Peanut 21 Lady Travel Set Ultra Light
About Scuba Buoyancy Control Devices
Buoyancy compensators from Tecline and Scubapro, with Tecline's Peanut 21 and Donut 22 wing sets in harness options from DIR to Comfort. Size a BCD over the exposure suit you'll dive in, because a jacket or harness that fits over a 3mm can be too tight over a 7mm. Narrow the choice with jacket BCDs.
How to choose a BCD
A jacket BCD is the easier first buy for most recreational divers, because it keeps you upright at the surface and its controls are simple to learn. A wing, or back-inflation BCD, moves the lift behind you, which helps you lie flat underwater, and it's the style technical divers use. Jackets on this page start from about R4,900, and most wing systems cost about R14,000 to R19,000.
What to check before you buy
- Fit with your suit. A BCD sized over a 3 mm suit for Sodwana can pinch over a 7 mm in the Cape. Try it on with the thickest suit you'll wear.
- Integrated weights. Weight pockets replace a belt; check that each one releases with one hand.
- Lift. A single cylinder doesn't need the lift of a twinset wing, and spare wing volume can trap air you then have to chase out.
- Travel. Light designs such as the Mares Magellan Travel and Tecline's Ultra Light travel sets fold into a bag.
Jacket, wing or sidemount
Our jacket BCDs come from Scubapro, Aqualung, Mares, Cressi and Tusa. The wing BCDs run from travel wings to full backplate systems by Tecline, XDEEP, OMS, Apeks and Scubapro's Hydros range. Sidemount BCDs carry the cylinders at your sides and are best learned with an instructor. Whatever you choose, buoyancy is the skill and the BCD is the tool, which is the ground the Peak Performance Buoyancy course covers. A BCD needs a yearly service like a regulator: we book it in store and the maker's appointed agent does the work.
By brand: SCUBAPRO BCDs.
Questions we get asked
Is a jacket or a wing BCD better?
Neither wins outright. A jacket keeps you upright at the surface and feels familiar after a course, while a wing puts the lift behind you for flatter trim underwater and suits technical diving.
Which BCD is best for a beginner?
A jacket in your size with simple controls and integrated weights, such as the Aqualung Wave or Mares Rover. Try it on over the thickest wetsuit you'll dive in before you buy.
Do I need a BCD if I dive in a drysuit?
Yes. The air in a drysuit is there for warmth and to stop squeeze, while the BCD handles buoyancy, including at the surface.
How often should a BCD be serviced?
Once a year, and sooner if the inflator sticks or the bladder loses air. Our Annual BCD Service is booked in store and done by the maker's appointed agent.
What size BCD do I need?
Each maker sizes by chest and sometimes height, so start with its chart, then try the BCD over your wetsuit. Inflated, it should grip you firmly without squeezing your chest.