BCD Recomendation

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Location
Maine
I am going to be oyster diving on an oyster farm in Maine where the water is anywhere from 35-60 degrees F depending on the season. I am looking for a quality jacket BCD that is rugged and durable and will hold up to multiple dives a day 5 days a week. Not looking for something fancy with bells and whistles just comfortable and easy to use. I will have on alot of neoprene and weights so it will need to have a high amount of lift and perform well in cold water. I have used medium size when I dove in the past. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
 
well, I'll be the first to say it.
This forum is heavily biased to backplates and wings, and you fit that perfect.
Nothing is more rugged and durable
You're diving in cold water so you'll want the buoyancy advantages associated with the SS plates
Lift is determined by the wing you choose where most jacket bcd's are based on size.

I am biased to Deep Sea Supply, and considering you're going to be up there, you may want to go that route. They have bolt on weight plates that can attach to the backplates. The combo of those will be around 13lbs, and compared to a jacket bcd, you should be able to remove about 16lbs of lead from your belt.

Backplate in whatever size you need with an LCD40 wing and the weight plates will be around $600 and will take whatever abuse you can give it.

Price is right, made in USA. Contact them directly.
Deep Sea Supply -Backplates & Wings-SMB-HoseHat_Single tank & doubles Tank Scuba rigs_
 
Are you working there temporarily or long term? I worked on a fish/oyster farm in the north of Ireland where it’s freezing for work experience a couple of times. They let me borrow a bcd because they know how smelly the work can get sometimes...
 
I would agree with tbone, but you asked about a jacket. Are you looking to stay away from back-inflate then? I looked at the Scubapro, Mares, Cressi, and Zeagle websites and the Zeagle Halo (33 lb lift might not be enough) is the only jacket I found that specified 1000D cordura for the bladder. The other jacket styles use a 420D nylon (or lighter). Note that other stuff on the BCD is likely to wear out before the bladder, like padding. That is one reason the backplate system would work well from a durability standpoint, not so much because the backplate is more durable (though it is), but that anything that wears out can be replaced without replacing the entire BCD.

The Halo lists for $789. Have you thought about used? I see a lot of used BCDs on ebay for less than half price. Also, rental shops typically don't use the high-end BCDs and I would guess that's because paying double the price doesn't buy you double the durability.

So, I would advise getting a used Scubapro/Mares/Cressi/Zeagle if you would like to keep it cheap, or get the Halo if the lift is enough and you want new, or reconsider a backplate style if you aren't really set on a jacket.

Happy oyster diving!
 
I guess I could try a backplate the reason I was looking for a jacket was because its what i have experience with and I figure theres a learning curve to the back plate and wing and its kind tough at first to get your buoyancy right. I dont want to buy an expensive bcd to find out I hate it or it doesnt work for me. maybe ill try renting one of the ones with the wings and see how i like it.

What are the advantages of the backplate and wing style BCD over the jacket besides durability?
 
You will be fine with this type of BC:
Seahawk BCD, w/ BPI | SCUBAPRO

This is one of the most durable BC's out there, I have had mine for about 20 years now and it looks almost new despite the well over 1000 dives on it. It isn't great for drysuits if you are going to be using one however:
Classic BCD, w/ BPI | SCUBAPRO


AND, don't be talked into thinking that the BP/W is the only option or the best option. People want to justify their own prejudices and their own choices and force their choice at any cost on others who may know less. The BP/W is prime example of this tendency on Scubaboard.
 
I went from a jacket in my OW classes to buying a Back Plate right after. No learning curve really to dive it. You just need to set it up. It’s perfect for cold water.
Try one, buy your last BC first.
 
@BurhanMuntasser says the one that pushes scubapro bcd's and Atomic regs at every corner?

@snapperman don't worry about any learning curve, the inflate/deflate function is the same, just feels a lot better and when you're working you have a clean chest
 
I like the Seahawk, but it's a back-inflate and I hesitated to recommend it to someone looking for a jacket bcd. The Scubapro Classic (and the Glide) are used by many shops as rental gear, so their value seems to have been proven.

The advantage of backplate setups is that they can be customized to your needs. The disadvantage is that you have to know what you want. If you want integrated weight pockets then there are a few options, but it's not as simple as just getting a preconfigured setup and learning it. In between the jacket and the backplate is the back-inflate bcd which seems really popular right now and there are a lot of options to choose from. The Seahawk is pretty nice, but there are several that are equivalent.

What bcd have you used before? What did you like or dislike about it? I haven't seen any bcd that is horrible, though I'm sure they exist. I've dived several and they all were similar enough that I had no problem diving. My trim wasn't as good in some, but that can be adjusted. In my case it was more due to being overweighted than any issue with the bcd.
 

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