Ask a Dive Instructor!
Ken S.: Stephen, I am considering buying my first BCD, but I’m a little confused as to what style is best for me: the standard jacket style or the newer back inflate style. What do you think?
Stephen: Ken, good question! First, let’s distinguish between the two. The jacket style has inflatable wings located under your armpits and is the most common type of BCD, while the back inflate, as the name suggest, has inflatable wings on the back of the BCD. The back inflate was first used by technical divers but has now caught on with recreational divers as well. The advantages of the back inflate are that it is easier to stay horizontal while diving and it is easier to maintain proper trim. The jacket style BCD has a tendency to keep the diver in a slightly less horizontal position, with the fins hanging below the divers body, which can drag on sensitive bottom environments, if the diver is careless. The back inflate BCD can also be more comfortable for some divers, because it doesn’t squeeze your body when inflated the way a jacket BCD does. One disadvantage of the back inflate BCD, however, is at the surface; it will tend to push you face down in the water if you don’t kick a bit to stay vertical. It is also a little more difficult to fully deflate, since the wings are not directly underneath the low pressure inflater hose as they are with the jacket style. These are relatively minor problems though, and can be overcome with a little practice and experience with the equipment. My advice is to try both styles at your local dive shop pool, and see what suits you the best. For a new diver, the jacket style is probably a better choice, since it will keep you upright at the surface with no effort and it will most likely be less expensive than the back inflate, all other things being equal. Good luck!