"Big girl" needing advice

[lulubelle]

hey everyone. I am signed up to get my c-card in April and I need some advice on equipment based on my stature. I'm 6'0 a DD and around 230lbs or more. I am worried about not being able to find wetsuits or BC's that'll fit me right without going custom. I'd also like to buy some pieces so I don't have to worry about not finding rentals that'll fit. I've read some threads here on the same issue but all the women that were asking were around 5'0-5'5 which is significantly shorter than me. I'm not short and heavy, I'm more amazon-ish.

is anyone else here around my size that can maybe help me out? I'd appreciate any input

thanks

Hi Silvernotch, I suppose some would call me Amazonian too. I'm 5'10", got you beat by a few letters upstairs, and have a 36" inseam. I was SURE that I would have to go custom, and sure that I would need a female BC. Wrong on both counts.

I was too new to feel comfortable with all of the myriad of choices involved in getting a BP/W although I can see why a lot of folks recommend them for hard to fit people.

But I discovered that although I am a bit shortwaisted for height, the female BCs were way too short. They will be for you too. Cumberbunds under the bust and such. The Zena too. Almost everything else I tried left the shoulders too big. I was able to find a marvelous fit in the Zeagle stiletto. I substituted a small shoulder as my frame is small for height. I also liked that the way the shoulder is built, it kind of comes up in the center of your back, over the shoulder and articulates back sharply under the arm. It is quite comfortable for those of us with ample "girls" as it doesn't have anything strapped on top of them.

As for wetsuits, that will probably depend on how long your legs are versus torso. I have a Henderson Hyperstretch in a long. I still have a bit of calf exposed even with my tall boots. And don't assume that you know what your size in a wetsuit is. I tried on a lot of them and ended up in one that is two sizes smaller than my "dress" size. The bigger ones fit in places but left too much space in others. On my liveaboard, there were 4 of us wearing the same size wetsuit. One was 4'9", all of use looked completely different. All of us kept putting on each other's wetsuits the whole week (eww). I could only tell when the leg was halfway up my chin. I do think you will likely find the best fit in a super stretchy fabric. Good luck.

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Thanks for the opnions even though they seem to disagree. I will be going to Cuba in September for my husband's certification. I will dive 2 times in the morning (approximately 72ft and then 30ft) for 6 days straight. I think I will then see from that if I need a wetsuit for my 7 day Roatan holiday in early 2011 which is 2-3 dives/day for 6 days.

Thanks for everyon's comments
Betty

 

[annasea]

I'm one of those people who gets cold after a few days of repetitive diving as well. I combat it by having a full wetsuit and a tunic to wear over my core bits once I start getting cold.

Betty, you can contact Oceaner here in Canada about getting a custom suit. (No duties and no PST. ) They can't measure you in person as they're in BC but they probably still have a measuring sheet on their website. I bought both my 3mm and 5mm and matching tunics from them and have been quite pleased.

 

[silvernotch]

Thank you everyone for the advice!!!!

Try on some men's Hyperstretch wetsuit's and BCD to get you through your OW cert and get your card.
If you decide that you want to invest in your own gear after consider a custom wetsuit.
Don't let the label "mens" model discourage you many bigger women use "mens" BCD. If it fits well and trims well in the water that is all that counts. My wife is 5'8" and wears a large men's back inflator jacket after trying on a number of BC that just did work for her.
As has been mentioned a BP&W can be configured for you however it is my feeling that as a beginner it's ability to be custom configured adds a number of setup variables that you may not be ready to deal with. If you have an experienced BP&W diver that is willing to help you through the learning curve then I would give it more consideration otherwise is presents choices of harness, weight configurations, wing size and shape and lift capacity. This is before you even get in the water and adjust trim.

that's my problem too. I don't know what comfortable is supposed to feel like for this sport. The only reason I was trying to pick up a wetsuit or BC before my cert (or my trip to Montserrat in June) is because I'm worried I won't be able to find a rental that fits me. This may not be the case but I guess it's my years of paranoia over things not fitting the way they should. My best friend is a rescue diver and has a similar shape to me. she's been out of the field for a while but I'll have to ask what kind of set-up she used. I'll also be doing a lot of diving with her once I have my c-card.

Hi Silvernotch, I suppose some would call me Amazonian too. I'm 5'10", got you beat by a few letters upstairs, and have a 36" inseam. I was SURE that I would have to go custom, and sure that I would need a female BC. Wrong on both counts.

I was too new to feel comfortable with all of the myriad of choices involved in getting a BP/W although I can see why a lot of folks recommend them for hard to fit people.

But I discovered that although I am a bit shortwaisted for height, the female BCs were way too short. They will be for you too. Cumberbunds under the bust and such. The Zena too. Almost everything else I tried left the shoulders too big. I was able to find a marvelous fit in the Zeagle stiletto. I substituted a small shoulder as my frame is small for height. I also liked that the way the shoulder is built, it kind of comes up in the center of your back, over the shoulder and articulates back sharply under the arm. It is quite comfortable for those of us with ample "girls" as it doesn't have anything strapped on top of them.

As for wetsuits, that will probably depend on how long your legs are versus torso. I have a Henderson Hyperstretch in a long. I still have a bit of calf exposed even with my tall boots. And don't assume that you know what your size in a wetsuit is. I tried on a lot of them and ended up in one that is two sizes smaller than my "dress" size. The bigger ones fit in places but left too much space in others. On my liveaboard, there were 4 of us wearing the same size wetsuit. One was 4'9", all of use looked completely different. All of us kept putting on each other's wetsuits the whole week (eww). I could only tell when the leg was halfway up my chin. I do think you will likely find the best fit in a super stretchy fabric. Good luck.

thanks so much for the advice. I guess I'm just going to have to spend some time at my LDS and try on everything I can get my hands on. I'm the opposite of you (very highwaisted) but will keep the Henderson Hyperstretch in mind and definitely try on the mens suits as well.

 

[silvernotch]

also, the beneaththesea.org trade show is coming up in March and is about an hour from me. would this be a good place for me to see and try on some things? would I even be able to get a chance to see if I like something???

 

[carrielsal]

I have worn more uncomfortable BC's than I can count. Last year I bought a Pearl i3 BC. It is extremely comfortable. If you're looking for a BC you may want to see if there is an LDS in your area that carries them and try one in the pool.

That being said, I transitioned to a hogarthian BP/w about 4 months ago. When I looked at them I just knew that a 2" harness with no padding and a SS bp was going to be uncomfortable. Boy, was I ever wrong. I fell in love the first dive and will not go back to a BC.

 

[lulubelle]

I guess I'm just going to have to spend some time at my LDS and try on everything I can get my hands on. I'm the opposite of you (very highwaisted) but will keep the Henderson Hyperstretch in mind and definitely try on the mens suits as well.

I think we are the same silvernotch, highwaisted=shortwaisted (as opposed to long waisted)with long legs? I just found all of the female BCDs too short, even though my torso is proportionately short, it is still longer than the average females due to my height. Zeagle was the only manufacturer I found that could downsize or upsize a particular piece to get a fit.

As for the wetsuit, I think many of the manufacturers have some sort of super stretchy fabric, but I'm not sure if they all have talls. Henderson does.

Good luck.

 

[carrielsal]

I found this link on another post and thought it was a good read on an opinion on bp/w's, Why a backplate and wing - DIR Explorers.

 

[RAWalker]

I found this link on another post and thought it was a good read on an opinion on bp/w's, Why a backplate and wing - DIR Explorers.

That post has a number of misconceptions about the Backinflate style jackets.
First is that the bladder is removed from around the waist not chest. A modern BC doesn't use a chest bladder. The rear inflator BC stops waist squeeze.
The faceplant is only a problem for divers that started with a standard jacket style BC and overinflate their jackets at the surface.
Rear trim pockets are used on both standard jackets and rear inflate style. Use of the rear trim pockets can offset the faceplant and allow the diver to get higher out of the water with some rear inflator jackets.
The trim of a back inflator is very similar to that of a BP&W.
I did my OW in a standard jacket style. The first BC I purchased and dove was a back inflator and I now dive a BP&W for my recreational dives and a back inflator when working as a Divemaster.

 

[carrielsal]

That post has a number of misconceptions about the Backinflate style jackets.
First is that the bladder is removed from around the waist not chest. A modern BC doesn't use a chest bladder. The rear inflator BC stops waist squeeze.
The faceplant is only a problem for divers that started with a standard jacket style BC and overinflate their jackets at the surface.
Rear trim pockets are used on both standard jackets and rear inflate style. Use of the rear trim pockets can offset the faceplant and allow the diver to get higher out of the water with some rear inflator jackets.
The trim of a back inflator is very similar to that of a BP&W.
I did my OW in a standard jacket style. The first BC I purchased and dove was a back inflator and I now dive a BP&W for my recreational dives and a back inflator when working as a Divemaster.

I agree and it's pretty obvious that the author is biased, but it's still pretty good info on how BC's and BP/w's work. My Aqualung Pearl i3 that I own is considered a back inflate hybrid.