Wrap-around buoyancy
Mounting the BCD to your cylinder is as simple as placing the webbing loop around the tank valve and tightening the main strap as per normal. This loop acts as an anchor point so in the event of your tank becoming loose during a dive, it will prevent your cylinder slipping down your back.
Keeping your gauges and hoses tidy is made easy by routing them through the rear of the side panels and out via the madefor-purpose front openings where they’ re always close at hand. A two-hose clip, which can be attached to any D-ring, is also supplied.
One of the main advantages of a conventional jacket-style BCD is its ability to keep a diver in an upright stance while on the surface, whether pre or post-dive. While back-mounted buoyancy bags have evolved to improve their surface performance, the Type excelled and my head remained high above the water, great for backward swimming prior to descent or just shooting the breeze with my buddy on surfacing afterwards before heading back to shore.
There are three low-profile dump valves located around the buoyancy bag. At the rear, a right kidney dump; at top right shoulder position with a pull cord and of course, at the top left shoulder, also incorporating a corrugated hose and inflator.
As the jacket offers wrap-around buoyancy, these three options ensure that whatever position you’ re in, there’ s an efficient means to dump excess air and keep you where you want to be. While a tug on the corrugated hose is also a handy way to vent, I found that the left shoulder pull dump was my feet-first, go-to method of descent every time.
All-in-all, the Type fitted very snugly. The cylinder’ s weight( and that of my lead) was evenly distributed around the hips with the integrated pockets in place, keeping a sense of balance walking to and from the water’ s edge.
Similarly-comfortable underwater, I took advantage of its vertical buoyancy, just leaning back to explore a wall as I drifted by. The K-shaped inflator was very responsive and a brief blast of air kept buoyancy easy to control. Filling the air cell to its max at the surface allowed the auto valve to kick in and prevent over-inflation.
The Type is available in five sizes, ranging from XS to XL.
Rear side of the BCD, with rigid backplate and dump valves
SCUBA SAYS
SEAC’ s Type is a great, all-round option for beginners, travellers and the experienced diver. Robust, lightweight and with an integrated weight system, this traditional, jacketstyle BCD is comfortable, adaptable and offers great value for money.
Trim weight pouches
Zippered storage pocket with integrated quickrelease weight system
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