Types of Scuba Diving BCD

There five basic types of Scuba Buoyancy Compensators.

Vest or Jacket

Rear or Back

Wing

Sidemount

Horse Collar

Only the first four of these are really used in scuba diving today.

We prefer back/rear inflation and wing style BCDs. Experienced divers have learned the rear inflation bladder BCDs are better than a wrap-around bladder jacket/vest BCDs. Rear wings offer very precise control of buoyancy and trim as well as offering a more streamlined profile. A properly fitting back/rear inflation BCD, worn with a crotch strap, will allow you to assume and hold any position under the water, or on the surface.

Putting It All Together

There is a lot to consider before buying a BCD.

On the surface a scuba BCD should fit like a snug jacket. Not too tight under the arms, or across the torso. Women should choose a model designed for them.

But like everything else when it comes to diving, it's about more than just fit and style

You need to consider what type of diving you are doing, and what gear you'll need to carry with you to do it. A BCD is not just an airbag. A good one is like Batman's utility belt.

Consider what features are essential to you, and find the one that most closely fits that profile.

Start reading reviews and manufacturers materials, read forums and ask other divers for their opinions. Or just call and ask us.

Be honest with yourself about the type of diving you'll be doing. Make a checklist of everything you need in a scuba BCD,do your homework, and you should end up with the right scuba BCD for you.

The Boatshed, Cape Bridgewater

Reef Dive | Boat access

Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 8 m (26 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

The Boatshed is a shallow boat dive site on the eastern side of Cape Bridgewater, about one kilometre south of the Cape Bridgewater township, and about 21 kilometres south-west of Portland on Victoria's Discovery Coast. It's offshore from a private boatshed and jetty.

The SS Barwon shipwreck lies nearby.

Diving and Snorkelling at The Boatshed, Cape Bridgewater

This boat dive site faces east on the western side of Bridgewater Bay, near Fisherman Cove. It's on a shallow reef with lots of marine life. Good for snorkelling.

Fisherman Cove is, as the name suggests, an area of quieter water in the energetic Bridgewater Bay. The cove faces east and is well protected by Cape Bridgewater, with waves averaging less than 1 metre.

Location: Cape Bridgewater, Victoria 3305

Ideal Conditions: The dive site is still very weather dependant. Best dived in good conditions with a low swell with light offshore westerly winds. See WillyWeather (Cape Bridgewater) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Access is by boat from the Cape Bridgewater Boat Ramp, or further away from the Portland Harbour, Lee Breakwater Road North Ramp or the Portland Harbour, Lee Breakwater Road South Ramp.

Divers have the opportunity to catch Abalone at this dive site. Remember your catch bag, legal abalone tool, current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence, and abalone measure. Please abide by all current fishing regulations if you intend to catch abalone.

See article-catching-abalone for practical abalone hunting advice from The Scuba Doctor, plus melbourne-abalone-dives for a list of other Abalone dive sites near Melbourne.

Divers have the opportunity to catch Southern Rock Lobster (aka Crayfish) at this dive site. Remember your catch bag, current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence, rock lobster measure, and cray tags. Once you get back to the dive boat, or shore, make sure you clip the tail and tag your Crayfish as per Fisheries requirements. Please abide by all current fishing regulations if you intend to catch crays. See article-catching-crayfish for practical cray hunting advice from The Scuba Doctor, plus melbourne-cray-dives for a list of other crayfish dive sites near Melbourne. For tips on cooking your Crays, please see article-cooking-crayfish.

Gunditjmara country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Gunditjmara people of far south-western Victoria which continues over the state border into a small part of south-east South Australia and is bordered by the Glenelg River to the west and the Wannon River in the north. This truly ancient Country extends 100 metres out to sea from low tide and also includes Deen Maar (aka Lady Julia Percy Island) where the Gunditjmara believe the spirits of their dead travel to wait to be reborn. We wish to acknowledge the Gunditjmara as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging.

The Boatshed, Cape Bridgewater Location Map

Latitude: 38° 22.616′ S (38.37694° S / 38° 22′ 36.98″ S)
Longitude: 141° 24.446′ E (141.407433° E / 141° 24′ 26.76″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2022-05-20 15:08:18 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-23 16:14:03 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: SS Barwon, 375 m, bearing 92°, E
Cape Bridgewater, Portland, Discovery Coast.
Depth: 2 to 8 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.