We are now in the process of relocating to the Florida keys, Plenty of good opportunities down there. My wife does not like the idea of going real deep, Thus most of the time we will be diving a reef 30 ft depth or less
I bet she will love Keys diving then. So many of the dives are shallow (<30'), sunny, pretty reef dives - with adjacent sandy patches if you want to practice things without worrying about accidentally dropping down onto coral. I have done just about all my dives there, and for me it's been a great place to start diving. (Oh wait I see you have snorkeled there, so you know what it's like
)
My instructor did not like BCD's with weights built in, But with our boat it will be very hard to get on with gear, therfore we will probably strip it off in the water, seems like the weights in the BCD would be a nice convience, and comfortable also.
I tend to think along the lines that TSandM mentioned above on this. For the past year (due to an injury) I have been doffing my gear in the water, handing it up to the DM, and then getting aboard myself. So that's a bit like what you will be doing on your boat. I wear around 2# on my tank (for trim) but the rest on a separate belt. I like how easy that makes it to separate the weight, and not be handing a staggeringly heavy BC up to the DM (or pulling it in tied to a line). That's not to say you would want to do everything the way I do, but just to give you another perspective.
I don't plan on buying a tank, Those are cheap to rent
I hear you on that. If I were diving elsewhere I think I would want to buy my own tanks; but for shallow boat dives in the keys, it's pretty handy/cheap/effective to go with rentals. A note for your wife: I rent AL63s and not AL80s. They are a bit shorter, and seem to fit me better. You do have to still be sure that she would be carrying enough reserve air for you -- I find that it still works out that I'm carrying more air than my buddy pretty much throughout the dive (obviously not at the very beginning, but then it doesn't matter when we are both at ~60 cubic feet of air in 25' of water).
On a related note: I see that some people have recommended HOG regs. They do look like fine regs (I wanted them myself), but they are currently "native" DIN valve regs. That means that to use them on the typical Keys rental tanks, which have yoke valves, you would need a spin-on adapter. That could be fine, but it does make the reg "stick out" more. For me, that would not leave me with enough head clearance, so I went with a different-brand reg that has a native yoke connection (it can be changed to DIN with a bit of surgery, should I change my diving habits and start using steel/DIN tanks regularly). HOG have just said they are going to come out with a native yoke option, but for the moment they are DIN only.
a extra second stage for the buddy is in the plans
I would consider that mandatory (maybe that's how you meant it).
On the wetsuit: My usual buddy and I are pretty much at the opposite extremes in cold-water tolerance, and yet even he (the warm one) still wears a wetsuit in the Keys in winter. I wear a 3mm full suit from about 80º to about 75º (somewhat dependent on whether it is a warm or cold day up top), and below that a 5mm and sometimes a hooded vest. Last winter I did quite a few dives there when the water was in the 60's. Brrr. I was just barely warm enough in my full getup; my buddy was pretty cold in his 3mm suit with 7mm hood. Without a wetsuit? I can't imagine it.
The biggest thing with a BC is that it HAS to fit. This is usually not too difficult for standard sized men (although a lot of people need a size smaller than they think, or than shop employees think) but it can be quite a challenge for smaller women. If the BC won't sit comfortably AND stably on the diver, the tank can slop around, and that simply isn't fun.
I can really relate to this comment! I stayed away from diving for close to five years after I was first certified -- ill-fitting BC's basically drove me away. I loved snorkeling and then all of a sudden this horrible GEAR was just ruining my inner fish. Ugh! Everything was either sized for average men or, apparently, women who weren't me.
Ask Blue Sparkle about comfortable gear for women diving in warm water!
Practically
invited to rant!
Seriously though, I did have a hard time finding a BC to fit. I'm not overly short (5'5"), but I'm really short-waisted. Even trying on a small or extra-small women's jacket BC (I tried on at least half a dozen), when I would fasten the cummerbund around my waist (where it had to go), the shoulders would be up around my ears! That equates to the tank slopping around in the water. Maybe I could handle that now (not that I would
want to), but when I was first starting out it was just unworkable. I always felt like the BC was running the dive, not me
Not to mention that there was so much... stuffing, pockets, and etc. under my arms that I felt like a Michelin Tire Woman. I just don't have any real-estate to spare there.
Your wife may be taller or simply not have a problem finding a BC to fit, in which case... never mind! I, however, was flummoxed. I just quit diving, until I came to Scubaboard in 2010 and asked around about some options. I found the option of the backplate/wing, and that has worked really well for me. I got my inner fish back
It's basically just a metal plate and some straps, infinitely adjustable (and the plates come in sizes; the one I have is almost too short for me, believe it or not), and leaves your underarms and chest free and open. Ahhh. I love it.
For a more "usual" BC, I have been intrigued by the Zeagle Zena. It's a relatively thin corset-style bodice, and is available in a variety of waist, torso, and chest sizes (all differently configurable in one BC). I wasn't aware of these when I was shopping, but I think one might have fit me.
Very exciting being divers and moving to the Keys!
Blue Sparkle
