women's BC info needed

[Carolyne]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some input from anyone who dives with either an
Oceanic Isla QLR, Genesis Athena, or Sequest Eva.

What can you tell me about these? Comfortable? Likes/Dislkes? I've tried them on and will be purchasing one but wanted some feedback first.

Thanks for any info you can give.
Carolyne

 

[scubajoe]

My wife wears an Isla and loves it. She tried a Scuba Pro womens BC and didn't like it at all. Try all of them on and see which one you like.
The new weight release system is an improvement over the old Qceanic system.

Joe

 

[DrySuitDave]

My wife wears an Isla and loves it. She tried a Scuba Pro womens BC and didn't like it at all. Try all of them on and see which one you like.
The new weight release system is an improvement over the old Qceanic system.

Joe

ScubaJoe,

Great quote....

Ad this quote from right after your Benjamin Franklin quote so eveyone can see how our government is full of traitors and tyrants.

"The American people must be willing to give up a degree of personal privacy in exchange for safety and security." - Louis Freeh 1993 (FBI director)

 

[diverlady]

I prefer a back-inflate non-women's (Zeagle) bc myself. However, Zeagle does have a women's bc you might want to try out if you're only considering women's ones.

Zeagle Zena

Diverlady

 

[jaime]

I have an Isla and am quite satisfied with it thus far. Then again, I'm still a newbie and have made only 12 dives with it (plus, the only other one I've dove with is the children's size BC I wore during my OW classes - ugh!) I like the fact that you can adjust the front a bit, and that there's no second clip high on the chest (it's not that I'm chesty by any measure, but I don't like feeling confined with that second strap that many BCs have). It's definitely comfortable, even when fully inflated due to high waves on the surface.

My one complaint is that the rings are kind of cheesy and not really where I'd like them to be (I think this is a fairly common problem with women's BCs). My husband's BC has heavy-duty metal D-rings in very handy places - boy do I envy his D-rings... I might have a couple sewn on my Isla at some point, once I get more experience and decide where they would be most comfortable to me (although, I guess fewer rings can be a plus, in that they force you to take only the essentials and not wind up with 15 "extras" dragging all over the place.)

I did a lot of research before buying my Isla, and the one theme I kept hearing over & over is that BC preference varies tremendously by diver - you just have to keep trying them on till you find one that "clicks". My LDS didn't have a lot of selection, but I tried what they had (including non-women's BCs) and I think I made a good choice for me.

Good luck!

 

[mmcdds]

My wife uses a Sea Quest Diva LX and loves it. She especially likes the padding on her spine.

Good luck

 

[Aquaphile]

I use a Sea Quest Diva and really like it. I can finely tune the size of the BC so that it fits perfectly. My only complaint is that the pockets are too small.

 

[smrtblnddiver]

Where are you going to do most of your diving?

I started out with the Diva and hated it, but a lot of it is the conditions I dive in (it's not a cold water BCD). I prefer a woman's back inflate.

I have no personal experience, but a woman on my last tropical trip was quite favorable to her Diva and she had owned an Athena and she said it was not good.

 

[gemdiver]

Did you know that there are two different models of the Diva, one for warm water and one for cold? I wonder if you got the warm water one.

 

[inter_alia]

I have 50 dives in warm (from 68 to 84) water in a Diva QD. For the sake of clarity, I'm a regular JCrew size 10 but busty -- and the Diva works fine except: notoriously bad/ineffective dump valve, pockets are small but bulky (amazing, really), and the "sports bra" claim would be right only if we were all sagging to our stomachs already. What I like a great deal is the lack of a chest-strap (wonderful), the ease of snugging down the shoulder straps, the interior fabric/ padding and a few well-placed but plastic D-rings.
Aquaphile was right about being able to customize the fit (the cumerbund -sp?- is pretty ingenious) but it's also difficult to do this quickly. The weight system doesn't bother me but I've heard or read that some say it's cumbersome for loading and ditching the pockets (they now have a newer system for this, "sure loc" maybe). I do keep a couple pounds in the back, non-ditchable pockets and this takes a load off the side weight pockets.
All in all, the QD (which is cheaper than the LX) is fine for the sort of diving I'm doing even as I gain experience but next time I'll likely go for something less... big. Or something.