Aqua Lung Dimension i3

[BKP]

I've owned: Zeagle Escape (standard BC); DiveRite Transpac (with a Venture wing); Aqualung Dimension i3; Hollis SMS100 Sidemount; Standard SS BP, and 32lb. OMS wing.

I *still* have the Zeagle (for travel -- obsolete model, but *still* excellent); Dimension i3 (for local/drive-able *recreational* dives -- because nothing else I have is as much fun to dive, or as comfortable); Hollis SMS100 (for extended bottom time -- which took a while to get used to, but I love it, now). I was never comfortable in the basic BP/W, or the TransPac -- I gave them a solid try, and *wanted* to like the spartan aspect of diving them, but, eventually sold them both.

My $.02

 

[D-Rail]

My wife and I recently purchased the Dimension and the Lotus and we love them. But we would like some advice on packing these bcd's. Specifically, can they be folded in half, horizontally? (Shoulders toward the waist).

 

[bbarnett51]

My wife and I recently purchased the Dimension and the Lotus and we love them. But we would like some advice on packing these bcd's. Specifically, can they be folded in half, horizontally? (Shoulders toward the waist).

I'm not saying that you can't but I never did. It felt like a lot of pressure on the cables to me. I folded mine in half vertically. But that worked well in the bag I use. Those are really nice BCs btw.

 

[Seasiren4scuba]

I have the aqua lung i3 Soul and love it. Changing from old to new technology has not been a problem and the ease in slight adjustments is profound. I did have one problem in my cold water diving ( surge conditions, low visibility, practically crawling along bottom) on a second dive when my hands were a bit numb, even with 7mm gloves- the handle was right there but I just couldn't feel it. I had to hold on to kelp ( end of dive) while searching for the handle. With practice I do not think I will have that issue again, and there was never a problem in warm water dives.

 

[BabySweetlipsLover]

Hey guys! Awesome posts! Thanks for all the information and stories about the Dimension i3. Pretty sure this'll be the one for me.

 

[KevinNM]

Want to buy a used size medium?

 

[mikeycanuk]

We sold our Dimension and Pearl I3's after very little use. Wasn't a huge fan on the I3 and found my Dimension to be very tippy compared to my travel ScubaPro Go, which I use local as well. Not to mention they are HEAVY!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[KevinG58]

I used one of the original i3s (not back-inflate) for about 50 dives.
Pluses:
The lever activates both dumps.
I never got more than half a cup of water (at most) out of the bladder. I imagine Aqualung has some sort of check valve in the dump valves.

Minuses:
Price.
The lever can and did get activated on the dive boat.

The i3 was a little large to start, then I slimmed down a bit and switched to a DR Transplate (for adjustability / customization options).

I never looked back. Sometimes it not just a cult

 

[afdgf]

I think the BCD is ok. If you are planning on doing some liveaboard diving travel, the side inflator can be very difficult especially when riding Pangas. People will accidentely bump into your inflator and you will have to deflate and waste precious air. This is definitely something to consider. Also I feel like the BCD does not deflate completely.. I have had this checked several times and they checked it out and said it was 100% ok.

I could not agree more with the problem of not being able to get the air out of the I3 systems. My wife and I both had them and got rid of them. They are not good for beginners who have instructors who have never used them and they are different from what the instructors have. We were having terrible problems during our OWD course and we transferred to a different shop for our final open water dive. The first thing they said was "do not use that bcd". They gave us one of their loaners and it was so much easier to just use the normal hose like everyone else. We eventually got rid of these and got different ones and things have been much better. If you are an experienced diver, then you are more aware of being in the right position to have the air release, but Aqualung advertises that you can be in any position with these BCs and have them deflate. This is not true and has fooled us as students, divemasters, and instructors we have had.

 

[StefinSB]

My wife fell in love with them in the store. I was skeptical but, hey, no sense in arguing with the wife. About 40 dives later she is asking me why I can dump air so easily just pulling on a little string; I dive a DSS BP/W. Yes, the i3 system opens all valves at once but is still really difficult to vent. The wing is also huge. In size ML the wing is 40 pounds or so. In addition to the size the shape is horrible making it taco a lot. I just had her try my BP/W in a pool and she emerged with a smile and the decision to offer the i3 to the ebay gods. Happy Ending.