Jacket inflate vs Back inflate

[master00sniper]

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or under the equipment section. I figured here because I'm new to diving. The few dives that I have done with rental equipment have been with a jacket inflate BCD. A local craigslist ad has this Seaquest Black Daimond BCD on sale for 250, excellent condition, only 10 dives on it. I'm assuming this is a good deal? What are the differences I should expect with a back inflate vs a jacket inflate?

 

[Dyno Bill]

I would recommend trying a few via rentals etc prior to purchasing a piece of equipment just after starting diving. This is one of the really disputed issues kinda like the Dems and the Gop on the news radio. Each type of buoyancy device has it's plusses and minuses. I'm sure that will be disputed here soon as well. I won't even make a recommendation as to my opinion because I'm not the one who will be diving with it. Sorry if this post is of little value. I do believe there are a lot of different BC combinations that work really well.

 

[jon1]

I can't really say, as I dont own one, but that is a great price on a Black Diamond. If you dont like it, sell it for 250 and you wont be out anything, but at least you will then know what to look for if it doest work out.

 

[Amphiprion]

Considering that you can get a new one for twice as much from leisurepro.com I would say this is a good deal.

As far as back inflate versus jacket, this is one of the most heavily discussed topics on scubaboard. There are probably a thousand threads on this topic alone.

Not trying to bash. You are new here and welcome to the board. To answer your question about what to expect. Jacket bcs probably do the best job of pushing a diver high out of the water and keeping him stable on the surface. This is one of the reasons that many instructors use this type during class - it keeps new divers from being nervous.

Back inflates tend to do a better job keeping you stable and horizontal in the water during a dive as the air cell is spread out along your back. The learning curve for a back inflate is most likely going to be less than one dive. If you find that you are still not horizontal you can add a couple of pounds of trim weights to the tank straps.

Most experienced divers tend to migrate towards back inflate.

 

[master00sniper]

Thank you all, the advice really helps. I think back inflate may be more my style. I plan on diving quite often, and added stability under water vs on the surface seems like the direction I want to go in. I would imagine you might also have more freedom of movement under water?

 

[Amphiprion]

Depending on the particular back inflate bc, more freedom of movement can be the case as you do not have air cells around your waist. If the manufacturer has chosen to fill this space with lots of pockets and integrated weight compartments, then you can't say for certain if there would be more freedom of movement.

I use a backplate and wing (a type of back inflate) which doesn't tend to have the pockets and weight integration, so for me - yes more freedom of movement. Google the term and look for images if you want. I'm not going down that subject road in this thread.

Overall, I would suggest that you purchase the bc. I think you will be happy with it.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Most experienced divers tend to migrate towards back inflate.

The vast majority of dives made in the world are made in warm water. For the most part, the divers who make at least a hundred dives every year live in warm water regions. Extrapolating that majority of experienced divers to a guess as to which BC is more common would seem to favor the most common BC used in warm water.

Here in Hawaii the vast majority of experienced divers use vest BC's. We do see a fair number of BI's but there is no way most experienced divers we see here are using BI. From what I read about other warm water locations, Hawaii is typical.

As far as the Op is concerned, in California the % of BI BC's is probably higher than in the whole world.

 

[master00sniper]

Why is it that back inflates would be more popular in cooler water?

 

[Amphiprion]

The vast majority of dives made in the world are made in warm water. For the most part, the divers who make at least a hundred dives every year live in warm water regions. Extrapolating that majority of experienced divers to a guess as to which BC is more common would seem to favor the most common BC used in warm water.

Here in Hawaii the vast majority of experienced divers use vest BC's. We do see a fair number of BI's but there is no way most experienced divers we see here are using BI. From what I read about other warm water locations, Hawaii is typical.

As far as the Op is concerned, in California the % of BI BC's is probably higher than in the whole world.

I knew you were going to say something! That's why I didnt say all experienced divers.
If you want to take it further, most dive masters in Cozumel use full foot pocket fins.

 

[elmer fudd]

I don't know, but it's probably true. Around here I see almost exclusively back inflate and BPW's. Most of the people with jackets are using rental gear or they're just starting out and have a conglomeration of used gear.