stiebs
Contributor
A couple of weeks ago, after requesting opinions on which BC I should purchase to replace my old one (which seems to have shrunk a lot, especially around my waist
), I ended up purchasing the SeaQuest Balance - not one of my original selections.Well, I took it out for its first dive this afternoon, and here's what I've got to say about it. Please note that because this is the first back inflate BC that I've used, not only is this a review for the balance, but also for someone else considering purchasing a back inflate BC over a jacket.
Not having ever used a back inflate BC before, there were a couple of concerns that I had. Firstly a number of people have mentioned that they can be a pain on the surface, having a tendency to push you forwards. The second was that using a jacket BC, I sometimes squeezed in with my elbows to help coax air out of the jacket - something that obviously cannot be done using a back inflate.
I would have liked to try one before buying, but could not find anyone locally who had one, or was willing to loan it to me. So I bought it anyway.
As soon as I lifted the BC onto my back ready for a long walk to the end of the pier, it felt great. The harness support is a long way better than any that has been offered by the numerous jacket style BCs. In my 7mm wetsuit with 28lb and a 100cf al on my back I felt like I had just donned my hiking backpack, not a BC.
All of my weight carried nicely in the BC (4lb each in the back pockets, 10lb each in the ditchable pockets). I pumped a little air into the BC, and strode off the boat expecting to find myself being pushed forward, but I was pleasantly surprised by floating nicely upright (well, except for the 6" swell tossing my about a bit).
I was also expecting to find myself swimming horizontally with less effort, and this was certainly true. It took all of about 15 seconds to get used to. The SeaQuest power inflator also incorporates a dump which is activated by tugging on the hose. I was a little concerned about this, becuase when I was playing with it out of water it seemed that quite a hard yank was needed to let the air out. I don't really fancy the idea of pulling my inflater hose off underwater!
As it turns out, a gentle pull lets a slow stream of air escape, good for minute adjustments in buoyancy. Conversely, when lying flat or inverted, the lower-right hand dump just about emties the BC with one tug. Raising the inflater hose and dumping air the 'regular' way is somewhere in between.
I didn't use the pull-down 'drop pocket', so it stayed nicely out of the way. Although I can see it coming in handy in the future. The SS D-rings located on the shoulders are not visible with a mask on, but are well within reach. There is a 3rd SS D-ring on the lower left side of the harness, and a female plastic clip on the right side.
Overall, I'm extremely happy with my new toy, and thanks goes out to all the members on the board who suggested it. Now that I've tried it, I think I'd have trouble diving with a jacket BC again. There's just too much freedom with the back inflate - even when wearing a 7mm farmer john!
