BC recommendations for short ladies

[caribbeanIslandDiver]

Hi all....I'm female and in the market for a new BC. I currently have a Cressi that I have loved. It has a nice fit for me at 5 ft tall. It has been very durable and doesn't take on much sea water at all even on long shallow dives. The only thing I would like to change is the weight pockets, I prefer to get some quick release snap-in ones this time around. The fold up then clip pockets, I have now, have stretched and no longer secure the weights like they once did. I'm looking for recommendations based on personal experience rather than marketing material. I make about 3 dive trips per year to dive in warm Caribbean waters, nothing terribly demanding but they are expensive so I thought it might be worth asking around here.
Thanks ahead of time.

 

[spectrum]

How much weight do you generally need to pack and if you care to respond, what is your body style?

Are you firmly sold on integrated weight?

Pete

 

[Tom Kreider]

Two of my daughters dive. One is 5'1" and the other is 5'2". They both own and really like the Aqualung Pearl.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

If you like a Jacket Style, the Oceanic Hera BC is nice for women. This uses a Hybrid bladder that combines the benefits of both rear inflation and jacket style BC's.

Oceanic Hera BC's for Women *Buy Oceanic at DIVESEEKERS.com 888-SCUBA-47

My mom is just under 5' tall (real petite) and she use to have a DiveRite Transpac (for 8yrs) and was dead set against a BP & Harness, let alone diving anything else. I laced up a BP and harness for her and she liked it but felt the plate was big for her build. We got a call from Halcyon and she ended up being the test case (6 months before the launch) for the Halcyon SMALL BP & Harness. Needless to say....she fell in love with it and won't dive anything else.

Halcyon Eclipse System HES *Buy Halcyon at DIVESEEKERS.com 888-SCUBA-47
Specify SMALL Plate in comments

My mom is able to dive in warm water with no weight & a clean harness and always says that this system gives her "Ultimate Freedom." She just love how clean & simple it is.

 

[navychop]

Wife is 5'2" and loves her Mares Kaila. Comfortable and packs well also.

 

[Scubagolf]

My wife is 4'11 and 125 lbs. She dives the Zeagle Zena and loves it. She tried on a number of other BCs but couldn't get the semi-custom fit she has with the Zena, which comes with three separately sized components which works particularly well for "short" women. Check it out at the Zeagle site: Zena - Recreational BCs - BCs - Zeagle Dive Systems

 

[caribbeanIslandDiver]

Thank you to all for the responses. Helps to have some recommendations.

Pete, I usually dive w/6-8 lbs and yes I am firm on integrated weights. I'm petite 5 ft about 120 lbs.

Thanks again.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Thank you to all for the responses. Helps to have some recommendations.

Pete, I usually dive w/6-8 lbs and yes I am firm on integrated weights. I'm petite 5 ft about 120 lbs.

Thanks again.

We have many customers who use a backplate and wing (BP&W) for warm water diving.

A small Stainless Backplate, harness and regulator will provide about 7 lbs of ballast. Combined with a small wing you have a very simple, compact, lightweight BC for travel.

With a small 17 -20 lbs wing I'd expect the dry travel weight to be a bout 8-9 lbs.

One of the key advantages of the Stainless Steel plates is the ballast they provide up over your buoyant lungs. This is particularly help when diving with buoyant aluminum 80's

Tobin

 

[fnfalman]

Thank you to all for the responses. Helps to have some recommendations.

Pete, I usually dive w/6-8 lbs and yes I am firm on integrated weights. I'm petite 5 ft about 120 lbs.

Thanks again.

The stainless steel backplate will take care of the weight issue. A standard steel BP weighs around 6-lbs.