Genesis Celeste Weight Integrated Balanced Air Design Women's BCD

A BCD should fit snugly enough that it does not ride up toward your ears when inflated, while still letting you breathe fully. Fasten the waist and cummerbund first, then adjust the shoulder straps so the tank sits close to your back and the shoulders cannot slide off. With the BCD fully inflated at the surface you should still be able to take a deep, comfortable breath; if it squeezes your chest, loosen it or move up a size.

Rinse the outside in fresh water and also flush the inside of the bladder, because salt water gets in through the inflator and dump valves. Fill the bladder roughly a third full of fresh water through the oral inflator, slosh it around, then drain it out through the inflator and each dump valve. Hang it to dry out of direct sunlight and store it partially inflated so the bladder walls do not stick together.

Integrated weight pockets carry the lead in the BCD itself, which many divers find more comfortable and easier on the hips, while a weight belt keeps the weight independent of your BCD. Either way, you must be able to release your ditchable weight quickly with one hand, and your buddy should know how your system releases. Non-ditchable trim pockets are useful for balance but should never hold weight you might need to drop.

Make sure the BCD is completely dry inside and out before packing so it does not mildew in transit. Remove all weights, deflate it fully, and fold or roll it around softer items such as a wetsuit to cushion the inflator and valves. Avoid hard creases in the air cell, and unpack and air it out as soon as you arrive.

Follow the service interval in the manufacturer's manual, which is commonly an annual inspection alongside the rest of your life-support gear. Have the inflator, dump valves, and bladder checked any time the inflator sticks, free-flows, feels rough, or the BCD holds air poorly. Between services, confirm that it inflates and deflates properly as part of every pre-dive check.

A jacket-style BCD holds air in panels that wrap around your sides as well as your back, while a back-inflate BCD keeps the entire air cell behind you. Jacket styles tend to feel very stable and upright at the surface, and back-inflate styles keep the chest clear and are often preferred for horizontal trim underwater. Neither is objectively better, so treat it as a fit and preference decision and try both if you can.

Most recreational BCDs use an adjustable cam band sized for common single-cylinder diameters, so standard aluminum and steel tanks generally work. Re-check the band tension after the first wetting, because webbing can relax slightly and let the tank shift. If you dive doubles or unusual cylinder diameters, confirm compatibility with the manufacturer before assuming it will hold.

The Genesis Celeste is available in XS, S, M, and L. Each size has its own SKU: CEL101 for XS, CEL103 for S, CEL105 for M, and CEL107 for L. The Celeste is not simply a smaller version of a men's BCD; it has design changes throughout for a women's fit.

The Celeste's shell is made of durable 420 Denier Nylon and 600 Denier Polyester with PVC backing for color fastness and durability. The backplate, which supports the tank, is built from ultra-durable thermoplastic as a small, compact backpack.

The Celeste has two ditchable integrated weight pockets that each hold up to 8 lbs, which can eliminate the need for a separate weight belt. It also has two non-ditchable trim pockets near the upper tank band that each hold up to 5 lbs for additional counterbalance.

Yes, the Celeste includes a nylon locator strap so the tank can be positioned the same way every time it is mounted. It also has two rubber tank strap pads that help grip the cylinder once the cam band is tightened.