BCD's for women?

[CuriousMe]

smrtblnddiver once bubbled...
I have had two women's BCD's and the difference in proportions for the women's styles is definitely great.

I started out with the Diva which was a great BC, when I was diving in warm water. I hated it for diving up here. I found the jacket style to be terrible for surface swims. It had to be fully inflated which caused it to be incredibly tight and very uncomfortable, I avoided surface swimming (not easy). I now have a RipTide Grace and I love it since it's not the jacket style.

But, I also know a woman who dives her Diva up here and would never change.

smrtblnddiver, which Diva did you have the QD or the LX? The QD is a standard jacket type, but the LX is the dragonfly design, this means that it has a wing on the back as well as two bladder's in the front. I have the LX and it was a huge difference in fit to me....since it has the wing in the back, when you inflate (even all the way) it doesn't push in, it just inflates in back of you.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[wapyaly]

'nough said.

 

[blackice]

Travisc once bubbled...
The Dive Rite Transpac is a nice setup I have seen also for women, but the Seaquest Diva, is also a wonderful setup for several women friends I dive with.

My wife tried Scuba Pro because of the back inflate feature. She bought it and took it home. It just so happened that the next day pickup a long hose and she saw the TransPac II, and was amazed at the size, she asked if it was a kids size! No it was the travel wing that made it look so small.

She tried it on and found that it had a nice amount of padding so it was not cutting into her and it was adjustable to fit her body not just a plastic model's.

The next day we returned the Scuba Pro BC and purchased the TransPac II. She has since done about 30 dives with it and she really likes it. It's well though out and has a place for your backup touch on the sholder strap, it has enough D-rings for her to clip her pointer and SMB on.

And if she is happy, I'm happy

 

[ScubaJewel]

Go with a Back Plate and Wing, the straps can be adjusted to fit anyone with any shape. I personally like the deep outdoors but the others are fine too.

Julie

 

[O2Addict]

My wife dives with a Diva. She loves it and will never change. Every person I know who has dived on a Diva swears by it. What is nice is the older Diva, (without integrated weight) has been going for about $40-$90 on Ebay. Wish I had known that before we spent $400 or so on hers!!!!

 

[sealkie]

Depends on the woman and the diving

I`m am what is often called a "real woman" - in other words my dress size is in double figures - so a womens BC - even the large is too small because they are made from small frames.

I also dive in the northeast - so they lack the lift I want in many cases

 

[O2Addict]

It is about the woman's build, and the type of diving.

Cold water diving I would not bother with a Diva or other women's BC as it will make no difference over a wetsuit or a drysuit.

Warm water diving where little or no exposure protection is used is where the comfort factor comes in to play, and then it is very much personal taste.

More Real women (as you put it) on the boats usually prefer a men's jacket because of the size and fit. Likewise some of the more athletic muscular women also preferred mens jackets. It all depends on what you want.

My advice to anyone getting a new BC is try and find someone with one that you can borrow for a dive. See if you like it before you buy one. Or buy one on Ebay if you don't like it you can probably sell it for what you bought it for.

Unfortunately there is not a standard woman so choosing a BC is a daunting task. Back in the 80s a women's BC was one that was smaller and usually came in Pink or some other "women's" colour, but the cut was the same as the men's. Personally I think a lot of it is marketing and gimicks, but I do know my wife swears by her Diva, and would not change it.

 

[CuriousMe]

ampike once bubbled...
It is about the woman's build, and the type of diving.

Cold water diving I would not bother with a Diva or other women's BC as it will make no difference over a wetsuit or a drysuit.

Warm water diving where little or no exposure protection is used is where the comfort factor comes in to play, and then it is very much personal taste.

More Real women (as you put it) on the boats usually prefer a men's jacket because of the size and fit. Likewise some of the more athletic muscular women also preferred mens jackets. It all depends on what you want.

My advice to anyone getting a new BC is try and find someone with one that you can borrow for a dive. See if you like it before you buy one. Or buy one on Ebay if you don't like it you can probably sell it for what you bought it for.

Unfortunately there is not a standard woman so choosing a BC is a daunting task. Back in the 80s a women's BC was one that was smaller and usually came in Pink or some other "women's" colour, but the cut was the same as the men's. Personally I think a lot of it is marketing and gimicks, but I do know my wife swears by her Diva, and would not change it.

Using sealkie's definition, I'm most definitely a "real" woman. It's for this reason that I love my Diva LX. When I used unisex jackets, in order to get one that fit my curvier areas, I needed one that was so big that the arm holes nearly went down to my waist...let me tell you, a fit like that does zero to keep your head above water at the surface....my jacket was, but my head wasn't. I quickly learned to lean onto my back (at least I could breathe then )

I agree though, the best way to choose a BC is to dive in it....I was fortunate in that my LDS has a pool and they let you try gear before you buy it.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[glimmerel]

I have a back-inflated ScubaPro Ladyhawke and absolutely love it! So comfortable and the back-inflate prevents the (for me) uncomfortable squeeze around your waist. I'm pretty short and the jacket style kept riding up to my neck because of the air bubble around my waist. No problems at all with the ladyhawke except for the integrated weights--buckles are cumbersome and the angle makes them fall out too easily when you start to release so if you are not careful, you lose the whole thing! Other than that, i highly recommend it.

 

[DiveMistress2]

Something else you want to consider when choosing a BCD is what do you want to accomplish as a diver?

My first BCD was purchased without this consideration and since then I've purchased 2 others. I started with the Mares Vera 4 years ago while I wish I had given more thought towards what I wanted to do with diving, I would have saved a significant amount of money.

My jacket style BCD was a great introduction to purchasing gear for me - it allowed me to go diving within my budget right away. But if I had taken the time to think about my diving goals I would have started immediately with the DiveRite Transpac II and spent a little more money.

As a DM I have tried almost every BCD on the market and I still come back to my Transpac for comfort. This BCD is so adjustable that it took me approx. 10 dives to get it set up to my liking, but after nearly 200 dives on it, I wouldn't give it up for anything else. I've used it for singles & doubles and nothing comes close to it for lift, comfort and versatility when diving.

The other nice thing about it is that there are 3 wing styles you can purchase with it. This way if your diving changes you can just purchase another wing to get additional lift instead of buying a whole new BCD.

There are also changeable shoulder straps. If you tend to store some winter weight, you can easily change out the small straps to a medium at a very minor cost.

Although I chose to pursue technical diving for my personal diving enjoyment, I started off simply as a recreational diver who wanted comfort.

Through my local shop I have been asked to loan my BCD out for other women who are considering this purchase and every time I have it has resulted in a sale.