The KISS Sidewinder 2 is the latest generation of the manufacturer’s sidemount closed-circuit rebreather platform, developed for technical and exploration divers operating in caves, wrecks and other overhead environments. Compared with the original Sidewinder, the new model introduces a number of structural and functional updates aimed at improving flexibility and endurance.

It has an innovative CO₂ filtration system with an Unwrapped Radial Scrubber design, ensuring smoother, more consistent gas flow, significantly reduced breathing resistance, and increased scrubber capacity, extending runtime with fewer filter material replacements needed. Features include wide, efficient gas-flow channels, a compact, sleek, ergonomic design with a hydrodynamic profile, which is 600m lower than most other compact units, and state-of-the-art Shearwater electronics.

According to Halcyon founder Jarrod Jablonski, “This is a major step towards making the technology accessible worldwide.”

Halcyon has established itself as a specialist manufacturer of dive systems for technical, cave, and advanced recreational diving. The product range encompasses modular wings and back‑plates, harness systems, inflator assemblies, regulators, stage kit and mini‑scooters, designed for configuration flexibility rather than fixed set‑ups. 

The Era is a single-tank wing that features a newly shaped bladder and shell, engineered to improve lift distribution and assist in achieving horizontal trim. The unit incorporates four internal Opti‑Weight zippered pockets, allowing divers to adjust trim weight directly within the wing structure. Dual pass-throughs support custom hose routing, while a low-profile inflator elbow sits close to the cylinder to reduce bulk.

A new technological breakthrough for divers has been unveiled in the form of the Extreme Diving Heating Vest, a heated vest designed to offer maximum thermal comfort below the surface. Designed by smartTex and manufactured in Poland, the vest is tailored to be worn under a dry suit.

The product is made from a durable Tinsulate fabric on the outside, while the inside consists of soft fleece, which increases both comfort and insulation. The vest is equipped with integrated heating fibres that ensure even heat distribution throughout the body.

Designed with true single-handed lever operation with easy-to-find raised grips (either hand), which is also visible to a dive buddy, the new and improved RB160 Rebreather Mouthpiece allows you to switch easily between open and closed positions.

What respectable diver’s household could be without a side-mount rebreather?

All joking aside, niche products and cutting-edge technological developments can be interesting for everyone to follow, because inventions and new principles tend to ultimately find their way to ordinary consumers, or divers.

The Heinrichs Weikamp bottom timer comes with super-sharp IPS-LCD, user-friendly operation and extended battery life (depending on the display brightness setting, which ranges up to 100h)—all housed in a tough aluminium case.

As much as possible, Fourth Element embraces two principles; Zero Waste and Zero Plastic. They achieve this by re-purposing as much plastic as possible, whilst finding new uses for products at the end of their lives. The company has therefore carved out an environmental niche by producing "grave to cradle" 'Ocean Positive' products for scuba divers. 

“We believe that this is the way,” said Jim Standing, co-founder of Fourth Element. “We are all going to have to tackle the challenges of a post covid world and one of these will be how we deal with the waste we have created as part of keeping ourselves and in particular, our frontline workers protected. We intend to play our part.”

First Impression

Michael Thomas, a respected TDI cave diving educator, has already used these line markers in a cave class.