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Gear: Buoyancy Control Devices
Keeping you safe on the surface or allowing you to glide effortlessly through water with perfect neutral buoyancy, the BC is one of the most important pieces of equipment. With a variety of styles and options, you are sure to find the BC that is a perfect fit.
Shamus' Patented BC Buyer's Guide
- BCs range greatly in form and function from non-weight integrated to back inflation to tech harness. Talk to a dive professional to determine which type is the best for you and the type of diving you are planning to do.
- Weight integrated BCs have ditchable pockets for your weights meaning you do not have to wear a seperate weight belt.
- Non-weight integrated BCs are generally very light and make for good warm water and/or travel BCs.
- Back inflation BCs keep you horizontal while underwater, but tends to push you forwards on the surface as well.
- Jacket style BCs keep you vertical on the surface, but the inflation surrounds your body much like a life jacket.
- Consider if you will want to dive with single tanks only or if you want to dive with double cylinders.
Where is the best place to try out various BCs? You guessed it...take it to the pool.
- Check the BC (while wearing it) for pocket placement, D-rings, and what type of clips it is equipped with.
- Make sure that when you cinch down the shoulder straps you are comfortable at about the halfway point. Straps cinched down all the way means the BC is too big.
- Cumberbund expanders are available on most styles.
Other things to consider:
- Experiment in the pool with various kinds of BCs to see which type you are most comfortable with.
- Determine how much lift you will need based on your equipment, the type of diving you will be doing, your exposure protection suit and the amount of weight you will be using.
- Some tech BCs have dual bladders available.
Care and feeding:
- Rinse your BC in clean, fresh water after every use.
- Rinse the bladder with clean, fresh water every time.
- Every few dives, clean the inside of your bladder with with a disinfectant cleaner like BC Life or Slosh LFC.
- Bring your BC in for an annual check up.
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