TUSA Platina BC

With all the hype about women in diving and their special gear, I personally haven’t paid much attention. Up until now I have worn completely unisex gear (except for the bumps in my wetsuit), and been very happy. Recently I was asked to dive the TUSA Platina BC, made especially for women.

This buoyancy compensator jacket design is built specifically for the female. The shoulder belt is slightly curved to move the belt away from the chest and falls to the side keeping pressure from the breast area. There is extra padding on the shoulders and back pads adding comfort to those areas.

There is a chest strap that is included with the BC, but can be removed if not required. I used the chest strap for two dives and without for two. I found no difference in the way the BC was dived. It may make a difference for smaller busted women for more security.

The cummerbund is adjustable to fit just about all size waists and the different thicknesses of wetsuits. That is a unique and thoughtful innovation, not only for women but for the California diver as well. I wear two different wetsuits with different thicknesses based upon time of the year. This makes it easy to customize all my gear to me and the weather.

The BC itself is a modified integrated system. Located between the jacket pockets and the cummerbund is a quick release weight system. Weights can be inserted into supplied weight pouches and the pouch is inserted into the weight pocket. Up to 10 pounds of weight can be added to each side for a total of 20 pounds. Pouches are held tightly in place by a three-way velcro system. These pouches can be easily released by pulling the silver handle on the front of the pocket. This can be used to dump weights quickly in an emergency and can also be pulled off at the swimstep for less weight to carry up the ladder.

There are two back-weight pockets as well as the front pouches. These back pockets can be used to hold the additional weight, up to five pounds in each side. I put most of my weight in the front pockets with a few in the back for balance. These back pockets do not have a quick release function.

The inflator/deflator hose has a hose retainer to keep it in the proper position. The mouthpiece on the oral inflator is a simple hole without a mouthpiece keeping the hose very streamlined. The hose also acts as one of the two exhausts valves. By pulling down on the hose the air is vented from the shoulder position. The other valve is located at the lower right hand side of the jacket, allowing for inverted exhausting in the head down position.

The inflator/exhaust valve also functions as an automatic over-pressure release. The system will not allow water to enter the BC and is detachable for easy maintenance and rinsing of the inside BC Bladder.

The tank buckle and strap is easy to adjust to any size tank and keeps the tank firmly in place. There is a tank positioning strap that helps keep the tank in the correct position every time you put the BC on, taking the guesswork out of tank swapping. There is also a padded carrying handle.

This BC comes in several sizes, but due to the adjustable shoulder straps and cummerbund, the BC can fit just about any size woman.

The BC body itself comes in basic black with two choices of color on the piping that lines the front of the BC—maroon and turquoise.

For more information, visit your nearest TUSA dealer. For a TUSA dealer near you, visit www.tusa.com on the web or see the Dive Store Directory in the back of this issue for a California dealer.