In the market for BC, help.

[diver 85]

This looks like the back inflated BC that I don't want to deal with.

As I said it's a recommendation....I dove a jacket style(the same one in fact--800+ dives)) for 22 years, replaced it with this BC last summer.....A back inflate is alot more comfortable than a jacket style, I MY OPINION...wife even dove it in Little Cayman this past summer & loved it.........Good luck........forget my 1st post........

 

[fisherdvm]

Your probably right, it must have been a back inflated BC and I remember now my instructor telling me to avoid those for that very reason. I'm also positive I had that BC over inflated. I'll watch out for the back inflated BCs and maybe rent a BC like you described above and see how that works out. Thanks.

Back inflates are actually nice to dive with, once you've overcome your issues on the surface. Mismatching large wings, light backplate (alumimum or plastic) with alot of weight forward on the waist belt can cause a very uncomfortable feeling. Correctly matched and distributed weighting you will manage much better on the surface. But I think that is why beginners like the comfort of the jacket wrap around BC. What makes them comfortable on the surface sometime make them harder to trim underwater.

 

[divinginn]

Mares makes a very nice low priced bc,it is a origin 1000 model,it is basic jacket style without weight integration,very well made and built to last,hard to go wrong with for 150 dollars at Leisure pro.

 

[Stu S.]

Mares makes a very nice low priced bc,it is a origin 1000 model,it is basic jacket style without weight integration,very well made and built to last,hard to go wrong with for 150 dollars at Leisure pro.

Yes. I bought something like that for $100 a few years ago. I used it for a year and about 60 dives. I had a lot of fun with it. When BC's rent for $15 a day, it does not take many dives to break even. After deciding that a "two strap" BC was better for using the big tanks, I sold it. An eBay customer bought it for more than I paid for it.

 

[mynamehere]

i would try as many differnet types as possible before purchasing. But make sure that you are using what you try correctly - the over inflate thing really altered your opinion on back inflate - which, i absolutely prefer over jacket style.

I learned a lot about what i DONT want in a dry suit after i shelled out a couple grand for mine. (too late now)

 

[ronbeau]

Some BC, especially back inflated BC, when over inflated, will push your face into the water. That is one of the reason why many divers like to stick to the jacket style with air pockets to your side and to your front. I wonder if the BC you rented was a back inflate BC jacket type? Next time, just deflate it a little bit, and you will feel alot better.

He could also consider a hybrid BC like the Aeris LX or a used or left-over Aeris XT.

 

[4sak3n]

i would try as many differnet types as possible before purchasing. But make sure that you are using what you try correctly - the over inflate thing really altered your opinion on back inflate - which, i absolutely prefer over jacket style.

I learned a lot about what i DONT want in a dry suit after i shelled out a couple grand for mine. (too late now)

I just want to emphasize what others, including mynamehere, have mentioned and say that you really shouldn't dismiss one type of gear out of hand because you have had one or two bad experiences due to not using it properly.

As has been mentioned, this tendency to push you face forward is very easily dealt with and I personally believe that the benefit you get underwater (with issues such as trim, buoyancy etc) FAR outweigh any problems you have at the surface which are easily managed with proper techniquest.

However, as a new diver, you still have a lot on your plate and having to work on technique just to prevent something happening on the surface isn't neccesarily what you want to be concentrating on. This is perfectly understandable and we have all been through it. However I would reccomend that if this is the case that you wait a while and just rent, trying out different gear, until you are at a point in your diving that you can start concentrating on working on your technique.

If you really, really, really, really (really ...) want to rush out and buy a cheap BCD now despite our advice, I would recommend the Seaquest Wave. It is well built, very comfortable, very adjustable and cheap to boot. My dive club uses them and I have done 90% of my diving on one (only recently switched to a bp/w setup). They are great for new divers and will last a long time.

Edit: Hmmm ... this post sounded a bit snobbish and I apologise for it. I think it is awesome that you are looking to get gear so early. I am really jealous that I couldn't when I had just started diving.

However I am also grateful that I got the chance to experiment and get comfortable before taking a risk and buying gear. Go for the Wave, it really is a great entry level BCD and served me well for 60 odd dives.

 

[itr1416]

I just want to emphasize what others, including mynamehere, have mentioned and say that you really shouldn't dismiss one type of gear out of hand because you have had one or two bad experiences due to not using it properly.

As has been mentioned, this tendency to push you face forward is very easily dealt with and I personally believe that the benefit you get underwater (with issues such as trim, buoyancy etc) FAR outweigh any problems you have at the surface which are easily managed with proper techniquest.

However, as a new diver, you still have a lot on your plate and having to work on technique just to prevent something happening on the surface isn't neccesarily what you want to be concentrating on. This is perfectly understandable and we have all been through it. However I would reccomend that if this is the case that you wait a while and just rent, trying out different gear, until you are at a point in your diving that you can start concentrating on working on your technique.

If you really, really, really, really (really ...) want to rush out and buy a cheap BCD now despite our advice, I would recommend the Seaquest Wave. It is well built, very comfortable, very adjustable and cheap to boot. My dive club uses them and I have done 90% of my diving on one (only recently switched to a bp/w setup). They are great for new divers and will last a long time.

Edit: Hmmm ... this post sounded a bit snobbish and I apologise for it. I think it is awesome that you are looking to get gear so early. I am really jealous that I couldn't when I had just started diving.

However I am also grateful that I got the chance to experiment and get comfortable before taking a risk and buying gear. Go for the Wave, it really is a great entry level BCD and served me well for 60 odd dives.

Thanks for all the great advise I've received from everyone. Today I drove over to Divers Direct and tried on a few BCDs and asked a lot of questions. The sales people were pretty knowledgable and could relate to my concerns. They gave me some good pointers into what I may be doing wrong and so fourth. So I've decided to do a couple more dives and this time pay very close attention to the different types of BCDs that are available. I've never paid them any mind, what I've rented in the past. So I'll rent a jacket style and back inflate BC and see what suits be best. Thanks again for everyones input. It made me rethink my purchase and probably saved me from purchasing a BC that might not have worked out.