Investing in major components of your diving set up can be hard. First off, it can be a major financial investment. Two, this is probably going to be equipment that is used regularly doing something that should be fun so it should be easy to use. This year I decided to take advantage of a local dive shop’s annual sale, bite the bullet, and invest in a buoyancy compensator device (BCD) of my own. It was a long road, which started with hours of research.
When I first started looking at BCDs I had a short, but fairly necessary list of requirements. I wanted a weight integrated, back inflate BCD with an appropriate amount of lift for someone my size. Depending on the size tanks I have and what wetsuit the water temperature requires, I will dive with up to 29 lbs of lead. Since I am a woman, I wanted a BCD that was designed for a woman to help with comfort and overall fit in the chest and waist areas. I also a functional BCD meaning I wanted to make sure it would function how I needed it by having a reasonable number of D-rings and pockets. I was not looking for an over decorated, overpriced, gaudy piece of crap. I take my diving seriously and I believe that my equipment should reflect that.
I looked over the specifications and reviews of several different BCDs, but the picks I came down to were the Mares Hybrid, Oceanic Hera, Oceanic Excursion, and the Scuba Pro Lady Hawk. All of these had my functional requirements of lift and functional use elements (D-rings/pockets). However only two of my picks were actually designed to fit a woman’s body or had some special features to help with fit. I had to keep in mind that the chest might fit differently in the Mares Hybrid and Oceanic Excursion. Between the two designed for a woman, it came down to cost and actual fit. After a few weeks of looking through the numbers, my local dive shop was having their annual sale so I went in to ask some questions and try on a ScubaPro. My dive instructor and I discussed some of my concerns for a functional BCD and she told me to really consider the things I regularly carry on a dive. I listed them for her: at least one light, sometimes a secondary light, safety sausage, rattle, my console (pressure gauge and compass), and that was it… She showed me exactly where all those things would fit on a ScubaPro Lady Hawk they had in store and told me that all this was about the maximum before I would look like a Christmas tree getting into the water. I confirmed the tested lift specification with her, tried it on in my size, and I was sold. Thankfully ScubaPro sells the Lady Hawk in a very different colors, I went with the grey option.
Some basic specifications are listed :
• 3 different dump valves (right shoulder, right hip, left shoulder/inflation tube)
• “Super Cinch” buckle tank strap
• 4 D-rings (left shoulder D-ring shown)
• 1 pocket (not shown, but rolled up on the underside of the right weight pouch)
•Attached whistle
•5 different sizes in 3 different colors (pink, blue, grey)
• 33.7 lb (15.4 kg) lift capacity
Since my purchase, I have gone diving with this BCD several times in San Diego and in Cozumél, Mexico. The only part that took me some getting used to was the change from being in jacket inflate BCDs to a back inflate BCD. Back inflate BCDs need less fuss with air volumes after your initial descent and take some patience in the beginning. After getting used to the difference in how the BCD held me in the water column, I have really enjoyed diving with this BCD.
Please let me know if you have any other specific questions about this BCD below in the comments. Thanks!
<3 Meliae Quad