely agree with this meme:
Once You Go Side, You’ll Always Dive Wide.
Ha! I kid our backmount sisters and brothers. None the less, it’s clear that sidemount is here to stay!
Now I’m not a sidemount diver, yet (it’s on my list), and only one member of InDEPTH’s team dives sidemount, in caves. So, to help us with the issue, we enlisted the help of two sidemount experts to serve as guest editors. We reached out to New Zealand-based sidemount instructor, ambassador, and host of the “Speaking Sidemount” podcast Steve Davis, principal of Sidemount Pros. We also enlisted the help of Greek photographer/filmmaker, author, long time InDEPTH contributor, and cave and sidemount instructor, the inimitable Mr. Stratis Kas. Both of them helped with the selection people and sidemount systems we planned to highlight, and authored content for the issue.
Beginning with this lead story, “Configure Me This,” we explore seven recognized and storied sidemount systems, all of them a little different. Who knew there were that many? In contrast, it’s fair to say, backmount configs have generally become fairly standardized in the global tech community. Please note, that the majority of models are shown wearing their personalized branded gear not necessarily stock products.
Next, we offer the perspectives and stories of 34 leaders in the field, in a piece titled, “The Who’s Who of Sidemount Diving.” We also dive into the philosophy, culture, and practice of sidemount diving in “Speaking Sidemount” and “The What, Which and Why of Sidemount Diving’‘ with our guest editors.
In addition, we offer A Brief History Sidemount Diving with Lamar Hires, Bill Renaker and Patrick Widmann, and specifically the evolution of cold water vs warm water sidemount titled, “The Evolution of Sidemount System Design: Two Distinct Paths Shaped by Florida and Mexico,” by sidemount instructor and author Andy Davis. Finally, the issue wouldn’t be complete with a bit of DIY sidemount heresy from long time scuba engineer and troublemaker, Dave Mclean, call it Sidemount Heresy! Trust me, you’ll be better for the exposure!
Here then is InDEPTH’s celebration of sidemount diving and culture. We want to thank our forward thinking sponsors: DAN Europe, Dive Rite, Divesoft, Fourth Element, Halcyon, Shearwater and XDEEP for making this issue possible. We also want to thank Nicole Alarid, Orie Braun, Jared Hires, Nick Hollis, Michael Thomas, and Patrick Widmann, who helped us sort out sidemount configurations and Elena Vivaldo for researching recreational sidemount. And of course, we want to thank our models: Robert Thomas (CDG), Ricardo Castillo (Dive Rite), Emöke Wagner (Halcyon), Melodie Trevino (Hollis), Marcelin Nebenhaus (Razor), Mélissa Bezaz (Toddy) and Tamara Adame (XDEEP). Looking good divers! We do plan to create a free downloadable poster from this issue. Watch this space!
Please note, we realize this issue primarily represents the views of advocates who are making a case for sidemount. We haven’t focused on stories of divers who have had bad experiences with sidemount or spent much ink delving into its downsides, to the extent that these exist. Consequently, I invite readers who feel so moved to submit their views and or experience, call it, “The Trouble With Sidemount … ” or “Never Do This is Sidemount..” . I’m joking about the titles but serious otherwise. We will happily run thoughtful stories. Let’s get a conversation going.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge that as human diving journalists and artists on deadline, we have likely made errors and omissions, and/or failed to identify important items that our geeky readers will no doubt discover. Our apologies in advance. If you do find any errors, omissions, or needed tweaks, please let us know, and we will endeavor make corrections. Thank you.—Michael Menduno/M2
Please take a minute and complete our new: Sidemount Diving Survey. We will report the results in a coming issue.
Use the following navigation links to dive into your favorite configurations
Halcyon ZERO GRAVITY™ Sidemount System
Cave Diving Group (CDG) Sidemount System
The CDG sidemount system has evolved many times since the 1960s but it’s still a lightweight system for diving sump’s generally found after significant dry caving. The important thing to remember is that it is not just one system. Each diver will have a slightly differently made harness but basically doing the same thing.
Weight System
- Traditionally the weights go around the waist on a CDG harness, a more modern version of the CDG harness such as the RMTD harness (in the photo) weights can be fitted down the spine.
Harness
- The harness itself is a simple design with minimal adjustment but designed to walk or cave while wearing wetsuits and small cylinders. It can also be used with larger cylinders. Steel cylinders are the norm for uk cave diving. The harness has fixed D rings and no sliding D rings for use with Aluminium cylinders.
- Some CDG harnesses are adapted to use with vertical access equipment (SRT) so the caver/diver can descend the vertical dry cave then use the same harness to dive.
BCD/Wing
- The CDG harness has no wing, because generally buoyancy is not required when using wetsuits and small cylinders in sumps. It was common for divers in British Sumps when using drysuits to use the suit for buoyancy and use no wing. In more recent years a small wrap around wing such as the X deep classic or home made equivalent can be easily added if the diver is using bigger cylinders or carrying equipment through the sump to further dry cave exploration and requires buoyancy.
Commentary
The CDG harness is designed to take weight loading on the divers’ shoulders and hips. Karabiners are generally used for attaching cylinders to the harness. A bolt snap is not a weight loading piece of equipment and should not be used to lower equipment down and then up vertical sections of dry cave, karabiners also work when covered in mud or grit! It’s not a harness that will get cylinders in that perfect internet trim but it is a harness designed to explore flooded cave sections found a long way underground. All modern harnesses took the sidemount system from the original Cave Diving Group harness design.
Dive Rite Nomad Ray
The Nomad Ray is the latest sidemount system offering from Dive Rite. It includes a number of notable upgrades to the Nomad range and was designed to be easily adjustable, suitable for a range of body types and diving applications, including the use of both steel and aluminum cylinders.
Weight System
- The Nomad Ray has three padded, internal pockets each of which can hold up to 5 lbs/2.3 kg of either hard or soft weight.
- The weight pockets are located on the back of the wing and accessed via a zipper, making for easy weight adjustments while fitted.
Harness
- The harness consists of independent shoulder, waist/hip, and crotch straps each of which are adjustable to fit the system to a variety of diver body types.
- The harness incorporates custom hardware including two fixed angled D-rings on the shoulders, two fixed angled D-rings on the waist/hip strap plus, two sliding waist D-rings, two chest bungee-retainer slides, two rear drop D-rings for primary tank attachment, and one “dog-bone” crotch strap double D-ring for accessories, plus a DPV D-ring.
- The harness is in Y configuration and attaches to the BCD/wing via woven D-rings at the top and through woven loops and screwed connection at the bottom.
- For the fashion conscious, the wing comes in six colors.
BCD/Wing
- The BCD wing is shaped to provide lift at the lower lumbar region. It comprises a Denier outer shell with an inner bladder and has 42 lbs/19 kg of lift.
- The upper backside panel is abrasion-resistant for restrictions.
- It incorporates a standard inflator that can be routed from the left (standard) or right side.
- The BCD includes two pull dumps which are also OPVs. One is located at the inside top center of the wing with a left shoulder pull dump activated via a sheathed cord. The second is located at the bottom left of the wing. The locations of the dumps may require an alteration of diver position to dump all of the gas from the wing e.g. roll to the right to dump from the left side lower dump. Note this would also align with dumping gas from a drysuit.
- “Belly-band” bungees locate and wrap the outer wing extremities to the diver’s body. The bungee includes a bungee hook attachment and two wing grommets for easy and quick adjustments by simply moving an overhand knot on the bungee.
Commentary
The Nomad Ray is a significant upgrade for Dive Rite and evolving to meet the needs of modern sidemount divers. In particular, the easy-access weight system, shoulder dump, easy-to-adjust “belly-bungee,” plus the method of attaching the harness and the independent crotch strap to the wing, are notable improvements.
Halcyon ZERO GRAVITY™ Sidemount System
Halcyon’s Zero Gravity sidemount system was a collaborative creation with our Mexico distributor, Zero Gravity. The Zero Gravity system puts the buoyancy over the hips and along the sides of the rib cage where buoyancy is desired. Extremely streamlined, the air chamber positioning gives it a flat profile on the back of the diver. The Zero Gravity is suited for double aluminum 80’s and a wetsuit or small steel cylinders used with dry suits and heavier undergarments. The Zero Gravity features an adjustable harness, and an optional weight pouch that will hold up to 15 lbs./6.8 kg, and optional inflator placements on the right or left side.
Weight System
- The added weight attachment is designed and built to lay on the diver’s back in line with the spine. Like our traditional weight options, this allows the diver to keep perfect trim while adding weight. With the three-pocket design, you can add up to 5 lbs/2.3 kg in each pocket as needed and disperse them at different placements for that balanced distribution. The velcro additions allow for secure storage and keep even soft lead pouches from moving around while diving.
Harness
- A harness system with multiple point adjustment is styled after the standard backplate harness, with the lower portion of the strap going behind the diver, allowing for greater freedom of movement and comfort, especially for the women in the diving. This harness system is easily changeable when needed over time, allowing the diver to modify the colors of the webbing if desired for personal customization.
- The newly redesigned door handles provide divers with several options when choosing the right cylinders and placement. With the added grommets, the diver can adjust the door handles into three different locations on the back, as is, higher, or in towards the diver’s back. This placement is essential when setting up the cylinders. The added feature of using curved door handles over traditional square door handles is that when the cylinders are clipped to the system, the bolt snaps do not snag or get hung up in a corner. This keeps the cylinders and the bolt snaps in a free space for easy reaching, clipping, and removing as needed throughout the dive.
- The adjustable bungees make it easy to use with different regulator configurations, whether the regulator is pointed up or down. The waist strap D-rings on the right and left hip allow for AL80’s to be clipped forward as they become buoyant. We achieve this with a non-fixed D-ring by adding an O-ring to the design. This allows the D-ring to be in an upright position for easy finding and clipping while at the same time allowing the D-ring to move freely if in a tight passage or corridor without becoming a snag point.
- The uniquely positioned cylinder bungee runs across the back of the system and diver giving you more stretch when wrapping your valves while keeping your cylinders high, tight, and secure. This placement of the bungee allows the diver to adjust the bungee length very easily, whether in training or for the more experienced sidemount divers. This bungee is very easy to change out by the user if they prefer a lighter or heavier bungee without compromising the design of the system.
BCD/Wing
- The streamlined design with a unique U-shaped bladder provides an almost free and clean back that reduces your profile and drag. The U-shaped bladder allows stable, uniform lifting along each side of the diver where they need it and across the rear of the diver so they have adequate lifting potential without sacrificing profile and trim. This keeps the profile of the diver very low enabling them to access smaller passages without rubbing the bladder. Top to bottom while trim position does not change even as the bladder is fully inflated. This was a key component in the design for low-profile passages and doorways.
Commentary
“As an avid sidemount diver and explorer in North Florida, I have used a variety of side mount systems on the market. It wasn’t until I dived the Zero Gravity system, that I was able to pass through several low passage tunnels without feeling the top of the system scraping along the way. The low profile of the system, even when fully inflated, allowed me as the diver, to keep a low profile in the cave system. This truly became a game changer when it came to exploring new tunnels.” – Orie Braun, Halcyon Sales Manager
Hollis Katana 2
The Katana 2 is the latest sidemount offering from Hollis and brings them into line with the other top contenders in the sidemount space.
Designed with support from cave explorer Edd Sorenson, the Katana 2 incorporates a number of innovative features including a “Quick-Fit” system for easy adjustment, the ability to configure as a H or Y style harness, out of the box support for the KISS Sidewinder, and a BCD top dump valve with shoulder pull.
Weight System
- The Katana 2 weight system features a drop-in Velcro pouch design with 4 x 5 lbs/2.3 kg pockets along the spine. The spine positioning of the weight system can assist with trim adjustment as required.
Harness
- The Katana 2 sidemount harness features an innovative “QFS” Quick Fit System which allows users to easily tailor the one-size-fits-all harness to their specific size.
- The design also allows for either an “H” or “Y” style harness configuration. H-style is most commonly used when donning the system in a drysuit and can be less restrictive, while the Y-style is most similar to a backplate configuration and provides a snug but comfortable fit when properly sized. Both are suitable for various types of diving and user preferences.
- The Katana 2 is the first harness with attachment loops built-in to support the popular KISS Sidewinder CCR and similar units now in the marketplace.
BCD/Wing
- The wing lift capacity is 40 lbs/18 kg and features a tapered design to keep the diver profile as low as possible, without the “turtle shell effect” which causes drag.
- The top of the wing is two-
Commentary
“The coolest thing about the Katana 2 is the way it ships out of the box. You can customize it to your preference thanks to the innovative harness and adaptable wing design. Technical divers love to customize their gear … and they can make all of the adjustments themselves without permanent modifications on this rig.” – Hollis Brand Manager, Nick Hollis
Razor
The Razor Harness embodies simplicity and elegance with just two continuous pieces of webbing and one closure point. Its design is minimalistic, yet strong, rugged, and reliable. The harness offers a comfortable and custom fit for divers of all sizes, thanks to its quick and easy setup and adjustable, standardized hardware.
Weight System
- The Razor Harness allows precise placement of weights for optimizing trim. Additional weights can be easily added to the Razor Pocket Weight, the Waist Strap, or both if more than 13 lbs/6 kg are needed.
Harness
- All attachment points, such as D Rings, on the Razor Harness can be swiftly and easily adjusted for personalized equipment placement. Each Shoulder Strap/Waist Strap can be adjusted at the Mini Back Plate.
- The length of the Lumbar/Crotch Strap can be adjusted at the Delta Shoulder Plate. The height of the Waist/Hip strap can be adjusted at the Mini Back Plate. Extra attachment points can be added if necessary.
BCD/Wing
- The BCD/wing is simple to use and attach or detach from the Razor Harness, secured by just two button head bolts. The mounting position can be easily adjusted to accommodate different-sized divers.
- The wing is exceptionally durable, constructed with three layers: two outer layers of abrasion-resistant 1000 denier ballistic nylon with a layer of heavy gauge polyurethane in between. The wing is ultrasonically welded, and all edges are finished with edging tape. All attachment points feature reinforced grommets for added strength.
- The primary wing provides 45 lbs/20 kg of lift and is equipped with a low-profile, heavy-duty manual dump/OPV valve from DSS, along with a standard power inflator. This allows inflation of the primary wing either using the power inflator or orally.
- The fittings for the dump valve and corrugated hose/power inflator are interchangeable, enabling divers to use them on either the left or right side of the wing according to their preference.
- The Redundant wing also provides 45 lbs/20 kg of lift and is fitted with a very low-profile “coin” dump/OPV valve and oral inflator.
Commentary
The Razor Harness and BCD/Wing system offers divers a sleek and minimalist design without compromising on functionality or durability. Its simple yet robust construction provides a comfortable and secure fit for divers of all sizes. The weight system allows for precise weight distribution to optimize trim, while the adjustable attachment points offer personalized equipment placement. The BCD/wing is easy to attach and remove, and its rugged three-layer construction ensures long-lasting performance. With interchangeable fittings and low-profile valves, the system offers versatility and convenience. Overall, the Razor system combines simplicity, reliability, and versatility, making it an excellent choice for divers seeking a streamlined and efficient diving experience.
Toddy Style
The Toddy Style Sidemount System offers divers a unique and innovative approach to sidemount diving. Its “sandwich” style weight system, adjustable harness, and thoughtful design elements enhance comfort, balance, and ease of use. With the ability to customize weight distribution, easily adjust harness straps, and utilize specialized clips, this system provides divers with a streamlined and efficient sidemount experience. The Toddy Style Sidemount System is a reliable choice for divers seeking enhanced maneuverability and minimal drag during their underwater explorations.
Weight System
- The “sandwich” style system consists of a thin backplate that holds the wing together while protecting it from accidental restriction impact. A backmount-style backplate finishes the sandwich-style system. These backplates also act as a weight system. If the user desires, additional backplates can be added, fitting perfectly on top of each other and distributing the weight evenly over the diver’s back, rather than concentrating it on the spine. This allows for better balance and reduces the “rotation” effect.
- For divers who want to travel with the system, there is a more traditional sidemount weight system. It consists of a weight holder that can be added to the backplate, again placed away from the spine, to enhance balance and minimize the “rotation” effect.
- Finally, there is a flexible butt extension with a special mount for precise addition of weight to achieve optimal trim.
Harness
- The system’s shoulder straps are easily adjustable using a Velcro system that secures it in place with wide elastic wraps.
- The shoulder straps are connected by a removable bungee that keeps them in place when divers turn on their side. It also acts as a temporary clipping place for items such as pigtail marker clips, lights, etc.
BCD/Wing
- The inflator extends from behind, near the neck area, resembling the position in a backmount system. There is no valve, but instead, a direct, extremely durable, and resistant connector. This eliminates a fragile point present in all other systems.
- The wing’s bladder is easily accessible and can be changed even in the field.
Regulator accessories
- The system also utilizes custom-made clips for the regulator’s second stages. These clips allow divers to secure the regulators to their chest D-rings, resulting in a more streamlined profile and easy access in case of an emergency.
Commentary
The Toddy Style Sidemount System stands out as a top choice among cold water backmount divers looking to transition smoothly to sidemount diving. It offers a convenient alternative because of its compatibility with both existing regulators and hose lengths, as well as not requiring dedicated cylinders. The presence of a backplate, reminiscent of traditional backmount setups, provides a sense of familiarity and ease of adaptation. Whether for cold water diving or any other diving environment, the Toddy Style Sidemount System offers divers a reliable and comfortable sidemount configuration to enhance their underwater experiences.
xDEEP STEALTH 2.0 Tec
The STEALTH 2.0 TEC was designed for deep decompression diving and extended cave penetrations. It provides 42 kbs/19 kg of lift to support multiple cylinders required for advanced diving. It effectively manages gas movement and position to ensure stability, balance, and trim at any inflation level.
Weight System
- The Xdeep Stealth 2.0 features a customizable central weight system located on the spine. It can be adjusted to accommodate the maximum weight preferred by the diver.
- Additionally, there are droppable weight pockets available in different sizes: S-size (2 x 4.4 lbs/2 kg), M-size (2 x 6.6lbs/3 kg), and L-size (2 x 13.2 lbs/6 kg).
- For fine-tuning trim purposes, there are also trim pockets in M-size (2 x 4.4 lbs/2 kg) or L-size (2 x 6.6lbs/3 kg) that can be placed anywhere on the harness.
Harness
- The harness is one universal size with a wide adjustment range. It consists of independent shoulder, waist/hip, and crotch straps, each made of different thicknesses and fully adjustable with tri-gliders to fit various diver body types.
- The harness utilizes custom hardware, including two fixed large D-rings on the shoulders, two fixed D-rings on the waist/hip strap, and two rubber sliding waist D-rings (metal version available as an upgrade).
- It also has two rear drop square attachments for primary tank attachment, a crotch strap D-ring for accessories below the dump valve, and a DPV D-ring.
- The Y-configured harness attaches to the BCD/wing at the top.
BCD/Wing
- The BCD wing is designed to provide lift at the lower lumbar region. It is constructed with a Cordura 1100 dTEX outer shell fabric and a Nylon 440 dTEX inner bladder with a 0.2 mm TPU coating. It offers 42 lbs/19 kg of lift.
- The upper backside panel is abrasion-resistant for durability.
- The BCD includes an inflator available in three sizes, with a standard length of 16″/41 cm (14″/36 cm and 19″/48 cm available upon request).The inflator can be routed from the left (standard) or right side.
- One central low pull dump also functions as the system’s OPV.
- Bungees keep the wing attached to the waist harness, ensuring a snug fit around the diver’s body.
- The wing’s color combinations can be customized on Xdeep’s website: https://tuneup.xdeep.eu
Commentary
The XDEEP Stealth 2.0 is a well-designed and versatile diving system that caters to the needs of deep decompression diving and extended cave penetrations. Its robust weight system, adjustable harness, and efficient gas management make it a reliable choice for advanced divers. The BCD/wing combination offers ample lift and durability, while the customizable options allow divers to personalize their gear. Note that the modular system can also be configured from recreational sidemount. Overall, the XDEEP Stealth 2.0 combines functionality, comfort, and performance, making it a strong contender for serious diving adventurers.
Please Take a Minute And Complete our New: Sidemount Diving Survey. We will report the results in a coming issue.
Steve Davis is the producer and host of the acclaimed podcast, “Speaking Sidemount,” author of the books, “The Canterbury Wreck – A Diver’s Guide” and the eBook, “Sidemount Fundamentals.” He is a specialist sidemount diver/instructor, dives exclusively in sidemount, and is the principal instructor and founder of Sidemount Pros. Steve travels the world diving sidemount in caves, wrecks, and open water. Through Speaking Sidemount Steve’s mission is to share his passion for sidemount diving and provide a medium for the world’s top sidemount divers, instructors, and explorers to share their experiences and thoughts on sidemount diving.
Stratis Kas, a Greek-Italian professional diving instructor, photographer, film director, and author, has spent over a decade as an esteemed Advanced Cave instructor, leading expeditions to extreme locations worldwide. His impressive diving achievements have solidified his expertise in the field. In 2020, Kas published the influential book “Close Calls,” followed by his highly acclaimed second book, “CAVE DIVING: Everything You Always Wanted to Know,” released in 2023. Accessible on stratiskas.com, this comprehensive guide has become a go-to resource for cave diving enthusiasts. Kas’s directorial ventures include the documentary “Amphitrite” (2017), shortlisted for the “Short to the Point” Film Festival, and “Infinite Liquid” (2019), which explores Greece’s uncharted cave diving destinations and was selected for presentation at Tekdive USA. Kas’s expertise has led to invitations as a speaker at prestigious conferences, including Eurotek UK, Tekdive Europe and USA, Tec Expo, and Euditek. For more information about his work and publications, visit stratiskas.com.
Michael Menduno/M2 is InDepth’s editor-in-chief and an award-winning journalist and technologist who has written about diving and diving technology for more than 30 years. He coined the term “technical diving.” His magazine “aquaCORPS: The Journal for Technical Diving” (1990-1996) helped usher tech diving into mainstream sports diving, and he produced the first tek.Conferences and Rebreather Forums 1.0 & 2.0. In addition to InDepth, Menduno serves as an editor/reporter for DAN Europe’s Alert Diver magazine, a contributing editor for X-Ray mag, and writes for DeeperBlue.com. He is on the board of the Historical Diving Society (USA), and a member of the Rebreather Training Council. Menduno is the organizer of Rebreather Forum 4.
Hyperbaric Chambers Are Turning Away Divers. Will There Be One Nearby When You Need It?
Laying Line in Cozumel
Dive Into Tik Tok
Sixty-year old Scubapro Dives into Tech (again)
Los Cinco Cenotes— Exploring Upstream Ox Bel Ha
Madagascar Madness
Hyperbaric Chambers Are Turning Away Divers. Will There Be One Nearby When You Need It?
Sixty-year old Scubapro Dives into Tech (again)
Are Oxygen Rebreathers Useful Tools for Tekkies and Sci-divers?
Dive Into Tik Tok
Madagascar Madness
Los Cinco Cenotes— Exploring Upstream Ox Bel Ha
