My wife likes the Apex black ice BC. Can anyone with practical experience in the matter shed some light on the truths and myths about BCs for men worn by women? Do they ride up? If so when, how much, and for what body type? How much is comfort realy effected. My wife doesn't like the ladies BCs we have seen so far as much as the sleak and simple men's Apex black ice that I just got. Her body type is short, very lean, and very curved, and about 110lbs. She is an XS to S.
My wife wants the Apex Black Ice BC
- Thread starter Jayfro
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
fnfalman
Contributor
I don't know about this Black Ice BC, but I can tell you about a myth that the BC manufacturers foisted on people: women's cut. What is that? Women's cut for which woman? For the athletic built? For the skinny built? For the curvaceous built? For the pear bottom built?
I think that your wife already had determined that fallacy. Get her a backplate/wing with harnesses and call it a day. I have yet to see a BPW's harness not fit a person of any shape, size, gender and age. The only thing you'd need to worry about is whether or not the standard plate may be too long for a shorter person. Of course various manufacturers do make shorter or longer plates to accomodate a person's torso length.
I think that your wife already had determined that fallacy. Get her a backplate/wing with harnesses and call it a day. I have yet to see a BPW's harness not fit a person of any shape, size, gender and age. The only thing you'd need to worry about is whether or not the standard plate may be too long for a shorter person. Of course various manufacturers do make shorter or longer plates to accomodate a person's torso length.
2nd this big time. BPW.
muzikbiz22
Contributor
The Black Ice is my next BC. More info on Aqualungs website if you click here. There are elements that make it a 'Rec BC", and there are elements that make it a "Tec BC". It's rear inflate, so the front is very open, might be ideal for a female, I'm a male however. I like rear inflate for comfy trim and I'm usually lugging a DSLR rig around underwater. You can rig it up for doubles if you like. My take on it is that it's an alternative to a BP/W rig. I'm guessing much lighter ? I tried one on and really liked it. I'm not sure how many different sizes are available, BUT, you can size them yourself, as well. They have beefy sizing adjustment thingy's. Very cool feature.
fnfalman
Contributor
I just looked at this Black Ice at their website and a few things that sticks out:
A. The smallest one only goes down to fit a person 5ft4 tall.
B. The wing is fixed and not interchangeable and has 52-lbs of lift - that's crazy for rec diving!!! Yes, it's bungeed, but I've dived with bungeed wings before and they still tend to trap air.
A. The smallest one only goes down to fit a person 5ft4 tall.
B. The wing is fixed and not interchangeable and has 52-lbs of lift - that's crazy for rec diving!!! Yes, it's bungeed, but I've dived with bungeed wings before and they still tend to trap air.
Only you folks can decide if this thing fits her and has features to her liking but to answer the question in concept as you asked it, YES many ladies prefer to avoid the ladies cut models and do perfectly fine in the male (or unisex) models.
Beyond the question I think it's great that she is taking an active role in choosing her gear. Too often they are not engaged in that side of the sport. Despite hubby's best intention to make it work nothing beats the first person perspective.
Pete
Beyond the question I think it's great that she is taking an active role in choosing her gear. Too often they are not engaged in that side of the sport. Despite hubby's best intention to make it work nothing beats the first person perspective.
Pete
Last edited:
And a BPW is about half the price. Can be configured for doubles doesn't mean it will be any good with them.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
ams511
Contributor
Back to the original question. Some women complain that a man's BC is uncomfortable because the straps often rub against their breasts. Although I am, man I can understand that because an ill-fitting BC will rock from side to side while swimming underwater. I would assume this lack of comfort would largely be for women diving in a swimsuit or a skin. I can't imagine it making a difference to a women in neoprene. As far as riding up goes, a crotch strap will take care of that problem.
The only way you will know for sure if the BC is good for her is if she can dive it and see. Personally, I use a BP/W but I do have a jacket style BC and can understand why some people may prefer them.
The only way you will know for sure if the BC is good for her is if she can dive it and see. Personally, I use a BP/W but I do have a jacket style BC and can understand why some people may prefer them.
I agree with your wife that a woman's BCD is nonsense. I tried several on and hated them. I dive with the Oceanic Islander and love it. It's a "travel" BCD, light wt and minimalist but suits my needs at present. If she likes the Black Ice, I say go for it!
Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback. My wife took the ladies cut BC because we tried a very well fitting men's model and the straps were putting putting some pressure on as you mentioned. She also found that the rentals that we we used for certification were riding up a bit despite being the right size. We were told that while a crotch strap would keep the BC in place, on long and repeated dives the strap can iritate or be uncomfortable unless wearing a thicker suit. We were recomended to choose comfort and functionality first. Also, I'm concerned that an only back inflating BC will be difficult for my wife to handle while surfaced.
Similar threads
