|May 09 Scuba Lab Quick Links| |---| |General Purpose BCs| |---| | BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing| | BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus| | SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest| | Zeagle Ranger LTD| | |Dual Purpose BCs| |---| | Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride| | Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator| | Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac| |True Travel BCs| |---| | Zeagle Zeus| |

Dual Purpose BCs

Dual Purpose BCs are lighter in weight, more stingy with their hardware, and more compact than General Purpose BCs, so they pack easily for trips to the tropics. At the same time, they provide enough buoyant lift, ballast weight capacity and range of adjustment to be worn in cold water over thick wetsuits or dry suits. The thinking is, because they're able to be used in both the Great Lakes and the Great Barrier Reef, you only have to own one BC for all your diving adventures.

Oceanic Cruz

Features

The Cruz looks like a standard General Purpose jacket-style BC, but it can be a pretty respectable travel BC too. While it has all the lift and weight carrying capacity you might need for local diving, it has shed some of the clunky hardware that makes a typical GP BC bulky and heavy. However, it retains a couple outstanding cargo pockets, and a single stainless D-ring remains on the right shoulder along with a couple plastic models to hook gear to. There are also grommets for a knife, accessories, and retractor. The QLR weight system and rear trim pouches hold enough ballast weight for cold-water diving, yet can be sectionalized for the partial loads you'd need in the tropics.

Performance

|Specifications| |---| | Average Subjective Test Score| 4.2| | Dry Weight| 8 lbs.| | Buoyant Lift| 38 lbs.| | Inherent Buoyancy| .9 lbs.| | Weight Capacity| 20/10 lbs.| | Price| $480| | www.oceanicworldwide.com|

Shoulder straps, waist strap and cummerbund all offer a wide range of adjustment, which makes it ideal when you're jumping from a 7mm semi-dry to a 3mm shorty, although testers thought the sternum strap was positioned a little too high. The BC carries a lot of padding which really raises the comfort meter, yet it still registers less than a pound of inherent buoyancy. The cargo pockets are among of the best in this review in terms of volume and access. The QLR weight pouches are easy to load and lock in with a sturdy handle and buckle. However, unlike the 5 Oceans, the Cruz still uses that Velcro backup patch. It adds a second layer of security but makes it harder to insert the mechanical buckle. Under water the Cruz feels sleek and stable, as it's less hampered by the clutter and bulk you find on other jacket-style BCs. Travel through the water column is controlled with the ergo-friendly power inflator and right shoulder exhaust valve. On the surface the Cruz is predictably stable.

Bottom Line

For those who spend 90 percent of their time diving temperate waters but take an occasional trip to the tropics, the Cruz is a perfect BC. It's beefy enough to behave well in conditions where more is expected of it, yet is streamlined enough to take on vacation without feeling like you're wearing your fur coat to a pool party.

|Quick Links| |---| |General Purpose BCs| |---| | BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing| | BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus| | SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest| | Zeagle Ranger LTD| | |Dual Purpose BCs| |---| | Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride| | Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator| | Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac| |True Travel BCs| |---| | Zeagle Zeus| |