Sidemount Equipment Configuration PADI and DSAT Sidemount Scuba Diving Training Course Director Steve Martin

Where do I get sidemount diving equipment from..?" Back to main page

There are more and more manufactures making dedicated sidemount diving equipment; these will be either a complete harness and bcd or separate harnesses and bcds you can customise. You will read stories on forums of other divers who have either customised a standard bcd or even built their own. I do not recommend doing this as you will waste a lot of your time trying to make it work and it is very unlikely that it will be as good as what is currently on the market today.

I highly recommend taking training when learning to sidemount dive, do not be one of the people who tries to teach themselves. If you do you again will find that, you spent a lot of dives tweaking your system when you could easily take a short course and advance your skill level to the same or even better than someone having done 50 sidemount dives in as little as 5 dives with a sidemount diving instructor. (see course section)

Due to the lack of sidemount harnesses and BCD's on the market, many divers I see are still customising a backplate and wing BCD to work as part of their sidemount equipment configuration. This does work but it is far from ideal, the wings are being sandwiched in between the divers back and the backplate.

I have found that air easily gets trapped behind the divers head in the top of the wing, making it hard to vent. Also the backplate does not bend this isolates your back movement, making you feel less free and acts as a snagging hazard if diving in restrictions. I think manufacturers still have work to do but more and more options are becoming available since 2010...

Below displays the current commercially available products; each includes my opinions on the advantages and disadvantages

Hollis - S.M.S 100 Sidemount

Manufacturers description; Bulletproof Construction, Single & Dual Options, Innovative 360 Wing, Low Profile, 52# Lift.

The butt plate is integrated to the harness and not removable.

Please note: I will be testing this model during my sidemount courses over in Portugal between 25th June and 3rd July. I will then write a review of this harness. (look back here for link to the review)

Advantages - You can choose either single or dual bladder BCD, this makes it a good option for technical divers. As this BCD has a true 360* wing design not a horse shoe like most others it does offer some benefits in regards to your trim.

Disadvantages - The wing has 52 lbs of lift, which is quite a lot - but due to it being a 360* wing with reduction straps on outside of BCD it should work for backmounted single or (twinset) double cylinders as well as a sidemount cylinders.

To purchase the wing or a complete sidemount package - visit www.divelife.co.uk now... (an equipment and training package, will be coming soon)

Steve Bogaerts - Razor Harness

Advantages - It's a true custom fit harness, extremely light weight, can be adjusted easily with no tools. Many of the modifications I make to other harnesses during your training course will be based on concepts from this one.

Disadvantages - It currently does not have a commercially viable BCD. Many divers are using either a standard BCD over the top or a small camelbak, MSR hydration bladder as a oral inflation type of BCD. Steve is in the process of manufacturing commercial BCD’s to go with his harness, they will have low pressure inflators or oral only options and be available in many sizes, so you can choose the required lift capacity you need. They can also be layered on top of each other e.g. main BCD and backup BCD if you are not using a drysuit etc…

You can purchase one of these harnesses directly from Steve by following the links through his website www.gosidemount.com - visit my photo and video page to see this harness in action. Some of Steve's cave diving and exploration videos, can be viewed on my links page

Golem Gear - Armadillo Sidemount Exploration Harness

Advantages - Great for backmounted single or (twinset) double cylinders as well as a sidemount system. Please note it has only 34 lbs of lift which I personally like, a lot of other manufactured sidemount harness systems have around 60 lbs of lift which can make them in my opinion to bulky and not suitable for single cylinder use.

Disadvantages - Only available as a single bladder BCD, so if doing technical diving you will need to use a drysuit or carry another approved backup BCD. (extra lift might be required if diving multiple steel cylinders and or with a drysuit).

More information on the harness can be found by (clicking here) - Download the product manual (click here)

OMS - Tesseract BCD and Profile Sidemount System (dual bladder)

Advantages - Harness and BCD are separate, good it allows you to choose a suitable “basic” OMS harness to fit with the BCD, allows for easy customisation, adding extra d-ring’s to waist strap etc. Good option for technical diving whether in a wetsuit or drysuit, due to redundancy bladder. Incorporates the latest “donut wing design” meaning 360* resulting in good buoyancy and trimming control.

Disadvantages - Available as a dual bladder BCD only, has a massive 60lbs of lift, will require extra weight just to sink the bcd on empty.

More information on the harness can be found by (clicking here) - Please note: I have not yet had chance to test this model

Oxycheq - RECON I and RECON II Sidemount Harness

Advantages - It is available as a single bladder (RECON I) or dual bladder (RECON II) BCD, so can be a good option for technical divers, depending which model you get. As this BCD has a true 360* wing design not a horse shoe like most others it does offer some benefits in regards to your trim.

Disadvantages - The wing has 55 lbs of lift, which is quite a lot but manufacturer assures you that due to it being a 360* wing and very narrow with reduction straps on outside of BCD that it is good for backmounted single or (twinset) double cylinders as well as a sidemount cylinders..

More information on the harness can be found by (clicking here) - Download the product manual (click here) - Please note: I have not yet had chance to test this model

Diverite - Nomad Expedition BC Sidemount Harness

Advantages - It is available as a single bladder or dual bladder BCD, so can be good option for technical divers, depending which model you get.

Disadvantages - Current version has 60 lbs of lift, older version had 50 lbs (which I preferred). This harness is can be used for backmounted (twinset) double cylinders as well as a sidemount system, you may read it can be used a single cylinder BCD but with 60lbs of lift, you may find you get a lot of the cylinder “taco” effect

You can get this with the butt plate but you may not use it, see sidemount harness (modifications) on my equipment homepage.

To see a video of how to correctly mount cylinders to the nomad harness (click here) - More information on the harness can be on the manufacturers site (see here) - Download the product manual (click here)

Gryphon "custom" Drysuits

If you require a drysuit look no further, all Gryphon Drysuits are custom made for you in the United Kingdom based on your measurements. I personally use a Gryphon drysuit for sidemount diving in cold water. The suits have a unique x6 seem design, made using the KISS principle which makes the suits work well under extreme conditions.

http://www.gryphonwatersports.co.uk/drysuits/ - more information on drysuit materials, measuring guide and placing an order.

In 2004, I had Gareth make me a drysuit for "barefoot" waterskiing using his "flexi" fabric, lets just say that the drysuit gets tested to the extreme; water pressure will impact the suit and seals with speeds in excess of 45mph. Using double seals I never got wet inside! Now in 2010 I barefoot waterski in much warmer waters, so my drysuit which is 6 years old has gone back to Gareth @ Gryphon for boots and valves to be added. The drysuit I have is extremely flexible, light weight and works great for the diving I do, the custom suit cost approx 495 GBP. I cannot recommend the suits highly enough.