New... question about womens bc's

[DESIGNERDIVER]

Hi everyone,
i am new to the board and am scheduled for my certification dives at the end of december. When i complete them i plan on buying my own bc and reg.

My question is this can some of you share what bc's you use and why. I am sure i want one made just for the female form and thinking probably back inflated. When i did my pool work i used a jacket style and it squeezed my ribs and was very uncomfortable. Also having all that "nonsense" around the chest area wasnt what i would call comfortable either.

So please if you could tell me what make and model you use and what pros and cons that would be most helpful to me. Thanks so much in advance for all your help:d

 

[almitywife]

dont think you have to choose a female only bc as there are lots of others on offer

for about 8yrs i dived a zeagle tec and loved it - rear inflate and no sqeeze and last year i moved over to a bpw and lvoe it even more for the same reasons as above plus even less clutter & more personalized fit

enjoy your research!!

 

[tstormdiver]

I personally dive the Oceanic Hera. & love it for a rec. BC. It is well padded in all the right areas, is highly adjustable to fit almost any size & is a hybrid back inflate/ jacket inflate BC. It gives you the best of both worlds. In the water,horizontal, it will hold you that way & on the surface,when vertical, it will hold you upright. Overall a very comfy BC. Th only down sides I've had with it is it is a bit heavy & bulky when traveling with it. Other than that, It's perfect for me. I can adjust it enough to wear either a wetsuit or a drysuit with no problems at all.

 

[potato cod]

I just got a Zeagle LaZer and love it.

The major reason I chose this one is fit. I wanted a women's bc because the straps are typically narrower than unisex bcs, which fits my small frame better. Zeagles are all modular, which allows them to fit the waist and shoulders separately. This was key for me, because I am tall and thin and found I needed a small waist and longer straps. I really didn't find any other bc that fit as well. Their sizes range from xs to xl, so lots of different size options.

Pros: It's a back inflate BC with no squeeze and a nice streamlined front. I find it sooo much easier to stay horizontal and maintain my buoyancy in this compared to a jacket bc. Two zippered gear pockets. Good for travel or temperate diving with a drysuit (haven't dove dry yet, but wanted the capability to grow into it). Nice lumbar support and cozy padding without so much that it's bulky. Plenty of weight capacity and lift. One-hand ripcord emergency release. Zeagle customer service.

Con: The only thing I wish this bc had was a right shoulder dump, but it does have an inflator pull-dump and 2 kidney dumps, so not really a major complaint.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Here is one that is sort of the BC version of the little black dress.

A wardrobe item that works in nearly any set of circumstances.

Plus, its infinitely adjustable, so there will never be any fit issues, and it travels well.

Also, sorta like the little black dress, its sexier than most of the competition!

Halcyon: Eclipse Wings



Welcome to ScubaBoard.

Dive safe, and have fun!

Doc

 

[susiw]

Don't limit yourself to only looking at women's BCs. I have a zeagle ranger which I love. It has really good back support (with the extra lumbar support pad sold separately) and I have the small shoulder straps which fit me better and they're really broad so don't dig in.

I used to use a zeagle zena and I like the ranger much better even though the zena was specifically a women's BC. the ranger is easier to do up tight on my waist so I can carry more of the weight on my hips rather than my shoulders.

The only down side to the ranger is it is quite bulky so I kept my zena for vacations.

 

[Teamcasa]

My wife uses a Apeks WTX Harness with a DiveRite Venture wing. It is very comfortable and adjustable.

 

[miss_scuba]

I use the Scubapro LadyHawk. It is a back inflation BC. I love it. It is light weight, so I can travel with it. It is a female BC, very comfortable, has a swivel on it, shapes to your body.

 

[DIVESeekers Jason]

Hello Designerdiver!

Women have different curves than men, that being said not every bc out there even if it's designed for a women, will fit a women.

I don't know what build you have but I would suggest something that can customized to you. There are 3 BC's that I would suggest,:

Dive Rite Trans Pac Package or Trans Plate Package

Both of these can be perfectly fit to you build, your torso area will feel very open!

Halcyon Eclipse System
This is a Back Plate and wing no frills design. Totally custom fit, very small and compact for easy storage and travel and most importantly it's very hydrodynamic, it moves through the water easier and less buoyant than other bc's because it has less material.

We are not far from you, we have an indoor pool on premises where you can try before you buy! Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need anything.

Cheers

 

[cavew0man]

My wife uses a Apeks WTX Harness with a DiveRite Venture wing. It is very comfortable and adjustable.

Here's a kinda personal question for you - how tall/big is your wife? I purchased a WTX before starting my cave course, and absolutely hated it by the end of the course. I think the smallest size available at that time was medium (which may or may not still be the case), and me being not so tall (5'2") and not so large (not telling), I ended up with flapping bits of webbing having to be tucked in all over the place, and the adjustment points so close together after being shortened up all the way, that I felt like I was wearing a bunch of buckles and not an actual harness.

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice piece of equipment, it just doesn't fit small people very well (unless it's available smaller now). I've replaced it with a plain old webbing harness and backplate.

Now I know that friends don't let friends buy jacket-style BC's, but if you are going to buy one, my beaten up old original Diva does in fact perform and fit a woman as advertised, and I still dust it off occasionally for single-tank dives, and I still like it. I imagine the model has evolved and improved since then.

But if I had it all to do over, I'd go straight to the wing.