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APEKS EXOTEC | SRP: £747 an unparalleled ability to bend and twist into all sorts of positions you would not normally contemplate while wearing dive kit. Now we aren’t all going to be playing Twister when going diving, but in reality, what this innovation offers is a high degree of comfort both topside and in the water. For example, I could bend sideways to pick up my camera and the upper part of the Exotec went with me, while the lumbar support stayed solidly in place. Underwater, I was also able to bend and flex with no hinderance. The comfort and performance of the Exotec on the surface was showcased as we walked through the car park to the water’s edge at Capernwray. My buddy in his BPW was bent slightly forwards as he walked, whereas I was upright, the weight of the cylinder comfortably sitting on the lumbar support. So-called GripTek fabric helps keep the BCD in place as well. Underwater, the Exotec is also extremely efficient, holding you in a nice flat trim position, but equally allowing you to turn on your side and hold that position without it overly Mark Evans: Backplate-and-wings are all en vogue right now, but many people do not want to go down that route and still like the feel and familiarity of more-traditional BCDs. Backinflate BCDs provide a combination of the better aspects of both jacket-style BCDs and backplate-and-wing set-ups – if you aren’t planning on heading down the technical route in the future (obviously BPW are modular and can be adapted for twinsets, etc), and want all the comfort and features of a jacket without the bulk, they are well worth considering. Enter the Apeks Exotec. The Exotec represents an evolution from the long-standing Apeks Black Ice backinflate BCD, but thanks to its eye-catching orange anodised aluminium finishings and features – which seamlessly match with other Apeks products, such as the torches, spools, reels, etc - combined with slick, hard-wearing Armoguard bladder, it certainly looks ready for the modern era. You can get it with more-subtle grey anodised aluminium fittings if you are a bit of a shrinking violet. While it has evolved from the venerable Black Ice, there is much that is brand new on the Exotec, chiefly the BioReact articulation point behind the lumbar support. We are all used to BCDs having rigid backplates, but with the Exotec, the upper part of the backplate can move independently to the lower part, pivoting on the BioReact joint. What this means is
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