SCUBAPRO Cruiser Adult Diving Vest, Yellow/Black

LOVE this thing. I just moved to California a couple of months ago and started up snorkeling. While I don't view myself as a bad swimmer I don't think I am amazing either. Plus a lot of people can swim, swimming in the Ocean is a COMPLETELY different beast. Snorkeling and swimming in 50 ft. deep water after you got beat down by a couple of waves can be tough. Couple that with cleaning fogging goggles or having fin problems while in the middle of the Ocean it can make for a long day.With that said, I bought this product to relax and not have to worry when I am out there a mile off short and have been swimming for an hour plus checking out cool reefs, schools of fish and/or Leopard Sharks. Let me just say it does EVERYTHING I wanted it to.It was nice being able to dive, swim around, then just inflate it real quick and float there staring at the awesome California Sky Line. What made it nice is I could work my way back to shore without swimming hard or being worried about getting tired. Which DOES happen the first time I ever went snorkeling I didn't realize it had been ~2+ hours and when i got to shore i puked everywhere from not eating for awhile and swimming so much.Like someone said, it just makes things more comfortable when you are new the sport of not familiar with ocean swimming. I work with some pretty crazy free divers who got me into the sport and I would never recommend this for them; but they have been free diving in 75 ft deep water and spear fishing for 10+ years, for someone like me who is 6 months in.........this has been a great investment, I feel SO much more confident in going out there, plus the pocket to store stuff makes a HUGE difference which you wouldn't think about.I will say though, this is a bit pricey, I haven't used the other ones, and for me it was worth the money since I do go every other weekend but if you go on just vacation or whatever $80 is a bit steep. Also, everyone is way off on the sizing. Think of it like a wetsuit. I am 6' 1" and ~195 and a L would fit just fine, I might ever return mine and exchange for a L because the XL rides up on me. I thought to go bigger because of the reviews, I would question if these people are buying the right size Wetsuit and gear of other stuff to. It is true to size. You may not feel like you have a lot or rrom and it might feel tight but trust me once you are in the water AND have it inflated, its true to size which is nice because otherwise it floats up a bit. Its not too bad but just something to be aware of.In Summary:Pros:-Great Fit-WAAAYYYYY more stylish than other options-Increases comfort-ability snorkeling exponentially if you are not familiar with Ocean Swimming-The pocket is a huge bonusCons-Very pricey if you are not going to use it a lot-Can ride up which some people complained about but I don't think its too bad

I rarely write reviews. But I have to say this vest was great for providing just the right amount of buoyancy and keeping me worry-free for 7 days of snorkeling all day and even at night. It is not a life vest, however. But I wanted to simply feel safer and relaxed while snorkeling around my friends, and for that, it is perfect. I once nearly drowned without a vest in rough water. . Before I got the Scubapro, I used wear those ugly big bright yellow snorkel vests, which also pushed up past my shoulders unless I really tightened it around my crotch. Not attractive, not comfortable. I always felt like a five-year-old kid in those.Looks-wise --well, even the dive masters said the ScubaPro was cool looking. Other snorkeler friends wanted to get one-- It did not look dorky like other flotation vests. It looked like part of my wetsuit.It was easy to put on. Slip the arms through then zip on the side. I wore it over both a UPF 50 skin only and later over a 3/4mm wetsuit. With just the skin, I was comfortable in the water, so that extra insulation was great. I am someone who has worn a wetsuit in Hawaii! I once only went into water that was close to shore and in calm waters and with a big vest on and an inner tube kind of float nearby. So this was a huge step for me, and it because I felt more in control with that extra safety and maneuverability.Size was right. I am 110 lb and had the XS.I did not dive, only snorkeled, but several divers wished there was something like that for SCUBA. One good thing also is that you can deflate it in a second if you are snorkeling and want to dive down 5 or 10 feet so see something. When you come up, you can inflate easily in two seconds. You cannot do that with those big inflatable vests. One friend was flailing in the water and I offered her my vest. I took it off easily enough and she put it on while we were in the water.It is also durable. I swam in a fast-moving river and came across fallen logs. I had to push over them and they scraped against the vest and I worried I would tear the vest. No problem.With this vest, I was jumping into water all the time, even in rough open water. On a boat of 12 divers, no one would get in the water except the marine biologist who works in Papua and dives for a living--and me. She went in and I went right after her, to the amazement of my husband, who knew I once was so cautious that I never would have done that. Even though the vest was less buoyant than those huge blow-up vests, I felt much more in control, not buffeted by waves as I would have been with the other kind of vest.A friend who went diving last week in Mexicol borrowed it after seeing how great it was when we were in Raja Ampat. She loved it. She's going to get one now.I heartily recommend!

I have had this for a short time now and have had a chance to wear it snorkeling before doing a review. I have this as a men's small and it works perfectly for me. I normally wear a woman's medium/large in tops. I also wore a dry fit short sleeve top under it ....over my swim suit. It fit fine. The neoprene covers the back which is great protection from suns rays for the time I spend in the water snorkeling. That can be easily several hours. Sometimes the vog here in Hawaii can have an asthma like effect on my breathing without warning. This can tire me easily. I love the ease of blowing the vest up out in the water. It stays inflated for any length of time I spend in the water. It is a safety precaution for me if or when I may need it. Vest is heavy duty and did not rise up under my chin. The ease of getting in and out of the vest is great. There is a nice zipper off to the left side and also there is a Velcro strap closure to help keep the zipper closed. I took much time looking into something durable and well made for the amount of time I spend out in the warm waters of Hawaii. I definitely recommend this vest. You can inflate and deflate easily. It does not lose the air. It's nice sense of security. Very comfortable to wear. I did not care for the horse shoe types that fit around the neck and has straps between the legs and the sides of the waist. Not fun. If you want comfort and durability I recommend this vest.