SeaQuest Fusion BC

[olij]

I just got my hands on a new Aqualung catalog and it prominently lists SeaQuest's new Fusion BC. It is a hybrid between a tradional and a back-inflated BC, kind of like the Mares Morphos and Dragonfly. Pricing is supposedly around $750.

It is probably too soon, but this board has surprised me before: has anyone tried one of these yet?
ScubaRon

I'm new to the wonderful world of SCUBA, so you may want to take that into consideration when reading what I have to say about the Fusion BC.

After getting certified I made the decision to buy all my essential dive gear instead of renting it. And the main reason for that was that I wanted to always dive with the same gear so that operating it would become routine and automatic which would make it easier to enjoy my dives. (much like it's much easier to drive a car once you figured out where all the switches are and the radio works, so you don't have to look for them while heading down the freeway)

Anyway, I decided on the SeaQuest Fusion BC and I love it. The inflator is located on the lower left side of the BC and works like a charm. To deflate the BC you use one or more of the three dumpvalves. They are located on the top right, and bottom left and right with pull cord to the front of the BC for all three of them. The amount of air relased from these valves is very easy to control and they have built in check valves to prevent water form entering the bladder.

The BC is very comfortable and bouyancy was very easy to control.

Theoretically you should be able to dump all the air in just about any position, but i found that to not be completely true. However this only happend if there was very little air in the BC and was easily solved by raising the right shoulder just slightly.

The integrated weight system works very well. The weight pockets are easily installed while wearing the BC and also dump easily.

Two more things, it is rather pricey, but I'm not giving it back adn most important of all, no annoying inflator hose!.

olij

 

[Lane Zimmer]

I had a chance to look at one of these things recently. After looking it over, "reinventing the wheel" came to mind. Most of it's design features contradict one another and provide no net advantage :bonk:. As far as streamlining goes, the "forward air lobes" defeat the purpose of having a "streamlined profile". Also, the corrugated hose is a non-issue as far as being slick in the water. One needs to think in the real world about how things work underwater. A 1 1/2" dia. (guesstimate) corrugated hose is not going to cause nearly as much drag as forward air lobes. This BC is an answer in a desperate search of a problem. You may as well call it a jacket BC and still charge $750; someone will buy it because it's the "best". In the end, we shipped this one back to Seaquest and ordered more Apeks regs.

 

[strondbakken]

We carry the Fusion at the shop I work at and it is much larger than most BCs. The reason for the "armchair" style is to provide a "heads up" bouyancy on the surface, while streamlining better than a jacket or back-inflation style BC. I dont know what to think of it, really.....I am in the market for a multi-purpose BC and am debating between a Halcyon Eclipse and a Dive Rite Trans Pac. The customization is much beter for the same price as a Fusion.

 

[olij]

Alright, I feel like I missed acouple of points.
As far as the "forward air lobes" and streamlining is concerned, I don't see any problem there, since the airlobes are located under the weight pockets (when I say under, I mean towards your feet, not closer to your body) and really are not any more bulky or stick out any farther than the weight pockets do. (hope that makes sense).
As for the corrugated inflator hose, drag was never a concern of mine. I just did not like them. I hought they were sometimes awkward to deal with and I find it very pleasant not to have it there on my left shoulder.
One more thing. I am in no way saying anyone should go out and buy one right now. In fact I had buyers remourse for a while, but that was only a matter of how much money I had spent. Besides I got over it after the first dive.

 

[solarc]

I bought one 3 weeks ago, I have not had good weather to dive but will this weekend.

The thing I like the most is that it fits similar to my pro qd but I have a better range of motion with the fusion. Also, the inflator being so low and to my side makes it more comfortable to use. Now I do not have to feel around for the inflator up high under my computer hose and other accessories.

The blatters are easy to get to and if the need arises you can repair them with a water bed repair kit (according to the dive shop).

I will let you know how this weekend goes.

Check this out. http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?threadid=66603

mike

 

[fdog]

Tried on one of these in GCM, unfortunately only in the shop w/ a cylinder in place. I really, really wish I had been able to get one in the water because:

It was, bar none, the most comfortable BC of any kind I'd tried on. Lumbar support, fit snugly at the waist, no slop in the shoulders. Snug fit without being tight.

Granted, the inflator is...well...different. And there's enough exhaust valves of sufficent size that you can dump gas no matter what position you're in. There are lots of setups, passionately endorsed, that require a roll and tilt to dump gas sometimes, so this can't be worse.

It actually looks like you can have the feel of wings underwater, with the head-out-of-water advantages of a jacket.

I like to think I have an open mind, so I'll reserve judgement until I have actually worn one in the water. Still, there's enough well-thought out things to make it appealing. I just wish it wasn't so...well...different (?weird?) looking.

All the best, James