Tigullio BCD

[Lamnid]

Hey all. Well here's the thing....I've kindly been bought a Tigullio BCD for Christmas (you can see it here http://www.tigullio52.com/t52/ita/prodotti/hover/hover.html) I'm pretty sure that it's going to be fine, and all the reviews I read on it have been great. However, now that I have 10 days to wait until christmas, I have of course started to worry. I'm just a little concerned about the pockets on the back which inflate. It looks a bit wing shaped to me, even though it inflates round the front as well and is definately a jacket. Has anyone used this BCD? Can they tell me how they got on with it? It would be a big help if I could put my mind to rest. Thanks a lot. Caz.

 

[evensplit]

Looks like a "hybrid" to me...you'll have to shift air around in it when on the surface to inflate the front portion, but it'll function essnetially as a back inflate underwater.

It may take a dive or three to get used to it, but you'll be happy with it.

.02

 

[Diving Doc]

Yeah LAmnid, this is def a hybrid. A few of my customers have it. Takes a little getting used to but once you are there, it has good life and will hold you well in the water after you adjust your weighting to suit.

Who do you dive with out of Cambridge?

 

[MarkUK]

Caz,

You'll be fine with the T52 Hover. It is a really nice, well made jacket.

It has a sequential inflation system, which basically means the little wing which sits around the cylinder inflates first as you start putting air into it. This will hold you in a good position underwater. As you end the dive and come to the surface and put more air in the BCD, the rest of the jacket will inflate, holding you in a solid upright position on the surface, just like a normal BCD would.

So, kind of the best of both worlds – acts like a wing underwater, then a BCD on the surface. Just dive it like you would a normal BCD and you will be fine. Two of my friends got them as their first BCDs a few years back and they are still giving solid service after a few hundred dives.

Mark

 

[Lamnid]

hey thanks for the reveiws sounds good. PS diving doc - i don't really dive out of cambs, I tend to go to san jose in spain to do my dives. but when summer is here i shall do some uk dives i think cos i need to break in the new gear as it were!

 

[Diving Doc]

Once you get used to UK diving you'll love it. Honestly. When you are ready to try, give me a PM, I know a couple of really good dive centres up there who will look after you. Or youu could always pop down to Devon and have a dive with me!!

 

[MarkUK]

You are in a good location for some decent dive centres – I live just down the road from Cambridge in Haverhill, Suffolk, as it happens.

You've got Cambridge Dive Centre in the town centre, 2Dive4 in Stansted Mountfitchet, and Planet Scuba in Bishops Stortford, so all within 30 mins or less.

As Diving Doc says, UK diving isn't as bad as everyone makes out, in fact, it is downright interesting and fun, so give it a shot. And take up his offer of a dive in Devon, as that part of the UK offers some of the best marine life/vis, etc.

Mark

 

[Lamnid]

yeah i really wanna get into UK diving cos it would mean i could do it a lot more! I like the cambs dive centre - lots of useful stuff in there. Thanks for the encouragement to dive UK cos i really need it! Lucky my boyfriend surfs so it's entirely feasible we may be donw in the devon/cornwall area next year to combine the two!

 

[Mark Milburn]

Lucky my boyfriend surfs so it's entirely feasible we may be donw in the devon/cornwall area next year to combine the two!

The diving out of Newquay is really good so is the surfing. Trouble is, it's one or the other. If the surf's up then you'll have to dive off the south coast which is also very good BTW.

 

[Saskia]

UK diving is great even when it's cold!! (i like a challenge you see ) and it can be warm! this summer, we were all wishing we had wetsuits :S we were a tad hot, though the lack of 5mm gloves and hood was nice though i have to say, it's nice to come back from a dive and still be dry Though it's nice to be able to bask in the sun after dive, something you usually can't do in the UK though in the south more then the north!