Newbie needing advice Oceanic Hera vs Diverite

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SoF14

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Hey Everyone,

Newbie to diving, getting certified next weekend. I've purchased all my snorkel gear and I've been researching BCDs. I'm a small female 4'11 and I am looking at the Oceanic Hera- I like the pockets and the all the personal size adjustments you can do with it.
My instructor is suggesting the Diverite Transpac or transplate. He says technical gear is a lot better and he had been diving w scuba pro and once he got a Diverite he realized the difference.

Being new, I'm hoping someone can give me more insight into these two BCDs and pros/cons before I decide my purchase. I have not tried either one on- no local shop carries either. I'd like to try before I buy, but looking for advice before deciding which one.
 
Hi!

There are a lot of things to consider, and MANY threads on this topic. Happy to give you an opinion, but first just asking why you are buying a BCD before getting certified?

Not that there are never reasons to do that, but it is a bit unusual, so whether you buy one and what you buy probably depends on the specifics of your situation (how much you will be diving, where you will be diving, etc...).
 
My instructor is suggesting the Diverite Transpac or transplate.

The main reason that those of us who dive and recommend a backplate/wing (BP/W) setup is the simplicity and streamlined nature of such a rig.

It's great to "try" lots of things before buying something. But more important is to really try to understand the differences between different things... and what the pros and cons are of different configurations are. Some of those things are counterintuitive.

Consider how much stuff is going on with the Hera. What you perceive as "all the personal size adjustments available" may be an illusory benefit for many people. Multiple extraneous buckles and clips and belts and velcro sound "adjustable" but the reallity is that all those things often conspire to ensure that it never really fits you properly or fits the same way twice. My personal experience with a recreational BCD (AquaLung Balance, which is great) was further compounded by the fact that the buckles and clips and straps always seemed to be in the exact wrong spot - sitting on a collarbone, poking a rib, etc.

The other challenge with something like the Hera, is that all that "stuff" is plastic/nylon/etc and tends to float. A typical recreational BCD is usually 4-6 pounds POSITIVELY buoyant. That means you're wearing 4-6lbs MORE weight simply to sink your BCD.

oc_hera_front_print.png


Compare that to something like the DiveRite TravelPac (which is another option, especially for someone smaller, as it comes in different sizes.) From a sizing perspective, once you have the rig set up right for you... you're pretty much done adjusting it. It's also not that buoyant, so there's not much "extra lead" penalty associated with diving one. And from a streamlining standpoint... the rig speaks for itself.

T4000-TravelPac-XT-Mods_FNL.jpg


Lastly, I always suggest that divers consider/evaluate the purest form of BP/W rigs as long as they are in the market. Comprised of a single continuous piece of webbing, the counterintuitive thing is that the lack of buckles and straps actually INCREASES adjustability by allowing for infinite refinements that are not limited by the location of buckles/straps/velcro. As for buoyancy, the use of a metal backplate gives you a BCD that is NEGATIVE. So not only do you not need EXTRA lead to sink it, you can even reduce the amount of lead used. Lastly, the extra benefit of a metal plate is that it locates ~6lbs of weight spread out over the exact area where your lungs are located. This avoids the teeter-totter effect of having a torso that is positively buoyant and all your lead on a waist that is negatively buoyant.

1_mare_halcyon-eclipse-single-tank.jpg

Ultimately you need to buy what works best for you. But the issue is that diving is very much UNLIKE other sports. In something like skiing or cycling or camping, beginners tend to start simple and add the things they find they need as their skills and experience grow. In diving, there's a tendency for new participants to start with gear that has all kinds of superfluous features. Then - as their skill and experience expand - they SHED the unnecessary stuff and end up with a simplified rig.
 
Last edited:
Hey Everyone,

Newbie to diving, getting certified next weekend. I've purchased all my snorkel gear and I've been researching BCDs. I'm a small female 4'11 and I am looking at the Oceanic Hera- I like the pockets and the all the personal size adjustments you can do with it.
My instructor is suggesting the Diverite Transpac or transplate. He says technical gear is a lot better and he had been diving w scuba pro and once he got a Diverite he realized the difference.

Being new, I'm hoping someone can give me more insight into these two BCDs and pros/cons before I decide my purchase. I have not tried either one on- no local shop carries either. I'd like to try before I buy, but looking for advice before deciding which one.

My wife, also pretty small, loves the Hera. She doesn't like a Backplate/Wing.
Ignore your instructor, unless she is also a small woman!
Best advice: try (in the water, diving) lots of different things before you buy.
 
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I'm not looking to buy before certification, but none of the local shops carry either of these BCDs, so when I go to FL to certify, I'd like to get an idea so that I can go to diveshops there and try these

---------- Post added July 4th, 2015 at 03:26 PM ----------

My wife, also pretty small, loves the Hera. She doesn't like a Backplate/Wing.
Ignore your instructor, unless she is also a small woman!
Best advice: try (in the water, diving) lots of different things before you buy.

Has she had any other BCDs? I tried the seac and aqualung for women and the seac had better back support than aqualung but it still pulled on the shoulders quite a bit
 
Where are you located? At your height you definitely need to be in a short length backplate. Halcyon and Deep Sea Supply have them, with DSS being significantly cheaper and quality is comparable. Worth calling Tobin and talking to him. Build quality is better than dive rite as well

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1
 
Has she had any other BCDs? I tried the seac and aqualung for women and the seac had better back support than aqualung but it still pulled on the shoulders quite a bit
Well, I should have checked before posting that! She sold her Hera, said it wasn't as comfortable as the Oceanic Isla she uses now (she has two!).
She tried 6-8 over the course of maybe 3 years as we went on dive trips to different places after she got certified, and she rented. No SEAC.

Same conclusion: try several, in the water.
 
You have given two very different options.

Assuming we are not talking cold water diving...

I personally do not like jacket style BCD's. I actually tried on the Hera while taking my OW course. I hated it. Too bulky and restrictive. I ended up with a back inflate travel BCD, Oceanic Islander. Loved it. Used it for years. Finally, I needed something more versitile and now dive a BPW. But unlike some on SB, I don't think a BPW is for everyone.

My first and primary recommendation is to try on the Hera before you decide. Or at least ensure that you can return it if it doesn't fit or feel right.

The Travelpac is a good alternative. Less restrictive then the Hera, adaptable, comes in a range of sizes, light weight for travel.
 
Where are you located? At your height you definitely need to be in a short length backplate. Halcyon and Deep Sea Supply have them, with DSS being significantly cheaper and quality is comparable. Worth calling Tobin and talking to him. Build quality is better than dive rite as well

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1

I'm on the U.S. Gulf Coast
 
You have given two very different options.

Assuming we are not talking cold water diving...

I personally do not like jacket style BCD's. I actually tried on the Hera while taking my OW course. I hated it. Too bulky and restrictive. I ended up with a back inflate travel BCD, Oceanic Islander. Loved it. Used it for years. Finally, I needed something more versitile and now dive a BPW. But unlike some on SB, I don't think a BPW is for everyone.

My first and primary recommendation is to try on the Hera before you decide. Or at least ensure that you can return it if it doesn't fit or feel right.

The Travelpac is a good alternative. Less restrictive then the Hera, adaptable, comes in a range of sizes, light weight for travel.

I actually have both an Islander and a TravelPac, which I use for recreational trips....light weight, easy to pack, don't raise eyebrows in oddball locations.
I used to travel with an aluminum backplate and small wing; some real advantages for configuration.
You will probably need to carry weights; if you prefer integrated, that is a bit of a messy and expensive issue with the TravelPac and a BP/W, because you have to purchase and install weight pouches. The Islander is easy, because it has weight pockets. The Islander doesn't have D-rings, and I love my D-rings for lights, regs, ponys, misc. So now I use the TravelPac, with added weight pockets, and can step up to the BP/W if needed.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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