Back Inflation vs Vest Style BCDs - Diving Maluku

[Maluku Diving]

Back Inflation vs Vest Style BCDs
When a diver is carrying his or her scuba tank and wearing scuba gear, which can be quite heavy, keeping their buoyancy can be tricky. A BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) helps them to maintain it. It is a jacket or vest with air pockets that inflates and keeps them afloat. If you are looking to descend, you simply let some of the air out, and if you want to ascend you increase the amount of air in the BC (buoyancy compensator).

Not only is it used to keep the wearer buoyant, it actually secures the person’s dive kit by holding it together. Most serious divers consider this a large investment, second only to their scuba regulator. There are two main types of BCDs, the vest style and the back inflate. You have to decide which one is best for you. Here are some pros and cons for your BCDs.

Vest Style BC
Pros:

• It is quite comfortable and comes with pockets that you can use for storage. Some of them even have pouches that can be used for integrating weight.
• If you need to deflate your BC quickly, this is the ideal choice. Straps in the chest area push against any trapped air in this area forcing it out and deflating much more easily and quickly.
• It gives lots of stability when you are at the water’s surface behaving very much like a life jacket would. It allows you to stay upright as you float on the surface without requiring much effort on your part.

Cons:
They tend to be restrictive and there are divers who complain that when inflated, they also cause the chest to be squeezed, which is uncomfortable. If you do not fit it properly, it can cause the position of your body to change underwater. This also happens if it is not properly weighted. Because it comes with a cummerbund and lots of padding, they often create drag at the ocean’s surface.

Back Inflate BC
Pros:
It is unobtrusive, comfortable and allows for great movement. When underwater, you are able to hold a better horizontal position. It also helps with forward propulsion. Allows you to be more streamline when underwater, therefore causing less drag.
Cons:
If you need to deflate quickly you will face a challenge with this BC because its air bladders are designed to be behind you. You need to kick when at the water’s surface in order to lean back. With practice, you are able to float easily face up.

 

[Storker]

Cons:
If you need to deflate quickly you will face a challenge with this BC because its air bladders are designed to be behind you. You need to kick when at the water’s surface in order to lean back. With practice, you are able to float easily face up.

I use a BP/W (the ultimate back inflate) and have never noticed any of this.

 

[Patoux01]

First, thanks for not just posting a link to some blog of yours.

But

• If you need to deflate your BC quickly, this is the ideal choice. Straps in the chest area push against any trapped air in this area forcing it out and deflating much more easily and quickly.
• It gives lots of stability when you are at the water’s surface behaving very much like a life jacket would. It allows you to stay upright as you float on the surface without requiring much effort on your part

This is wrong. The speed can easily be proven to be wrong by putting a wing vs a bcd of same capacity and seeing which one empties fastest.
As for the stability, please do not compare bcds to life jackets, they are not the same, and a bcd jacket can very well put and keep you face down. (edit: I'll add that SOME, to my knowledge only 1 or 2 models are considered life jackets)

When underwater, you are able to hold a better horizontal position. It also helps with forward propulsion. Allows you to be more streamline when underwater, therefore causing less drag.

Nah, Anyone can be fairly streamlined and have proper trim with any kind of bcd.

If you need to deflate quickly you will face a challenge with this BC because its air bladders are designed to be behind you.

Nope, really nope.


Begs the question: What experience do you have with different types of gear?

 

[Steelyeyes]

Both of my BCDs are back inflate. Neither one, when property trimmed puts me face down on the surface. The ability to dump air in either of them is as fast as any other kind of BCD I've used, and I started diving with the horse collar type in 1975.

 

[Drone076]

Ehhehe, wrong. There're just no cons with Back Inflate BCs

 

[Caseyd1971]

I started with a scubapro stab jacket last may and learned to use it first. Got a pretty good handle on my fundamentals. But have recently moved to a BP and wing set up and I will never use a jacket BC again. To me the BP and wing is much more comfortable. It is not a one size fits all jacket. It is set up for me and my body type. And makes proper trim much easier for me.

 

[oly5050user]

Back Inflation vs Vest Style BCDs
When a diver is carrying his or her scuba tank and wearing scuba gear, which can be quite heavy, keeping their buoyancy can be tricky. A BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) helps them to maintain it. It is a jacket or vest with air pockets that inflates and keeps them afloat. If you are looking to descend, you simply let some of the air out, and if you want to ascend you increase the amount of air in the BC (buoyancy compensator).

Not only is it used to keep the wearer buoyant, it actually secures the person’s dive kit by holding it together. Most serious divers consider this a large investment, second only to their scuba regulator. There are two main types of BCDs, the vest style and the back inflate. You have to decide which one is best for you. Here are some pros and cons for your BCDs.

Vest Style BC
Pros:

• It is quite comfortable and comes with pockets that you can use for storage. Some of them even have pouches that can be used for integrating weight.
• If you need to deflate your BC quickly, this is the ideal choice. Straps in the chest area push against any trapped air in this area forcing it out and deflating much more easily and quickly.
• It gives lots of stability when you are at the water’s surface behaving very much like a life jacket would. It allows you to stay upright as you float on the surface without requiring much effort on your part.

Cons:
They tend to be restrictive and there are divers who complain that when inflated, they also cause the chest to be squeezed, which is uncomfortable. If you do not fit it properly, it can cause the position of your body to change underwater. This also happens if it is not properly weighted. Because it comes with a cummerbund and lots of padding, they often create drag at the ocean’s surface.

Back Inflate BC
Pros:
It is unobtrusive, comfortable and allows for great movement. When underwater, you are able to hold a better horizontal position. It also helps with forward propulsion. Allows you to be more streamline when underwater, therefore causing less drag.
Cons:
If you need to deflate quickly you will face a challenge with this BC because its air bladders are designed to be behind you. You need to kick when at the water’s surface in order to lean back. With practice, you are able to float easily face up.

I certainly hope that this was not written by a dive pro..too many unsafe statements here to mention..never put air in bcd to ascend, it is not an elevator. Diver should be neutrally buoyant and simply swim up, releasing air from bcd to control ascent.

 

[glassbottom]

They tend to be restrictive and there are divers who complain that when inflated, they also cause the chest to be squeezed, which is uncomfortable. If you do not fit it properly, it can cause the position of your body to change underwater. This also happens if it is not properly weighted. Because it comes with a cummerbund and lots of padding, they often create drag at the ocean’s surface.

I actually dive a jacket BC that is a size or so too small. The only really issue it causes me (besides looking like Chris Farley in a little coat) is the zippers for the pockets are a bit high on my torso and hard to reach without putting a zip tie or something to help unzip them. The workaround there is I really dont keep anything in them anyhow, anything i need just gets clipped to a d ring.

It doesnt affect my positioning in the water at all (ive used BCD's that fit better), though i use trim weights when diving AL cylinders regardless.

FWIW the reaason i dive it is because i got it super cheap and its perfectly functional for my warm water, shallow rec diving. When it finally goes out ill move to a BP/W setup most likely, though i dont have a huge desire to go into tec or past my AOW limits.

 

[Caseyd1971]

I switched to BP&W not so much for the tech aspect but because it is kinda like a tailored suit. It just fits so much better. So it seems more comfortable. And I feel more in control of my body posture. So everything seems easier to me

 

[Marie13]

The OP makes me laugh. He sounds like one of the folks who would think I should have drowned using a BP/W in my OW class. I'm still here! Haven't drowned yet!