James B I'm buying my girl an intro BCD. We will be quarry diving along with tropical vacation diving. I don't see us ever tech diving, so trying to keep it simple. I've narrowed it down to this Aliikai and the Oceanic Excursion for her. They are very similar in what they offer, integrated weights, back air fill, etc. Is there really any advantage of the Aliikai over the Excursion, other than the Aliikai is "designed" for women? Any advice is appreciated
LINDA C I returned the Aliikai. It was not comfortable with a tank on. Tried exchanging sizes but without a cummerbund, it really didn't fit well. Might be OK on a dive boat where you get into the water quickly, but if you are shore diving, the tank drags it down in back with just the smaller belts in front. I can't remember if it even had a full backplate? I bought an Oceanic Islander instead. Fits well, small enough to travel with and enough lift for the cold northeast waters. Hope this helps. Linda C
NOREEN R I got this BC a couple of years ago and like it. It is comfortable and cute. I haven't tried on the Oceanic BC to compare, but I have rented other BCs and if they are not designed for women, they can smoosh all the wrong places. Since it is back inflated, when you are on the surface you might need to rest more on your back. Some people don't like this, but I think back inflatable are more comfortable. Another thing about the Aliikai, it runs very big. I have an XS and I'm a size 6.
Enjoy!
JENNY K I have had mine Aliikai for a couple of years now and have approx 125 dives on it, I have never had a problem with it. I travel with it I just pack it like a bag and carry on board the plane with me. I also dive California north coast with it and it has plenty of lift with my 14 mil suit. The only bad thing is they run big on size. I am 5'4 140 pounds and I ordered medium even after adjustment it swims on me and I am constainly trying to adjust it under water so if you order one size down from what you would normally get you should be ok. Hey I have a medium in great shape!!!! Good luck
GIACOMO B The excursion is lighter by a little bit. It's very comfortable and the integral weight pockets are very secure , they both clip in and have a Velcro attachment . You won't lose a weight or weight pocket while your diving. The con is I'd hate to have to remove them to ditch the weights in an emergency or have some one else do it. The Mares is easier to ditch but also not a secure, my wife has already lost
a weight pocket on a dive. The Excursion also lacks any extra rings to attach stuff to, so if you carry a extra light or bag or spare air you have to put a additional ring on the sides. I run out of places to attach my console,spare bottle, etc.
I have dived with both and the Mares is better for carry additional stuff especially a spare bottle.They both are very comfortable.
As I recall the Oceanic is a little less expensive. I'd pick the Mares today if I had a choice because it more expandable.
Hope that helps.
KATHERINE W Hi James,
While I don't know anything about the Oceanic Excursion, I can tell you what I know about the Mares Allikai. I bought the Mares Aliikai BC 2 years ago and I really love it. I am a somewhat petite gal and I tried on many, many BCs, but this one was without a doubt the best fit. I love that it is back inflate and the weight clips are easy to remove but very strong - they have never fallen out on me accidentally. Another advantage that this BC has over others is that it packs down crazy small! I highly recommend it, especially if you are going to be traveling a lot with your gear! I hope that helps a little bit! Good luck and happy diving!
SHARNE H I have used this BCD a lot for warm water diving. It has held up extremely well. It fits large for size. I am not sure that the 'women's fit' means a lot! It is a buoyant BCD compared to some others. I would highly recomend it!
KEVIN V I purchased this for my wife back in 2009. It's great since it is lightweight and rolls up into a very tight package. Perfect for travel!
No experience with the Excursion, but this is well made, comfortable for my wife and allows us to pack all of our dive gear into one checked-in bag. It was pretty much the only BC we considered at the time.