TESTCENTRE
Smart buoyancy control
46
SEAC Smart BCD
COMPANY : DIVING DISTRIBUTION PRICE : £ 389.95 EMAIL : INFO @ DIVINGDISTRIBUTION . COM WEB : WWW . SEACSUB . COM
Seac ’ s Smart is probably as traditional a BCD as you could imagine . Providing wraparound buoyancy concentrated mostly around the lower region , it offers a comfortable , upright posture keeping the head aloft at the surface .
Featuring a conventional hard backpack through which a standard cylinder strap is threaded , it kept my 10-litre cylinder firmly in place ; additional slots will help accommodate different sized tanks .
This is exactly the style of buoyancy control I began my diving career with , back in the days when they were known as stab ( ilizer ) jackets . However , the single-bladder Smart is without doubt a vast improvement in both looks and specification . And despite its travel-friendly 3.2kg weight , it ’ s also fair to say it ’ ll last a lot longer too .
The inner of the backpack is nicely padded for comfort and security , sitting firmly against the back without digging in or sliding around . The integrated handle made easy work of lifting it in and out of the RIB and also served as a handy assist for my buddy while helping me kit-up .
There are a number of small D-rings ( around half size of the norm ) distributed around the jacket at the shoulder , waist and lower edges of the buoyancy chambers . They ’ re all highlighted by red webbing which secures them in place and making them more visible against the mostly-black colour scheme .
Similar red webbing loops are situated on two levels at the sternum , so that the strap can be easily moved for best positioning . The obligatory hook and loop closed cummerbund closes around the waist with a quick-release buckle completing the job . If you like your pockets big , then the Smart won ’ t disappoint . These cavernous , top-accessed , zippered examples provide ample storage for reels , SMBs , torches , slates or whatever else you care to take on a dive . While the BCD does have an integrated weight system , it doesn ’ t employ removable pockets and this means their capacity isn ’ t particularly affected when in use . The weights themselves ( up to 6kg each side ) are inserted into a concertina-style pouch and closed with a combination of Velcro and pinch-clips , the lower of which has a handle . If you need to dump your lead , simply pinch-andpull then gravity will do the rest . I practised this at the surface and below , finding it as intuitive as it was effective .
Yes , you will lose that lead in an emergency situation , but it ’ s a small price to pay for safety . The only disadvantage of this system is the ability to hand off your weights when returning to the RIB , but that ’ s no great hardship in the grand scheme of things . While the example I tested was size large ( I ’ m a Mr Average medium ), its minimum fitment was just about right . If you ’ re a large to extra-large it would be well worth trying the former , as there does appear to have plenty