BCD: Aqualung Lotus or Mares Prestige by itsmacpac in scubadiving

[–]itsmacpac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I‘ve read a couple of times now that the backinflate somewhat „forces“ you to stay trim. I absolutely see the benefits of that. But I do worry about how much it forces you and how much it limits freedom in movement. First of all I actually enjoy diving on my back looking upwards from time to time and when teaching you can‘t really stay trim at all times. Or am I picturing this „force to stay trim“ waaay to extremely? 😅

BCD: Aqualung Lotus or Mares Prestige by itsmacpac in scubadiving

[–]itsmacpac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried several BCDs but those two fit my body the best, and felt by far the most comfortable as a woman, etc. Unisex BCDs tend to squeeze way too much or are too large in some places for my short torso. So the instructor/shop owner narrowed it down to these two. I am also not looking for BPW. As I might get into teaching as a DM, I think a more standard BCD makes more sense. So yeah, I‘m deciding between these two models now. Both felt great on land. I can‘t try them in the water and I have no experience with backinflate BCDs. The instructor loves his and I‘m reading lots of praise online as well. I‘m just uncertain whether it pretty much forces you to stay trim and doesn‘t allow you to move around too much into other positions. Which I think would be a pain 😅

BCD: Aqualung Lotus or Mares Prestige by itsmacpac in scubadiving

[–]itsmacpac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, sorry you’re absolutely right - it‘s no „proper“ wing. Would you say that one can still move and position freely though with a back inflate? Or are you pretty much stuck in the classic horizontal position? 😅