spotm, if I'm reading your location right, it's not going to be easy for you to try a bunch of BCs, or maybe even to SEE them. This makes life difficult, because as has already been said, the absolute requirement for a BC is that it fit you properly. If it doesn't fit, it may not hold the tank stable on your back while you are diving (which is a PITA), or you may not be able to access pockets or other functions of the BC easily.
What are your diving plans? Are you going to do any "local" diving (i.e. drive to the coast)? Or are you going to do purely warm water, travel diving? This does impact the kind of BC you look for, since you need very little lift and very little ballast for warm water diving, but you'll need quite a bit of both for diving in your part of the world.
I am a great believer in the backplate systems for women, especially small women, because of the infinitely adjustable fit. But there are other back-inflate BCs that are made for women. I didn't like jackets at all -- really didn't like the feeling of the thing inflating all the way around me, and didn't like the massive amount of fabric wrapping around my torso. But some people do like them.
It's hard to advise you, because of where you are, and my suspicion that you'll be mail-ordering almost anything you decide to buy.
What are your diving plans? Are you going to do any "local" diving (i.e. drive to the coast)? Or are you going to do purely warm water, travel diving? This does impact the kind of BC you look for, since you need very little lift and very little ballast for warm water diving, but you'll need quite a bit of both for diving in your part of the world.
I am a great believer in the backplate systems for women, especially small women, because of the infinitely adjustable fit. But there are other back-inflate BCs that are made for women. I didn't like jackets at all -- really didn't like the feeling of the thing inflating all the way around me, and didn't like the massive amount of fabric wrapping around my torso. But some people do like them.
It's hard to advise you, because of where you are, and my suspicion that you'll be mail-ordering almost anything you decide to buy.
