A few months ago while I was sitting here at the shop, Deb brought a flier in to try and make me “jealous” of a new BC that SCUBAPRO was coming out with. At the time I kind of laughed and said… I have a BC, I’m good. She and Mark then taunted me that “It comes in purple.” If you can’t gather by that, purple is my favorite color.
Then a few weeks later at one of the dive club meetings she made the big announcement to the group as a whole. I still didn’t pay much attention.
Skip forward a few months (I really don’t remember how many) to the Safari Hunt and our SCUBAPRO Rep Scott Dawson came down to Beaver Lake to show us some of the new product lines that were coming out. I really don’t know how it happened but I was lucky enough to try out the new SCUBAPRO Hydros BC. By the way, you should be very Jealous! Deb and I were the only 2 who got to try out the new BC.
Mark joked that after I tried out this BC he’d be having to buy me a new BC. I laughed and said, no I’m fine… Then after my 2 dives with this BC, yes I said 2 DIVES, my tune changed and he was right! Yes, it is in writing that he was correct or do we say it’s in typing? Either way, I said it and you can see it.
After my first dive, Scott asked what I liked and disliked about this BC. I had WAY MORE likes than dislikes. I had 3 problems.
- I take my weight pouches out while my tank is just sitting around. I typically put my BC on without my weight pouches in, makes it lighter. These weight pouches set back a little further than on my Ladyhawk so I had to have assistance getting the weight pouches in. Grady said part of that was I had a 5lb weight on each side which made the pouches a little thicker.
- Once I entered the water, I went to dump the air from my BC so that I could descend. I grabbed the inflator hose to dump my air and it wouldn’t work right. We figured out why… On my Ladyhawk I have a duck call as well as an Air 2 so my hose that hooks from my 1st stage of my regulator into the inflator hose was short.
- It wasn’t mine. At the end of the day, it was going home with Scott instead of me.
As I mentioned, Scott had a Men’s Medium Hydros with him that I was able to try. I couldn’t have asked for any better of a fit. It fit like a glove. Some of my favorites
- It was easier to get in and out of.
- I had great ease of movement.
- It was lightweight.
- It has the new inflator style that came out on BC’s a couple of years ago that allows a small amount or a large amount of air to be placed in with ease.
- I was way overweighted. I had about the same amount of weights that I would have with my Ladyhawk and that made me overweighted.
- It was just classy looking!
- And sad to say, it was fun to make everyone jealous, but I’m not sure that’s a good selling point.
The Men’s Medium is set up for a guy ranging 5’7”-6’0”, 143-187lbs, 28-45” round, with a 40lb lift, and 18lbs in the primary, 9lbs in the trim weight pouches. This is based on their guide and they recommend a proper fitment before selecting a size.
I just tried on a Women’s Medium and I got it on. A woman’s medium ranges 5’3”-5’11”, 120-170lbs, 28-45” round, with a 35lb lift and 18lbs in the primary, 9lbs in the trim weight pouches. Again, this is their recommendations and it’s best to come in for a proper fitting!
Primary features:
- Instant Dry – perfect for travel. Less water retention & lower post-dive weight
- Ultra Durable – Extremely resistant to UV, chemicals, and abrasion.
- BC-4-Life Modular Design – Customizable to add/remove weight systems, straps, and pouches.
Check out the secondary features offered:
- 3D Ergonomic Design – This allows it to fit like a glove.
- Lightweight – Perfect for travel.
- Neutrally Buoyant – requires less lead.
- Body Grip Gel – Prevents the BC from riding up. This is a complaint I have with my Ladyhawk.
Harness Features:
- Dual-compound Backplate – provides ultimate stability while being extremely comfortable. Single tank band for easier assembly.
- Torso-Flex Zone – This helps for the extreme comfort as it adjusts to your torso length.
- Articulated2 Shoulder straps
- Kit-up Assist – which means it helps keep the shoulder straps open to help you get it on easier, especially if you don’t have a friend to assist you!
I really can’t say enough for the fit and comfort of this BC. So, does anyone want to buy a Large Ladyhawk, slightly used?
