My Bucket List

[2airishuman]

much of this BCD appears more streamlined

A pleasing visual appearance was clearly one of the considerations in its design.

It's made for women -- we do have curves and bumps in different places

Two of my daughters dive, one curvy, one a twig.

I like my BP/W bc. The waist belt and crotch strap are what hold it in place while diving which makes for a looser more comfortable fit in the upper body. The shoulder straps are just there to stabilize it and also to transfer some of the weight while topside. One of my daughters is switching to a BP/W bc at this point. They are perhaps overrated on SB but then again they are underrated by the dive shops. Something to consider.

and we don't have the upper body strength a man has -- well most of us don't I can't compensate with my biceps if something is hitting me wrong on my shoulders; well I can but not like a man can

I could, I suppose, but I'm not going to put up with gear that doesn't fit.

I checked out ebay and craigslist -- as a bargain shopper I understand that if you see a lot of something it is typically because nobody else wants it [...] I didn't see an Aqualung BCD.

That is probably because there are relatively few Aqualung dealers compared to, say, Scubapro or Oceanic or Mares dealers.

It is difficult to find good deals on used jacket BCs for a number of reasons. Among these are that jacket BCs come in sizes and must fit the user properly. They also are difficult to repair and do not last forever. Manufacturers have also been successful in stylizing them in such a way that the shapes and colors of older products seem out of date.

 

[tbeck3579]

Thank you 2airishuman that is good information. It is difficult to shop in a small dive shop. I don't mind ordering specific merchandise from my local dive shop and waiting for the delivery; in fact I prefer the support my local shop offers, and I prefer supporting local business. I'm very fortunate that my timing for purchasing coincides with a huge scuba show -- I can look, try on, and then ask my shop to order. They did say they would give me the "show" price. God is smiling on me

 

[RainPilot]

Have a look at the Zeagle Zena. My wife dived one for years before going to sidemount and loved it. Comfortable, super adjustable, light to travel with and very modular for a jacket type BCD in that almost all the parts can be replaced individually.

Zeagle Zena BCD - Womens BCDs - Scuba Equipment Dive Gear Best Prices

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I looked at the posts here from women re the Lotus I 3, as well as reviews by women. I've been researching and reading for months. One of my first, if not my first class following my certification will be buoyancy. I am so relaxed floating on my back, I can do it for hours -- literally. I love water, I have since I was 4 y.o. My mom gave me summer swim classes at Bolsa Grande H.S. pool. While the other tots were fooling around in the wading pool I walked over to the high dive, 12 ft deep pool, and jumped in true story. Anyway, I will see a ton of people this weekend in Long Beach at the scuba show and ask a ton of questions and try on a ton of different things. I may hate that BCD -- who knows? Are you going to the scuba show?

Yes I will be there all day Saturday and then heading home to get my dive gear and grab some dinner before checking aboard the dive boat that night for my Sunday trip to Catalina.

I wasn't trying to turn you away from the Lotus 3...just wanted to be sure you were taking your time and researching. I am very new and I still have seen people come here and they bought the first thing recommended to them and they ended up hating it.

We can meet up at the show if you would like to introduce ourselves.

 

[drbill]

Congrats on tackling one of your bucket list items. Now it's time to create a bucket list of dive destinations!

 

[tbeck3579]

Yes I will be there all day Saturday and then heading home to get my dive gear and grab some dinner before checking aboard the dive boat that night for my Sunday trip to Catalina.

I wasn't trying to turn you away from the Lotus 3...just wanted to be sure you were taking your time and researching. I am very new and I still have seen people come here and they bought the first thing recommended to them and they ended up hating it.

We can meet up at the show if you would like to introduce ourselves.

Yes I would like that. What things will you be looking for? Maybe we can meet at a booth that both of us are intending to visit. Since my mom passed last year I have been caring for my dad. My "plan" is to leave early, but my dad often has other ideas My dad's neighbor will be looking in on him so I "plan" to stay for the day. I haven't been to Catalina since I was a teenager. Most of the places I used to visit are now overrun with people -- even the desert where I am now residing. Amazing, Big Bear, Lake Mead, the Desert -- places to "get away from it all" are no longer -- I assume Catalina is similar??? Underwater should still be quiet and peaceful -- maybe, hehehe

 

[tbeck3579]

Congrats on tackling one of your bucket list items. Now it's time to create a bucket list of dive destinations!

I have -- the S. Pacific; Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc. and Micronesia; Palau are my top two -- I've snorkled in the Caymen Islands with the sting rays and it was awesome. I'm thinking some place a little closer to home, like Cozumel, is a great place to work on my advanced dives If you are going to dream, make them good, eh? hehehe

 

[Hoag]

tbeck,
Welcome to the forum and congrats on working your way through your Bucket List. Some have suggested that other than mask, fins and snorkel, hold off on buying your gear till you have decided if this is a long term hobby (obsession) or a short term check on the bucket list. even if it is a long term hobby, there is some wisdom in getting a few dives in to try different things and see which works best for you. (Many things in diving tend to reflect personal preferences and what works great for one person may be horribly awkward for another.) The are two things though in addition to mask fins & snorkel that I would recommend that you get. Get a regulator mouthpiece and some zip ties. When you rent a reg set, you never know how well the local dive shop has sanitized the mouthpiece (especially in some of the corners of the world that have amazing diving). When you rent a reg set, simply remove their mouthpiece & put yours on and then when you are done, put theirs back on and keep yours. The mouthpiece fastens to the reg with a simple zip tie.

Welcome to the sport, and to the forum.

 

[tbeck3579]

A pleasing visual appearance was clearly one of the considerations in its design.



Two of my daughters dive, one curvy, one a twig.

I like my BP/W bc. The waist belt and crotch strap are what hold it in place while diving which makes for a looser more comfortable fit in the upper body. The shoulder straps are just there to stabilize it and also to transfer some of the weight while topside. One of my daughters is switching to a BP/W bc at this point. They are perhaps overrated on SB but then again they are underrated by the dive shops. Something to consider.



I could, I suppose, but I'm not going to put up with gear that doesn't fit.



That is probably because there are relatively few Aqualung dealers compared to, say, Scubapro or Oceanic or Mares dealers.

It is difficult to find good deals on used jacket BCs for a number of reasons. Among these are that jacket BCs come in sizes and must fit the user properly. They also are difficult to repair and do not last forever. Manufacturers have also been successful in stylizing them in such a way that the shapes and colors of older products seem out of date.

I have to say the BP/W does look appealing, and it does appear to be the correct choice for someone who wants to "grow" into diving. I've spent very little time researching BP/W so I'm cramming a lot of information into my brain before the dive show. The dive show presents an opportunity to look at gear and compare; unlike a local dive shop. I wish I had considered this choice sooner.

 

[The Chairman]

More important than gear is getting the right training from the start. One of the finest instructors on the planet, and my favorite in California is Robert Arak who owns www.ScubaTude.com. Most instruction is started out on your knees and very little stress is put on getting neutral. I have nothing bad to say about any of the other shops in the are... only super high praise for Robert and his crew. It would be worth paying for your class all over again if it means that, especially if you want to make this a permanent hobby.

As for BCDs, my favorite is a hybrid called the Zeagle Express Tech. Whatever BCD you go to, make sure it has or you can add a crotch strap. Nothing stabilizes a BCD on a diver like a crotch strap.