As a PADI Course Director, I spend a massive amount of time in the water teaching, refining skills, and mentoring the next generation of scuba instructors. I know open-circuit scuba inside and out. But recently, I took a massive step out of my comfort zone and plunged into a completely different realm of diving: closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR).

Earlier this year I completed my initial training on the KISS Sidewinder rebreather, configured in sidemount, and integrated it directly with my existing Xdeep Stealth sidemount wing and Xdeep Seal Drysuit. It has been a profoundly eye-opening experience that completely redefined what underwater exploration means to me.

Stepping Into the True “World of Silence”

The first thing that hits you when you take your first few breaths on a rebreather is the absolute, eerie silence.

The Bubble-Free Shock: For my entire career, diving has been accompanied by the constant, rhythmic hiss-and-roar of an open-circuit regulator and the reassuring rush of bubbles past my ears. On the Sidewinder, there are no bubbles. None.

An Intimate Soundtrack: Suddenly, the underwater world changes. You can hear the reef crunching, fish feeding, and the faint, rhythmic sound of your own counterlungs shifting. It is an incredibly surreal experience that makes you feel like an actual part of the marine environment rather than a noisy visitor.

The Comfort of the Xdeep Wing: Transitioning to CCR is mentally taxing, so I wanted to keep as many variables familiar as possible. Merging the KISS Sidewinder with my trusted Xdeep Stealth setup was a dream. The harness and wing still provided the exact same streamlined profile, stable trim, and effortless flexibility I’ve grown to love over hundreds of hours of open-circuit sidemount diving.

Read the full article on IDC Cyprus.