Women Specific BC Opinions

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Firewalker688

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Messages
12
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4
Location
Dallas Texas
# of dives
25 - 49
Hello there. This is going to be directed to the ladies for the most part as it is a question of>>> Do you find the "ladies" version of a BC to be a must have on your gear. I assume they are built in a way that goes around the breast area but do you find that it is a must have or just kind of a nice feature.

My wife was wearing a BC in her dive class that was oversized and quite a struggle for her to manage that and her skills. I know a mis fit is going to be a problem anyway, but all things equal is it best to buy a ladies specific BC or do you just buy one and consider it a unisex piece of gear?

I welcome your answers as well as particular brands and models you have found to be very nice to have. She tried on a Sherwood/LUNA model and said she really liked it. Any others you would recommend? Thanks in advance

Scott
 
I like my Ladyhawk. My old bc was also a ladies but it was flak jacket style. I liked it too, actually miss the pockets. I'm not very tall so found the non-gender specific bcds just didn't work for me.
 
Not any womens specific bc, but a bc that is small enough. I use a mens scubapro lighthawk in xs/sm for the pool and backplate/wing for ocean. Most likely due to rental availability they had her in a too big bcd. Pet peeve of mine. I can make any bcd work if its small enough for me.
 
Zeagle Zena. You provide measurements and it comes with three different aspects of the BC that are individually sized.
 

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Try them on if at all possible. Fit preference is so personal. I did not like the ladies fit and I wanted something light weight. I dive with an Oceanic Islander and have been very pleased. But I do all warm water diving.
 
I hated when I wore the jacket style BCD as rental gear so a woman's style BCD was quickly a must have for me. I dive with an Aqua Lung Lotus i3 and absolutely love it! It fits very well and is very comfortable. I really like the i3 technology as well. I do miss having the extra pocket that you sacrifice for having the i3 but it's worth the tradeoff.

I have recently tried on the Cressie Women's Air Travel when I was just puttering around a shop and really liked the way that one fit as well. It is super light for travel too. But I personally would still purchase the Aqua Lung Lotus i3 over it.
 
I dove with the Oceanic Hera which I quite liked, but am selling as I switched to a BP/W, which I like the fit of even better. PM me if interested.
 
My wife has a scubapro model that has a swivel built in the chest strap buckles that allows the straps to be routed around her chest. This single feature won her over as the strap routing was a major complaint with her prior bc's.

I am not sure if this feature is unique or not.
 
The wonderful thing about a backplate with a Hogarthian harness is that it's infinitely adjustable. If you are narrow-shouldered, you can cross the straps. The harness runs over the head of the humerus and under the arm, so it doesn't crowd any other anatomic regions :) There are no big flaps or pockets to eat up a short waist. And once you have it adjusted properly, you never need to adjust it again (unless you change shape).

I wouldn't dive anything else. It was such a feeling of freedom and comfort, the day Nw Grateful Diver lent me his setup (which I refused to give back, bought, and still own and dive).
 
Yes, a women's B.C. can be an excellent idea for some women.

Scubapro offers the LadyHawk & Bella for women.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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