My advice is to rent as many different types of BCD you can. Every dive shop seems to have their own favorite brands, so there should be many different choices. I personally found that I loved a back inflate much better than vest style, as it gives me a more level trim in the water, and I don’t get the chest squeeze. Some people say the back inflates push you forward on the surface, but I haven’t found that to be true for me. I rented three different kinds of Seaquest BCD’s and found I loved the comfort of the Sequest Balance, but ultimately I bought a DiveRite Transpac because it was more durable, simple, and easy to pack for trips.