Oceanic Excursion Back Inflate BCD w/ QLR4

With the Excursion's rear-inflation bladder, the air cell sits behind you — up front there is nothing but contoured harness straps and your weight pockets. That gives you streamlined, stable horizontal trim underwater with minimal drag, which is why back-inflate BCDs are favored by traveling and advanced divers. Oceanic builds the Excursion for both recreational and technical diving, with a padded backpack with lumbar support, a depth-compensating cummerbund, and pre-bent welded stainless steel D-rings.

Per Oceanic's official size chart: S (5'2"–5'7", 120–155 lbs), M (5'7"–5'10", 150–180 lbs), L (6'0"–6'2", 180–210 lbs), XL (6'2"–6'5", 195–240 lbs), 2XL (6'2"–6'5", 240–275 lbs) — chest and waist measurements matter most, so check those ranges too (for example, size M fits roughly a 34"–44" chest). If you are between sizes, contact us before ordering and we will help you get the fit right.

Oceanic rates the Excursion's bladder at 17 liters (roughly 38 lbs) of lift in the smaller sizes and 23 liters (roughly 51 lbs) in the larger sizes. The patented BioFlex bladder material stretches up to 30% more than conventional nylon or polyurethane air cells, which lets Oceanic use a smaller, lower-drag bladder without giving up lift.

QLR4 is Oceanic's Quick Lock & Release integrated weight system: two releasable front pockets holding about 20 lbs of ballast in total — they click securely into place and release with a single pull in an emergency — plus two 5-lb rear trim pockets for fine-tuning your horizontal trim. For most recreational diving it fully replaces a weight belt.

Oceanic covers BCD materials and construction with a five-year warranty from the date of purchase for the original owner, with annual service required to keep coverage active. Keep your dated receipt from an authorized Oceanic dealer — that is what Oceanic asks for with any warranty claim, and purchases from us qualify.

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.

Oceanic builds it for both recreational and technical diving. The bladder is rated at 17 liters (roughly 38 lbs) of lift in the smaller sizes and 23 liters (roughly 51 lbs) in the larger ones, which covers heavy exposure protection and steel cylinders, and the hardware is made for it: pre-bent welded stainless steel D-rings, a padded backpack with lumbar support and a depth-compensating cummerbund. The QLR4 system carries about 20 lbs of ditchable ballast plus two 5-lb trim pockets.

BioFlex is Oceanic's patented air cell material, which stretches up to 30% more than conventional nylon or polyurethane bladders. The practical benefit is that Oceanic can hit the same lift with a smaller, lower-drag air cell — so you get 38 to 51 lbs of lift depending on size without the balloon-shaped profile that costs you streamlining underwater.