The Who’s Who of Sidemount

Andrew Goring

The owner of SUMP UK, Andy Goring is renowned for his minimalist style with respect to sidemount and cave diving equipment, along with the development and production of well thought through and useful harnesses and harness hardware.

What is sidemount to you?

Open circuit sidemount to me is two cylinders, harness and a wing, that’s it. As simple as possible. Once you start mounting two cylinders each side it starts to get a bit more bulky especially for smaller frame divers. I also think a lot can be improved in sidemount in general, specifically better harness, wing and weight integration. Also when it comes to training, there are some very good sidemount only instructors that really focus on the detail which makes the difference. Unfortunately some agencies also allow instructors to teach sidemount without enough experience or knowledge.

What about personalization?

Personalization is a core part of sidemount because each system comes with its own requirements to get it set up just right. Also because they are adjustable, this lends itself to much more personalization than, say, a back-mount set-up.

What elements do you see often in standard commercial units that you think should not be there from the start?

Bumbags. I hate them!!!

Are we there yet with sidemount rebreathers?

Sidemount rebreathers are getting better all the time, and there’s a fair amount of choice available now. Competition drives development which is a good thing. The KISS Sidewinder changed the thinking from the normal sidemount worn on a single side approach. We are now seeing sidemount CCR being used in dual sidemount configuration, and as a bailout unit for back mount configurations for the more demanding dives. Are we there yet, well there is always room for improvement!

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DIVE DEEPER

Speaking Sidemount: Episode #21: Sidemount Customisation with Andy Goring SUMP UK