As an instructor, it drives me nuts trying to find a BC that will comfortably fit most women. There are just too many variables when it comes to women. I normally tell new divers to just go with what works for them. I'll tell you the same thing. Try anything and everything on, especially with your body shape I think you'll find the options might be slightly more limited. If you're on a budget, you might want to take a good look at your options with a backplate setup. I'm not one who tries to push that on everyone, but the harness minus all of the pockets and padding and that junk is a lot more adjustable. And you can get a good, comfortable BP/W setup cheaper than I think you'll find looking at some of these other BCs.
Regulator, as long as you stick with the major brands out there, you really can't go wrong, especially if you're sticking to shallow depths in warm water. I've dove I don't know how many different regs by more manufacturers than I can even remember and I've never found one that didn't do the job I wanted it to do. The biggest thing to look for is making sure whatever you buy can be easily serviced locally. I have a bunch of Beuchat regulators that I love but I have to pay extra to have them serviced because there are no Beuchat dealers around me.
The mask, all I'll say is go to your LDS and try on every single mask they have. Do not settle for "fits ok" or "kinda comfortable" because after about 45 minutes that kinda comfortable is going to become "oh my God I am hating this mask". If you ask me the comfort and fit of a mask is what will make or break a dive. I can handle uncomfortable anything else, but if that mask hurts or leaks, the dive just sucks.
Fins, I'd go open heel, that's just me. I like wearing booties so I'm not slipping around on a boat or picking up the various foot ailments that everyone else who is walking around the deck barefoot might be carrying. Maybe that's just me, I've always been the dork that will wear my running shoes into the shower at the gym if I forget my sandals. As for what kind, that's up to you. Just don't go out and get some massive, 15 foot long, 8 foot wide fins that wear you out on the first kick. I'd say that's the biggest mistake I see is people showing up for class with fins that aren't right for them.
Getting it all for under $500 could be a trick, good luck with that. You may want to check in Goodwill stores, pawn shops, and places like Play it Again Sports. Just have anything you buy checked out by a shop before you use it.
Anyway, that's just my two cents on the thing.
Regulator, as long as you stick with the major brands out there, you really can't go wrong, especially if you're sticking to shallow depths in warm water. I've dove I don't know how many different regs by more manufacturers than I can even remember and I've never found one that didn't do the job I wanted it to do. The biggest thing to look for is making sure whatever you buy can be easily serviced locally. I have a bunch of Beuchat regulators that I love but I have to pay extra to have them serviced because there are no Beuchat dealers around me.
The mask, all I'll say is go to your LDS and try on every single mask they have. Do not settle for "fits ok" or "kinda comfortable" because after about 45 minutes that kinda comfortable is going to become "oh my God I am hating this mask". If you ask me the comfort and fit of a mask is what will make or break a dive. I can handle uncomfortable anything else, but if that mask hurts or leaks, the dive just sucks.
Fins, I'd go open heel, that's just me. I like wearing booties so I'm not slipping around on a boat or picking up the various foot ailments that everyone else who is walking around the deck barefoot might be carrying. Maybe that's just me, I've always been the dork that will wear my running shoes into the shower at the gym if I forget my sandals. As for what kind, that's up to you. Just don't go out and get some massive, 15 foot long, 8 foot wide fins that wear you out on the first kick. I'd say that's the biggest mistake I see is people showing up for class with fins that aren't right for them.
Getting it all for under $500 could be a trick, good luck with that. You may want to check in Goodwill stores, pawn shops, and places like Play it Again Sports. Just have anything you buy checked out by a shop before you use it.
Anyway, that's just my two cents on the thing.