Please help! Dive Rite or Seaquest?

[mikeguerrero]

Hi,

I'm a new certified diver only 5 dives under my belt and I've dove with Jacket and Back inflate. I really do love the streamline feel of the Back inflate but I also love the new Pro QD I3 for it's innovation.

I have read a lot of reviews on divers that have tried the I3 and really loved it, they gave it nice ratings; everyone else on this board immediately says it's a danger ready to happen, including my dive instructor and LDS.

So I have shyed away from this BC and also been discouraged because it's a jacket type of BC and I did my open water dives with a Cressi Jacket. That was okay but I kinda didn't like the way I float on the surface.

The only experience I had with the back inflate was in the pool and that really elevated me out of the water while on my back, plus I really didn't feel the crushing of the air as I do with the jacket.

I3 says you don't feel the pressure since it inflates away from the body, I've yet to see what they mean by that since the Cressi I could feel the inflation.

Being that everyone discouraged the I3 I immediately love the Balance by Seaquest, the stream line look and feel plus the lift of 36 lbs. I'm only using 28 lbs of weight and my instructor says that will drop with more experience.

My LDS says the balance has a nice hard back that keeps the tank very sturdy and it's also a light weight BC for traveling and can handle both warm waters and the cold California water, thats a plus for me.

Now here comes the problem, my dive buddy is in love with future diving and becomming a wreck diver so he wants to start off with their equipment; dive rite and apeks are his choices. He doesn't want to later purchase another BC.

So where does that leave me? I want to be a recreational diver but would like to venture to wrecks in the future. I really do like the dive rite Transback with the Trek inflate; 40 lbs lift and it will support single or double tanks for the future.

Dive rite express has a killer deal on the dive rite with the weights, groin harness and the inflate, sort of like a package deal.

Only problem is my LDS says that it will not be as sturdy for a beginner like me and the Balance would fit my needs better.

So can I wreck dive with a Balance? Is it possible or should I go Dive Rite and get a nice package deal?

Thanks for all your comments; this has gotten really hard and I'm stuck.....

MG

 

[Teamcasa]

You will no doubt get the obligatory post recommending a backplate and wing setup. However, for me I really like my DiveRite Transpack harness with the venture wing. It is very easy to dive with and is very comfortable. My lovely bride ditched her Seaquest Diva in favor of the Apeks WTX harness and Venture wing as well. Both systems are almost identical. BTW, I’ve never experienced any surface issue with a wing or for that matter my old Seaquest Malibu BC.

There certainly no problem with the BP/W and Hog harness, but I like the comfort of a harness system.

Buy what you like and what feels good to you diving.

Dave

 

[mikeguerrero]

Dave,

Can you recommend what you would choose as a set from Dive Rite express for a guy like me? I'm 5'5 175 lbs and in pretty good shape for being 37 years old. I want to dive single tank but have the option of going two tanks in the future.

Dive rite seems like the right choice for me, but I don't know what setup to go with. I do want a transback harness since I like the feel of a BC like the Malibu.

Dave I didn't dive the Malibu in the ocean just the Cressi which is jacket inflate, I really didn't like it over the back inflate which I only did in the pool.

MG

 

[Teamcasa]

Mike,

The Transpac has a sizing chart here. They also have a package for a better price. As for wings, I have the older 30lb wing. It works great but if I needed a replacement I would probably buy the DSS Torus 26 wing or the travel wing from DiveRite.

BTW, I use a ScubaPro weight belt with soft weights. I tried the weight pocket system and hated it.

The TransPac can be used with doubles but you would need additional gear and a new wing.

However, if you are serious about diving with doubles, get a complete setup from Tobin at DSS. They are a first class operation and Tobin is a very helpful and knowledgeable guy. For me, I don’t have doubles in my future as my dive buddy is my lovely bride and should could not carry the double tank set. You could

Keep this in mind. Doubles do not mix with singles. The differences are many and can be anywhere from unsafe to unwieldy.


Dave

 

[Matt S.]

Now here comes the problem, my dive buddy is in love with future diving and becomming a wreck diver so he wants to start off with their equipment; dive rite and apeks are his choices. He doesn't want to later purchase another BC.

So where does that leave me? I want to be a recreational diver but would like to venture to wrecks in the future.

If you get into wrecks or more technical diving, replacing a BCD will be the least of your expenses.

I agree that it is nice to buy right the first time, but accept that this won't always be possible. No matter how well you do your homework, you might find that you just like something different later on, or your interests evolve in a way you did not anticipate.

Wish I had an answer for you.

 

[djanni]

My vote is for the Transpac/Venture wing. I love mine. They're plenty sturdy too.

The Balance has a great reputation as well and I see them often.

 

[Rob9000]

I have the Seaquest Balance and Pro QD BCs and recently rented a bp/w setup.

The Balance is lightweight and packs small. What I don't like about it is the position of the shoulder dump is below where the air bubble will be when prone, so it tends to trap air unless you are heads up. My Balance is about 7 yrs old, but I do not believe they have changed the position of the shoulder dump/inflater hose or the design of the wing too much.

The Pro QD is in my opinion the best jacket BC out there. It has the "standard" inflater and not the I3. There are plenty of d-rings and the material is tough. Overall it is a very robust BC. The downside is it is heavy and does not pack small. On land it weighs about as much as a bp/w with a steel plate. I actually held the two (one in each hand...the bp/w being a Halcyon setup) for an unscientific weight test and they felt about the same. I checked the Pro QD in fresh water and it is somewhere between 2 - 3 lbs positive in fresh water...so probably 3 - 5 lbs positive in salt water. It also feels bulky in the water in terms of streamlining. Plus, I have recently gone to wearing a weight belt for better trim...so now the jacket kind of gets in the way of the belt. I recently rented a steel bp/w setup. In terms of tank stability the Pro QD felt just as good because of the plastic plate it has. In terms of trim I did feel that the bp/w helped me stay more prone. The Pro QD's weight pockets are better than those on the Balance....the Pro QD's hold more total weight and allow you to more options for distributing the weight around within the pockets. It is true that because of how the Pro QD's bladder attaches to the harness, it inflates "away from you" so you don't feel a squeeze, but it has to be darn near full for the front part of it to get some air...and that is 44 lbs of lift, so that will only happen on the surface if you hammer the inflater to get your chest out of the water.

On thing you might hear is that a jacket BC helps keep you upright on the surface and a back inflate will push you over. I say it all depends on how you have yourself weighted. If you have 25+ pounds of lead all in the integrated weight pockets and an aluminum tank at 500 psi, then I think any BC is going to push you face first because a the majority of the lift is still in the back and the majority of the weight is in the front. With me I had no issue staying upright on the surface with the bp/w, but I believe that is because I had the weight distributed both on the backplate (using weight pouches) and a weight belt. And I can easily get the jacket BC to push me forward if I load up the weight pockets.

One thing a jacket will help with is it gets more of you out of the water on the surface, so this can be more comforting to some people to just get their head farther away from the water. A back inflate will not rise you up as much.

SO:
- If a person is going to go with a jacket BC, then I say Pro QD since it has the "standard" inflater. Overall I would steer a person towards back inflate instead of a jacket unless the person really feels they need the extra "security" by being able to get higher out of the water on the surface, or by thinking that a jacket will help keep them off their face on the surface.
- If a person is looking at the SeaQuest Balance, then I say look at the SeaQuest Black Diamond as it is a back inflate with the robustness and weight pockets of the Pro QD. Or...the ScubaPro KnightHawk....I believe it is lighter on land than the Black Diamond. My 16 yr old kid is certified....he tried both my Balance and the KnightHawk in the pool and preferred the KnightHawk. He felt he could dump air while prone easier in the KnightHawk.
- As for me, I am going to a bp/w. The rig I rented was an OMS plate with a Halcyon wing and a Hogarthian harness (i.e. no quick releases). It was an improvement over the jacket BC, but if I were using a back inflate already I think I would be less likely to justify the hefty price tag of a bp/w right now since I am not intending on going doubles in the near future (my Balance doesn't fit me too well anymore, and I don't like the air trapping thing).

You live about 30 minutes from me. Do you have access to a pool? I can bring the SeaQuest rigs over. My Balance is a large and my Pro QD is a XL (gained some weight after the Balance )

Also, here in the Bay area there are shops that carry bp/w setups...I think it is better to buy local so you can ask them for any help in setting up the rig if that is how you go. I think you'll also get better customer service. PM me if you want to know the shops I know of for a bp/w.

 

[RJP]

I bought a SeaQuest Balance right after getting certified, and replaced it 10 dives later with a BP/W setup. Went with a DiveRite BP with their "deluxe" harness which I quickly replaced with a one-piece "hogarthian" harness.

I'd say get a plate a harness made of one piece of webbing - no bells, whistles, buckles, etc. If you don't like that, you're only out about $10 for the webbing if you replace with a transplate harness. If you start with the transplate harness and ditch it for the one-piece you're out $115.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Wow,

Thanks for all the info on the BC's out there. And a special thanks to you Rob, you really made me realize a lot of things about purchasing the right type of BC.

Today I called Seaquest in the morning and located a dealer in my area that has the Pro QD i3 in stock and drove to Concord to check it out.

They had my size, Medium Large and I looked at all the bells and whistles this robost BC has to offer; I was amazed at how sturdy this BC truly is over the Balance.

I am sold on this unit for reasons that fit my bill and in no way am I promoting it to other users as I don't want my thread to become a battle zone.

Diving in Monterey is no joke the elements are brutal and the adventure is awesome. I dove with a jacket type inflate, the Cressi which was rented. I did overall great with my skills and that BC. Compared to the back inflate bc it did not raise me out of the water greater while swimming on my back. The bladder is much greater with a back inflate in turns of bouyancy while on your back.

It did however secure me more around the sides while on the surface and nice trim while on the bottom. As I dumped air or added I noticed it didn't send me off balance as did the back inflate if I added too much air. For me the jacket worked nicely and I didn't feel akward with my ascent or descents.

One thing I do like about the Pro QD I3 is that I get 6 steel rings for accessories and I get two nice size pockets with strong zippers. I also get a octo holder on my right side that makes it very easy to locate. No corrugated hose is a plus for me, I reached over several times in the water grabbing my snorkel instead; I didn't like that. Less for me to think about is better.

I will have my computer hang on the side that my corrugated hose use to be and that gives me better orientation of my unit.

One thing that I noticed and maybe it's more psychological is that the Jacket type inflate secures me more in rough terrain water where visibilty isn't all that great 8 feet or less. My kidneys felt very secure with both those pockets on my side.

One thing I also noticed as I tried on the jacket at the shop, is that the i3 pockets are on the side not up on the front like I thought it would be; that made it more streamline for me over the Cressi jacket. I was impressed by that. For warmer dives in the tropic I think I'll have to have a balance since it's so much more streamline. But for cold water terrain, I'm going i3.

Leisurepro has the unit a lot cheaper than my lds but I'll have to go with their warranty which they state is just as good as the manufacturers.

I wish there were users on the board that tried out the i3 and would comment but have not had that luck at all. Those that have used it have given it nothing but high marks. Those that haven't tried it shy away from it for reasons of security/safe practices.

I guess I'm just going to be one on the board to own this BC. I probably will have it before my next dive which is scheduled for Oct7 on a Sunday with my dive buddy.

So what city are you in Rob? I'm in Castro Valley, we have a huge pool almost olympic size but I don't think they allow BC/ tanks to be placed in them.

The dive shop in Concord has a built in pool to 12 feet and they let you try out equipment on Fridays.

MG

 

[5615mike]

dove a SQ ProQD+ for two years. Nice bc but I moved to a Transpac Dive Rite and would not dive with anything else. I love it. Very versitle and can even dive doubles. What a difference in gear. Good luck with your choice.