Two specific questions about the Aqualung Zuma

[Diver0001]

I'm considering buying one of these as an option for an upcoming trip. My current BCD is far too bulky and far too heavy to be of any use for dive travel. I like the look of this BCD and it seems to have all of the main features I want

- wing design
- decent inflator machanism
- light weight
- integrated weight pockets

What concerns me is the tank attachment (see picture). That does NOT, on the surface of it, look like something that would deliver a stable grip on the tank.

My questions are both related to that.

1) if you have ACTUAL experience with this BCD, please tell me how you found the stability of the tank grip
2) can a second cam-band be added to this BCD or are you stuck with this the way it is?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[flyingDiver75]

I have over 160 dives on a Zuma in the last 14 months as well as another 40 dives by dive buddies using my spare Zuma with zero slipage incidents. The bulk of the dives are with steel HP100 tanks but have run the gamut from AL60's to LP100's. 5' drop giant strides, back rolls, long shore hikes, never any issues with a loose tank. You can get the lower band very tight.

A proper position will place the band higher on the tank than most other BC's - so always check for vertical position if you let someone else swap your tanks - your picture shows the correct position with the top strap perpendicular to the valve. Most DM's will attach the BC too low if they aren't used to Zumas.

I added trip pockets to the tank band and usually put about 1/3 of my weight in the trims. The S/M size only has 24lbs of lift which can be an issue for cold water diving. The large has over 30lbs. I have the large and have had no problem diving dry-suit or semi-dry 7/8mm in salt water.

A few other notes -
-- the d-rings are plastic and somewhat small. Mine have handled AL40 pony bottles and lionfish keepers, but not ideal. I don't think they are an issue for most lighter gear.
-- The dump valve 'knobs' are much smaller than many BC's - which is great. They are still easy to find by feel.
-- Only one small pocket. A large DSMB is a tight fit - so that usually gets clipped outside. I carry a finger reel, lobster bag and small backup light in the pocket
-- dries quickly which is good when traveling

Feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[The Chairman]

You can not add a second tank band to it. Have you looked at the Express Tech by Zeagle? Two bands and it's probably the most comfortable BC I have ever worn.

 

[RayfromTX]

You can't add a second strap but what we didn't like was the small plastic d-rings that were poorly placed, the lack of a crotch strap that had it riding up sometimes and the inability to add things to it because of the use of padded and off sized strapping. I pulled out the sewing machine and added some things but in the end switched to a lightweight BP/w that is less than a pound heavier and packs just a bit smaller. Mine sits in the closet unused now.

 

[The Chairman]

the lack of a crotch strap

And you can't add one either. I could live with the plastic D's, but the tank strap and no crotch strap ruled it out for me.

 

[Snoweman]

The D-rings are few and fat. I have added loose zip ties to connect my whistle and SMB. Otherwise, their clips would not fit over the D-rings. My spool can connect to one of the rings. Finding a spot for my Nautilus Lifeline Radio (original version) can be a "challenge". The most the weight pockets will hold is "maybe" 20 lbs. I would figure on 16 lbs. Aqualung makes a trim pocket to go on the tank strap, but know that it's a tight fit on an AL80. A steel 100, or bigger, will help fit the trim pocket better.

The Zuma fits in my carry-on luggage with my mask, octo, Nautilus, dive computers and many other items and some clothes, swim suit, and rash guards. This does not include my "personal item" that carries my laptop, Mavic, DSLR, extra lens, earphones (two types) and other stuff.

The best thing is that the Zuma folds up into a reasonable space. I disconnect the inflator hose from the BCD while folding, but that's about it.

 

[Diver0001]

I have over 160 dives on a Zuma in the last 14 months as well as another 40 dives by dive buddies using my spare Zuma with zero slipage incidents. The bulk of the dives are with steel HP100 tanks but have run the gamut from AL60's to LP100's. 5' drop giant strides, back rolls, long shore hikes, never any issues with a loose tank. You can get the lower band very tight.

A proper position will place the band higher on the tank than most other BC's - so always check for vertical position if you let someone else swap your tanks - your picture shows the correct position with the top strap perpendicular to the valve. Most DM's will attach the BC too low if they aren't used to Zumas.

I added trip pockets to the tank band and usually put about 1/3 of my weight in the trims. The S/M size only has 24lbs of lift which can be an issue for cold water diving. The large has over 30lbs. I have the large and have had no problem diving dry-suit or semi-dry 7/8mm in salt water.

A few other notes -
-- the d-rings are plastic and somewhat small. Mine have handled AL40 pony bottles and lionfish keepers, but not ideal. I don't think they are an issue for most lighter gear.
-- The dump valve 'knobs' are much smaller than many BC's - which is great. They are still easy to find by feel.
-- Only one small pocket. A large DSMB is a tight fit - so that usually gets clipped outside. I carry a finger reel, lobster bag and small backup light in the pocket
-- dries quickly which is good when traveling

Feel free to ask any other questions.

Thank you. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to get.

One follow up question, when you are diving did you ever have the feeling that that tank rolled from side to side when you tilted to the right or the left while swimming?

It's just that the combination of a soft backback and single cam band has me wondering. They may have designed it well enough that it doesn't happen but it leaves me wondering why they didn't just put two cam bands on it.

I intend to use the BCD with AL-80's

R..

 

[Diver0001]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I noticed the plastic D-rings and the oddly sized straps on the photographs as well. On vacations I never do anything technical. It's all no-stop diving, no penetrations, no stages or anything like that. I don't think the plastic D rings would be a problem the way I intend to use it

@RayfromTX I'm curious about the BP/w solution you chose.

I'm asking because I blundered across this little beauty when I was looking for a travel BCD (Ultralight Travel Plate). It looks like if you pair it with their WTX 30 or 40 single cylinder wing that you wouldn't need an STA and you put pockets on it then you could make something very similar to the Zuma but with dual cam bands and a proper harness. I already have a couple of old dive-right cam bands and weight pockets kicking around that I would be able to fit onto the harness so I could probably whip it together for about the same price as buying a Zuma too. That would give me a lot more flexibility moving forward and might turn out to be more robust in the long term. That's the other option that I'm kicking around.

That said, the price isn't really my top priority, tbh, I just want a good BCD that it light, has a good inflator, has integrated weights and won't give me trouble on vacation.

For teaching I just buy whatever people are dumping online and I can get cheap. I use them for a year or two and the sell them back online again if they haven't fallen apart yet. My current BCD is a Seaquest XLT Pro that I bought online from some guy for €75 a couple of years ago. It's a monster of a jacket and heavy as crap. It weighs 4.5kg dry (10lbs) so I'm obviously not going to travel with it. I'm thinking about selling it in the spring so I can buy a more basic jacket for teaching in. In the back of my head I'm thinking if I go with the Apeks option I may not need to buy a new BCD in the spring. I don't think I could teach with a Zuma. It would fall apart.

R..

 

[RayfromTX]

Rob, we replaced our Zumas with DSS bp/w with the kydex plate and a 20 lb wing.

 

[Dave Kay]

I have over 160 dives on a Zuma in the last 14 months as well as another 40 dives by dive buddies using my spare Zuma with zero slipage incidents. The bulk of the dives are with steel HP100 tanks but have run the gamut from AL60's to LP100's. 5' drop giant strides, back rolls, long shore hikes, never any issues with a loose tank. You can get the lower band very tight.

A proper position will place the band higher on the tank than most other BC's - so always check for vertical position if you let someone else swap your tanks - your picture shows the correct position with the top strap perpendicular to the valve. Most DM's will attach the BC too low if they aren't used to Zumas.

I added trip pockets to the tank band and usually put about 1/3 of my weight in the trims. The S/M size only has 24lbs of lift which can be an issue for cold water diving. The large has over 30lbs. I have the large and have had no problem diving dry-suit or semi-dry 7/8mm in salt water.

A few other notes -
-- the d-rings are plastic and somewhat small. Mine have handled AL40 pony bottles and lionfish keepers, but not ideal. I don't think they are an issue for most lighter gear.
-- The dump valve 'knobs' are much smaller than many BC's - which is great. They are still easy to find by feel.
-- Only one small pocket. A large DSMB is a tight fit - so that usually gets clipped outside. I carry a finger reel, lobster bag and small backup light in the pocket
-- dries quickly which is good when traveling

Feel free to ask any other questions.

what is a DM and DSMB. I"m new to scuba board and people use a lot of initials I've not seen before. Thanks.