What To Look For When Buying A BCD | Scuba Advice

What To Look For When Buying A BCD

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Your Buoyancy Control Device, or BCD, is a convenient way to control your buoyancy and position in the water while you’re diving. There are hundreds of BCDs on the market and they all have fancy features on them which can make buying your first, or even your 2nd or 3rd BCD, hard because all you really have to go on is reviews online and a picture. Some BCDs just catch your eye and you feel like you need to buy that one, but trust me, you don’t want to invest in a BCD just by looks, it needs to match you, a bit like Harry Potter’s wand, the BCD chooses you as much as you choose the BCD.

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Sources

BCD Collection

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Simply Scuba Team
Mark Newman: Producer/Writer/Presenter
Shaun Johnson: Managing Editor/Producer/Writer
Alannah Hughes: Presenter
Hollie Pearson: Presenter
Greg Eames: Presenter

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Music

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Let's Get Social

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[eldiabolico]

Great video but some visual representation or demonstration would have elevated the production value :)

[maartenbakker]

I bought the Mares dragon sls BCD last season, I really like it because it's a combination of a wing and a jacket. The thing I can really recommend with any BCD is going to your local dive shop and fitting the BCD, so you can get a better feel for how it's fits, and how it suits you and you're diving style.

[timothystevens]

When I started diving in the late 60s there were no "BCDs", and coming up a line from a shipwreck in the Great Lakes was mandatory. Sometime in the early to mid 70s the first "BCs" hit the market, and my choice was a yoke style called a "Fenzy". Coming up a line was still mandatory, but nuetrual bouyancy made sleeping on the decom line much easier. Then came the Posiden Unisuit, which to us, meant staying warm in 40 degree water on a wreck, and no more BC to deal with...we figured that's what the suit was for, besides being able sleep better on the decom line in the spring in 50 degree water.
So, now being 70, my diving is in warm water with the pretty fish, usually with a swimsuit or a "shortie", and a rented "BCD", which I have to admit, makes taking the tank off in water much easier than climbing on the boat with a set of doubles with a 33 cf pony bottle in the middle in 3-4 waves.
Nowadays, with "safety stops" I do miss not being on a decom line long enough for a decent nap.🙂
Anyway, my way of thinking is that, while nuetrual bouyancy is wonderful for naps after a deep dive, and blowing air rings during safety stops, how you achieve it can be done a number of ways. Great video.

[milesroche]

As always, awesome video! I’m in the market for my first BCD so this video was very helpful!! I’d love to see you make that video on backplate and wings, as that’s more what I’m leaning towards

[alrobinette]

lots of information that is helpful but would be 1000% better with actual gear in front of you showing us. I am a new diver and seeing what your talking about would be very helpful. Thanks for sharing the content

[JohnDoe-efxe]

Great video for someone like me who just got hooked on diving a year ago and is now looking at getting his first BCD (all that renting adds up...). Currently looking at travel wings, so a video on upcoming and current recommendations as well as things to look out for or „easy mistakes“ would be much appreciated ;)

[HellrazorDogsnDives]

Hey Mark! Im digging the trimmed beard! Lookin mich better!
I already have a cressi bcd, and a Mares bp/w. Just tested my DIR rig in Key Largo, Where i found myself in the same boat as James from Divers Ready!!! Thats was really fun!

[konstantinasovcinikovas]

Yours videos great, i like them and watch everyone. Very informative and also professional. Voice, light, style all perfect, just a pleasure to watch.

[dmitryshevchenko]

Would be helpful to have pictures for examples of wing vs backplate and so on

[zebrastrong]

I ended up choosing my personal BCD (Zeagle Zena) mostly because of the customizability of it. I have a very short torso with next to no waist length and then long legs. The six adjustment points allows me to fit it perfectly to my body! My hubby went with the ScubaPro Hydros Pro!

[bleebu]

Brand new to SCUBA and I bought a wing style right off (Knighthawk). The guys at the shop told me I would get there eventually, so I skipped the jacket and went straight to that. It was also on clearance for $250 USD off and had the Air2 inflator/spare. I took it out for it's first dive, and my first dives after getting the basic open water certs, last weekend, It was great. I didn't feel like I was pushed forward at the surface at all; really kind of comfortable hanging out before and after the dive.

[souswes]

I got a wing/travel style Sherwood Ventura because we do travel.

Never had an issue with being pushed forward into the water....you really do just need to lean back a little.

I did have trouble getting down on my second dive earlier this week, it took rolling completely onto my back to force the little bit of air that remained out of the BCD. But, at least I’ve finally figured out the exact weight I need to dive

[aaronbennett]

Your YouTube channel is cool and awesome keep up the good work and done

[Richard]

Get a wing with backplate straight up. (Even more as you advertise that in previous videos too). Also when you eventually want to dive a double set you don't need to buy a whole new bcd. I have ordered a Tecline Peanut Artic at my LDS.

[HolgerDanske]

love your videos! keep it coming. I would really appreciate if there was some more visual representation in your videos.. get some of each kind of whatever gear you're talking about and show us the differences.

[Chad.The.Flornadian]

Very informative video. I just wish you would have some visuals to go along with the various gear and setups you're talking about. As a new diver I'm really interested in the various options, but if I was to walk into a dive shop right now I wouldn't have a clue what I'm looking at.

[ChadWatkins]

love your videos ...please add more B-roll and pictures to illustrate what your talking about...I be waiting to see a picture and you simply talk about item without illustration

[kenward]

I have been diving a Scubapro Nighthawk for the past 16 years and have thought about going to a back plate but no one in my area offers them, and finding information on them is just as hard. So I look forward to any information you can share on them. I would be using it for travel as well as using doubles locally. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[diversdown]

love diving on twins, never had a problem with unintentional release, you missed 1 the water wings Shaun has, on the serious side DIVE RITE has a bcd that does single thins and side mount = nomad xt

[blisteringherb]

Since so many folks recommend wing style BCD’s, do you think new students should be learning on wing style BCD’s?