Help On Female Equip Selection

My wife and myself were recently certed.We are now looking into buying equip.LDS was helpful in her mask selection due to her having trouble EQing.(lower profile and possible purge).
Was wanting to know if anyone had suggestions on fins and b.c.
1)During cert,the fins used slightly strained her calves and ankles.(never looked to see brand)She is in good shape and i think it was the fin.Any suggestion for comfortable/effective fin not requiring a real strong kick.
2)Most important,the BC selection.As mentioned before,in good shape but rather Busty.During cert, used provided bc but was not extremely comfortable.Need something compatible for larger upper body and smaller lower.I have tried looking into this and so far came up with a ISLA.Would this be the best selection or does anyone have any better selection possibilities.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I am not use to having to be concerned with this type of stuff(you know,the female BC issues) but I want her to be comfortable so she can enjoy this as much as I do.What better place for info than SCUBA BOARD!

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

I'd strongly suggest that you and your wife try on as many BCs as possible before buying.

Two popular BCs for women that are talked about on this list a lot are the Zeagle Zena and the SeaQuest Diva. The Zena is a back-inflate BC with a modular design (corset on the front) that can be custom fitted. The Diva is a jacket style with a cumberbun and a bra looking piece on the front that takes the place of a front snap.

My first BC was a Diva and although it is an excellent BC, it never fit me right (rode up something fierce) and I didn't like the bulky side bladders. After a year of diving the Diva, I tried on a Zena and will never look back. Off went the Diva to e-bay and a quick call to Larry at ScubaToys had a Zena on it's way to me.

The moral of the story? Try on lots of BCs BEFORE you buy or you might not get the right piece of gear the first time. Good luck!

yup try as much gear you can.

ISLA is a good BC as you may adjust the front straps depending on bust comfort.

As to fins, also understand that being in shape doesn't necessarily mean the specific muscles used in finning are ready for the strain. I switched to a very stiff pair of Jet fins just before taking up scuba and my legs were sore while snorkeling with them. After about 2 weeks of swimming with them my legs adapted just fine. Just something to keep in mind - the body adapts to additional strain quite rapidly in most cases, it just needs a little time to adapt, then you are better off for it anyway.

If possible try different ones out, and ask around the board here before deciding... lots of folks here have gone through many pairs of fins before finding what they "really" wanted all along (and they are not necessarily the most expensive that you end up with ... )

Have fun diving!
Tim

THe best selection will be what She likes best and not what you find for her. It's very nice of you to go looking for her, but you should encourage her to be a self sufficient diver in every respect. That includes researching and shopping for her own gear. There are dozens of BCs out there that she can try. Don't limit her to the "female" ones. I've read several accounts of women on this forum who ended up with standard BCs after trying on all the "female" ones.

I personally bought the Ladyhawk, although I loved the feel of the Isla. I decided on the Ladyhawk because of the weight system release. For me it was much easier to release than the Isla and much much easier than the Islander. The standard BCs were just to big for my small frame. It is funny too, because I wasn't sure if I wanted a back inflate. I almost bought a BP/W from Halcyon but I liked the harness on the Ladyhawk better. The weight pouches for the Halcyon were a separate cost and way overpriced, imo. You just never know what will fit you and your style until you try them on.

1. Get out and do some skin diving, cramps and muscle aches are not uncommon if those muscles have not been active swimming. This months Scuba Diving magazine has a big fin feature.

2. My wife likes her Seaquest DivaLX a lot. The way the "sorts bra" wrapos the chest sounds like it may be a winner for your wife too.

Congratulations on the certifications. A Well equipped, comfortable diver will be a safe, secure and frequent diver. Make careful choices and be sure she tries before she buys. Rentals in open water is preferred but you may need to settle for time in a dive shop pool.

Pete

Beboandles:

My wife and myself were recently certed.We are now looking into buying equip.LDS was helpful in her mask selection due to her having trouble EQing.(lower profile and possible purge).
Was wanting to know if anyone had suggestions on fins and b.c.
1)During cert,the fins used slightly strained her calves and ankles.(never looked to see brand)She is in good shape and i think it was the fin.Any suggestion for comfortable/effective fin not requiring a real strong kick.
2)Most important,the BC selection.As mentioned before,in good shape but rather Busty.During cert, used provided bc but was not extremely comfortable.Need something compatible for larger upper body and smaller lower.I have tried looking into this and so far came up with a ISLA.Would this be the best selection or does anyone have any better selection possibilities.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I am not use to having to be concerned with this type of stuff(you know,the female BC issues) but I want her to be comfortable so she can enjoy this as much as I do.What better place for info than SCUBA BOARD!

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Click to expand...

scubamickey:

THe best selection will be what She likes best and not what you find for her. It's very nice of you to go looking for her, but you should encourage her to be a self sufficient diver in every respect. That includes researching and shopping for her own gear. There are dozens of BCs out there that she can try. Don't limit her to the "female" ones. I've read several accounts of women on this forum who ended up with standard BCs after trying on all the "female" ones.

Click to expand...

I agree wholeheartedly with this... I tried on several of the women's BC, according to my LDS the "French Cut" design is meant to sit better on the female form as it is cut higher on the hips, but I found that this style was worse for me as I have a long torso. I actually ended up buying the SeaQuest balance which I am extremely happy with.
Jeni

I just got an Isla and I love it - and I have the same considerations as your wife. I was really sold on the straps being able to be adjusted horizontally as well as vertically. I'm a new diver, so I don't have a lot of point of reference, but just thought I'd chime in. Also - same thing with leg soreness - I think you just use different muscles and they need to get used to the specific exertion. Its the same way with horseback riding. People can be in great shape, but they still have muscle soreness after a ride because they are using unfamiliar muscles. My legs have been less sore each time I dive.

I am pretty small too and had a really hard time finding something that wouldnt cut in across my chest. I ended up purchasing a halcyon bp/w which fits perfectly everywhere as i can just adjust the webbing as needed. I bought a stainless steel bp which has taken 6lbs off my weighbelt too .

I had a really hard time with getting bad leg cramps and sore ankles when i was using paddle fins, so on recommendation from a female instructor I purchased a pair of oceanic v12 split fins. I haven't had a single leg cramp since, and I seem to get less worn out using them, my legs arent as tired for the 2nd dive of the day....I also have no trouble keeping up with my very fit male dive buddies!

My lds has a setof v12s that they hire out, it might be worth finding an oceanic dealer (or whichever brand of fins your wife is leaning towards) and ask if they can do the same for her. If they cant hire them out for the day, most lds will let you try out a few pairs in the pool... its really worth it, because cramps and sore ankles can take some of the enjoyment out of the dive and suitable fins for her build and strength can make all the difference.

Thanks to everyone that has already posted!It is greatly appreciated!
I want everyone to understand that I am not trying to pick out her gear.With everything out there and all the advertisement out there,we are just trying to narrow the search down by drawing from the vast experiences from women that might have already gone through this search or anyone with knowledge in this area.(less time looking,more time diving).
We have tried the rental gear approach but you dont get a wide variety to compare.From gathering info from the people actually using the gear I feel we will be better prepared to start fitting and ultimately letting her pick what is right for her.Just didnt know where to start.Liked Isla due to vert and horizon adj straps,was not familar with others so thanks for the suggestions so far.
We will add Zena,Diva,Halcyon to list(already interested in Isla)
And thanks for the fin comments,I do think think one of the split fins will be a better experience for her.We will get a few suggestions and let her try them out at a D.S.