After I got my OW certification in Nov 07, I went to my local dive shop to buy some gear so I'd have stuff that fit and not be at the mercy of what was available in rental gear on my dive trips. I'm 5'2" and weigh 88 lbs (10 lbs less than when I first started diving). I've used a Zeagle Zena BCD, and have almost 400 dives with it. It zips down the front with side and shoulder buckles for a snug adjustment; no cummerund or weight belt! Front and back pockets for weights. Depending upon the thickness of the wetsuit, I put 3 or 4 lb wts in each of the front pockets. When I've done cold water dives in fresh water, I've also put weights in the back pockets. I've switched out the mouthpiece on my Sherwood regs for smaller mouthpieces; this is easy to do yourself. I also have a junior size dive mask (still good after almost four years). The hardest thing is to get a wetsuit that fits, not just when trying it on, but when you're in the water. I end up with water coming in at the neck, and then I'm cold the whole dive. Started out with a Henderson T2 3mm wetsuit in size 4, which was great until the legs got a little stretched out and I lost the 10 lbs. I bought the newest Henderson Titanium in a size 4 (small), and it was way too big, so I sent it back to the web vendor and got a full refund, since the sizing didn't match the mfr's guidelines (I've seen the suit on other lady divers, and they both said this model runs larger than other Henderson suites). I think the extra small might fit, but I'm trying other options before shelling out $450 for another wetsuit. I'm going to try wearing a hooded vest under the 3 mm suit to see if that will work.
