seaquest or oceanic

[NAVYman]

hey everyone

im looking to buy a new bc and ive narrowed it down to 3 jacket style types. seaquest pro qd, oceanic probe, or oceaic flex. comfort is good on all of them and the flex is the cheapest so im kind of aimed toward it, but the seaquest has some better features. does anyone out there have any experience or any input they can give me on these bc's. which one would you guys choose. thanks so much!

 

[RICHinNC]

Hey Navy...
My first bcd was the SQ Pro QD. It is a great bcd. I got the model with velcro weight pockets as I didnt like the surelocks.... not all that sure. Mostly positive things to say about it.;....just one negative.....it always rode up on me. I could never get that cumberbund tight enough. I even considered a crotch strap... but never went with it.
Also....it is a very bulky bcd to travel with. Other than that....GREAT

I did end up going to a DiveRite TransPlate (bp and wing)...and wish I had started there. But you will get all those suggestions too. If willing... go to
www.northeastscubasupply.com ... you can get a whole TransPlate , harness, weight pockets, wing...everythning for $449....call and talk to John.

But, you will enjoy the SQ too. I did have the Airsource alternate put on mine and it worked fine. But didnt do the same with my b p and wing.....

If you have any detailed questions, feel free to pm me.
rich

 

[waterwraith]

I have the seaquest pro qd+SL and absolutely love it. It fits like a second skin and never rides up. the inflator is very responsive and the weight pockets are top notch. The BC is stable on and under the surface and there is no tank wobble

I have lost a weight pouch but it was my fault not the locking systems. Even when you load the pouches and here a click make sure the pouches are all the way into the pocket.

My only real complaints are the lack of a second tank band and the carrying strap on the BC. The carrying strap sometimes gets in the way of the tank valve and if warranty is not a concern just cut it off, its not very useful anyway. The BC itself is a little bulky but it fits in my dive bag just fine

 

[StSomewhere]

I have a Probe, I'm very happy with it. It fits very well, and doesn't ride up like some others I tried. Put 4 lbs of weight (2x2) in the back non-ditchable trim pockets and the rest in the ditchable (QLR) system and you're all set for an AL80. Speaking of which, I like that the Probe QLR system has both velcro *and* hardware connectors, you can remove them pretty easily when you want to (like getting back on the boat) but they'll never accidentally come loose. I don't care for the tank strap on either the Probe or the QD, I'm replacing mine with the cool one from Apollo. YMMV.

But whatever you do, make sure to get the one that fits you.

 

[Druid]

I have a ProQD, one of the older ones with plain velcro for the weights. I've done about 100 dives in it, both warm water holiday diving and in the somewhat cooler waters around the British isles.

It's comfortable, has decent sized pockets and the swivel shoulder clips mean that it fits well whether I'm wearing a 3mm wet suit or a dry suit. The trim pockets help avoid back ache if you use aluminium cylinders, and the integrated weights can hold up to 10lbs each.

There have been reports of people losing weight pockets, mine have been ok, but the newer ones have extra clips. I have also had problems with the cam band stretching - wetting it before fitting the cylinder sorts that problem.

Well made, but a bit on the heavy side which can be a problem if you want to take it on holidays.