Last April ScubaLab spent two days conducting gear tests on BCs at Blue Grotto in Williston, Florida for our 2016 BC review. Here's a behind-the-scenes look as our team of test divers took some of the newest travel and back-inflation BCs into the depths of the freshwater spring during our first day of gear testing. Divers recorded their observations about each BC’s performance, and assigned scores from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor) in each of the following ­categories:

• ASSEMBLY Ease and security of tank and hose ­attachments
• LOADING WEIGHTS Ease of loading ­integrated-weight system
• COMFORT AND ­ADJUSTABILITY Both in and out of the water
• ATTITUDE AND ­STABILITY ­Control and security in swim, vertical and other positions
• CARGO POCKETS Access, closures and capacity
• VALVE OPERATION Inflating by power and manual inflator, and exhausting with all dump valves
• ASCENT CONTROL Ability to maintain proper ascent rate and attitude
• SURFACE ­FLOATING ­Comfort and security at the surface
• DITCHING WEIGHTS Ability to drop weights quickly and easily without fear of accidental ditching

SEE ALL OF SCUBALAB'S GEAR TESTS

All Hands On Deck
Blue Grotto's spacious deck proved an excellent staging ground for setting up all of the test BCs and other scuba diving gear.

Test-Divers, Assemble!
ScubaLab Tester Matt Jones checks his waterproof score sheet while gearing up. An important part of the gear test was how easily and securely the BC attached to the tank and hoses.

Gearing Up
Patricia Wuest, Editor-In-Chief for Scuba Diving and Sport Diver dons her scuba diving equipment for the BC test.

Adjusting for Inflation
ScubaLab Director Roger Roy makes some final adjustments to his gear before entering the water.

Write That Down!
Deputy Editor Mary Frances and Editor-In-Chief Patricia Wuest note their observations while underwater using slates and waterproof paper.

And We'll All Float On Alright
ScubaLab Director Roger Roy tests out the surface floating position for a BC at Blue Grotto.

Test Time
Patricia Wuest, Editor-In-Chief for Scuba Diving and Sport Diver testing the stability of a BC at Blue Grotto.

Gear Wrangling
Our Test Team Supervisor keeps everything running smoothly by organizing the BCs by model and size.

Getting Down To Business
Divers descend into Blue Grotto to test out BCs.

SCUBALAB'S 2016 BC TEST IS NOW ONLINE!

Want more behind-the-scenes?
Click here for part 2 of our BC test for more behind-the-scenes photos.

Or you can find photos from our in-water dive light test here.