Ask Joe & Larry

What are the advantages of using a back floatation BCD?

When purchasing a BCD, one of the main decisions is whether to buy a back floatation or wrap around BCD.

There are many advantages to a back floatation BCD. The primary advantage is normally comfort. Since the air cell is behind you, when you inflate the BCD, you don't get the "squeeze" that you experience in a wrap around, jacket style BCD. In fact you can't feel the air behind you at all.

Since the air bladder is not holding, or squeezing you, you enjoy a more comfortable fit. One that gives you more freedom of arm motion and less encumbered feeling. This is also accomplished by having a harness that you adjust to fit you, and the fit never changes with the adding and releasing of air.

Most back floatation BCD's also offer more lift than their jacket counterparts. Since the air does not get in your way, they can build the bladder larger without it getting in your way. This is why back floatation BCD's became so popular in the Tech Diving community. Tech divers, many times, need a BCD with a lot of lift to compensate for multiple tank configurations. Then when recreational divers tried these BCD's, they soon learned the comfort and freedom of the BCD was very appealing, even if only carrying one tank.

Really the only down side to the back floatation is from divers who want to stay away from the back floatation BCD's because they "throw you on your face at the surface". The divers who say this - 9 times out of 10, have never worn a back floatation BCD.

While it is true they have a slight tendency to tip you forward at the surface - "throwing you on your face" is normally not the case. Let's be honest - when diving, we want to be face down, and back floatation gives you a better attitude in the water. (By attitude I mean the angle at which you swim - of course that might help your emotional attitude as well!)

Also, many of these BCD's have trim pockets built into them to help with positioning. A trim pocket is simply a non-drop weight pocket that is located toward the back of the BC, to counteract the lift of the air. This makes it possible to adjust your position by working with how much weight you want in the drop pockets up front, and how much you want in the rear trim pockets.

As an instructor, I have to spend a lot of time floating at the surface with students and I personally don't have any problem with the air pushing me forward. From watching other divers, the only time I have seen this being a problem, is when the diver is over weighted with all the lead up front, then to compensate for too much weight, they have to over inflate their BCD.

The only other disadvantage is that back floatation BCD's are normally a little more expensive than their jacket counterparts. This is because they are normally made from stronger materials and normally have more D rings, multiple tank straps, and other additional features.

While the feeling is a little different than a conventional BCD, you owe it to yourself to try a back floatation BCD before you buy your next jacket. Find a friend who dives one, and while it may take a lot of bribing, get him/her to switch BC's with you on a dive. Then you'll realize what they already know, back floatation is probably the style of choice for most diving needs.


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