how to choose the right bcd
- Thread starter buleetu
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
SrLagarto
Registered
Hey, there.
Think it's fair to say that the BCD that's best for you will depend on the type of diving you do, whether or not that involves travelling and so on. Are you interested in Tech, or is this purely for Recreational Scuba? A lot is personal preference, too - for example, I dive in a SeaQuest Black Diamond, because I wanted the benefits of a wing, with the comfort and convenience of a jacket-style BC.
A little more info will help the SB posters provide you with more useful response aimed at the type of diving you intend to do!
Think it's fair to say that the BCD that's best for you will depend on the type of diving you do, whether or not that involves travelling and so on. Are you interested in Tech, or is this purely for Recreational Scuba? A lot is personal preference, too - for example, I dive in a SeaQuest Black Diamond, because I wanted the benefits of a wing, with the comfort and convenience of a jacket-style BC.
A little more info will help the SB posters provide you with more useful response aimed at the type of diving you intend to do!
It's probably the most important piece of equipment and the most important thing is that you are comfortable so go out and try some on and see what you like. Beyond that, as stated, it's mostly based on how and where you will dive.
The lift capacity of a BC DOES matter, and they are not all the same.
What a BC needs to do is two things: It has to float your rig on the surface when you are not in it (this is sometimes necessary for diving off small boats), and it has to compensate for the buoyancy lost by compression of your wetsuit, or flooding of your dry suit. Obviously, all those things are easier in tropical diving, because you carry very little lead, and a thin wetsuit loses very little buoyancy. I can dive in a 3 mil suit with an aluminum tank with a 17 lb wing. On the other hand, if you try to use that wing in Puget Sound, your gear will sink if you take it off, and you will sink if you get much below 30 feet, or flood a dry suit.
So that's why folks are telling you that the kind of diving you intend to do will have an impact on the gear you choose. Lift is a consideration. So is fit, which is really important, because if a BC doesn't fit properly, it doesn't hold the tank stable in the middle of your back, and it makes diving at best uncomfortable. For cold water BCs, you have to decide where you are going to put the lead you have to carry. BCs with multiple options (like trim pockets) can make carrying a lot of weight easier and make it easier to trim out.
Intrinsic buoyancy is another factor. One doesn't mind a floaty BC in the tropics, but in cold water, most of us end up trying to figure out how to minimize the weight we have to carry, because it's so much work, and having to carry 3 lbs just to sink a BC is annoying. This is where backplates shine, because they actually incorporate some of your necessary ballast into the BC itself.
Comfort is important. Some people like the wraparound feeling of jackets; others prefer the less cluttered chest that comes with a back-inflate. Some of us take that to an extreme, and go to simple harness systems.
Anyway, with more information about the kind of diving you see yourself doing, we can provide more specific advice. But one piece of advice that I think is good anywhere is to look at what the people who dive where you dive are using and see if there is a predominant style or type. People have usually figured out what works.
What a BC needs to do is two things: It has to float your rig on the surface when you are not in it (this is sometimes necessary for diving off small boats), and it has to compensate for the buoyancy lost by compression of your wetsuit, or flooding of your dry suit. Obviously, all those things are easier in tropical diving, because you carry very little lead, and a thin wetsuit loses very little buoyancy. I can dive in a 3 mil suit with an aluminum tank with a 17 lb wing. On the other hand, if you try to use that wing in Puget Sound, your gear will sink if you take it off, and you will sink if you get much below 30 feet, or flood a dry suit.
So that's why folks are telling you that the kind of diving you intend to do will have an impact on the gear you choose. Lift is a consideration. So is fit, which is really important, because if a BC doesn't fit properly, it doesn't hold the tank stable in the middle of your back, and it makes diving at best uncomfortable. For cold water BCs, you have to decide where you are going to put the lead you have to carry. BCs with multiple options (like trim pockets) can make carrying a lot of weight easier and make it easier to trim out.
Intrinsic buoyancy is another factor. One doesn't mind a floaty BC in the tropics, but in cold water, most of us end up trying to figure out how to minimize the weight we have to carry, because it's so much work, and having to carry 3 lbs just to sink a BC is annoying. This is where backplates shine, because they actually incorporate some of your necessary ballast into the BC itself.
Comfort is important. Some people like the wraparound feeling of jackets; others prefer the less cluttered chest that comes with a back-inflate. Some of us take that to an extreme, and go to simple harness systems.
Anyway, with more information about the kind of diving you see yourself doing, we can provide more specific advice. But one piece of advice that I think is good anywhere is to look at what the people who dive where you dive are using and see if there is a predominant style or type. People have usually figured out what works.
Shftrdog
Contributor
I would recomend the Oceanic Probe or Excursion II. They are both great BCD's and will last you for ever. You can't go wrong with them. For the most part they are all faily simalar with the lift capacity.
scubasam1212
Contributor
You woul be happy with a subgear accent or maybe a scubapro equator or seahawk(back inflate). Great recreational BCDs and weight integrated. Great quality and durability on these bcds
coldwatercanada
Contributor
What i recomond you do is locate a dive store that does a try before you buy night! Every Wednesday night we do pool drop in's so you can try every style we sell. There is a ton to consider when buying a BCD.
whats the ton that i must consider cold water canada??
ill be recreational diving in the irish sea and some quarrys,,, i also like to travel to the red sea and it would be good to bring my bcd along so something thats not too bulky would be good
ill be recreational diving in the irish sea and some quarrys,,, i also like to travel to the red sea and it would be good to bring my bcd along so something thats not too bulky would be good
DevonDiver
N/A
I've never seen a BCD that lasts more than 1000-1500 dives. Just saying...
Unless he can't find a distributor/service center local to him in Ireland. In which case, he'll hate his inappropriate choice.
Or if he ever decides to progress to double tank diving (very popular in the UK/Ireland) - because he'll then have to buy a second BCD.
Similar threads
