I need an opinion on fit for BP/W for a 12 year old

[tattooedjeeper]

I would let her be the guide put her in a pool with a tank and wing on that plate and ask her if it is pinching or pressing on anything uncomfortable if it is she may need a smaller plate but I think it looks ok and if she is good with it then it is the right size.

That's the plan. She's doing her open water dives on the weekend of the 30th. I'm gonna have her use the shops gear for that and the next weekend she and I will suit her up at either a pool or the local shallow quarry to 100% fit it to her and have her test the backplate and see if it's comfortable. I thank all of you for the advice and opinions.

 

[gfaith]

I do have one cam band pouch for her to help with trim if needed.

Be sure and get that trim pocket as close to the backplate as you can if needed at all. It will tend to increase roll if you keep it high centered on the strap. I do that with my Zeagle Express with the trim weight on one side but really close to the backplate.. works no roll. Of course, she will not need much weight at all depending on wetsuit used.

I think the AL63 is a wise choice as well. My wife/buddy is not much larger than your daughter (5'3" 105lbs) and she loves diving in the shallows with Al 63s. She can do AL80s too but likes the smaller lighter tank in shallow water.

 

[Ayisha]

That's the plan. She's doing her open water dives on the weekend of the 30th. I'm gonna have her use the shops gear for that..

It might be a good idea to check that the shop has gear available that will fit your daughter well. I wore my LDS' XXS (Sherwood) (Unisex) BCD for my class/pool sessions and it was too big. Fully inflated, it made contact with my body only in the chest area. The BCD was above the water at the surface while my face barely cleared the water. For my O/W, I got my own gear other than tanks and weights.

Just a thought as she is a slim female and the tiniest rental gear can be hard to come by during a busy course.

 

[tattooedjeeper]

@Ayisha - That's a very good point, thank you. I'll put her in her wetsuit and size everything for her and take it along with us just in case. Any chance she gets to do anything scuba related is fun for her. She'll enjoy sizing it up and getting ready. She's one excited young lady.

 

[guruboy]

Instead of arching your back, flexing your gluts works pretty well and less strain overall.

 

[Rhone Man]

So, my daughter is done with her academic portion and is doing her Open water cert dives soon. She will be using the shops gear for those dives, but since I have an aluminum back plate already I was hoping to fit her into that right off so we didn't have to buy another bc, just a wing and cam straps. I took a few pics of her in it and semi adjusted for her size, we'll fine tune it later in the wetsuit she'll be wearing. Does the plate look too long for her? She's 5'2" and around 95 lbs. Also, do the weight pockets seem good in that location on the waist belt? I appreciate any input...
View attachment 381434 View attachment 381435 View attachment 381436 View attachment 381437

Apart from the BPW it looks like she needs some instruction in UW navigation.

Far better to let your compass be your guide than the stars. Even when night diving.

 

[tattooedjeeper]

Apart from the BPW it looks like she needs some instruction in UW navigation.

Far better to let your compass be your guide than the stars. Even when night diving.

good point! we'll have to work on that.

 

[tattooedjeeper]

Just a quick update on this. My daughter finished her certification over the weekend and used both the shop's xxs cressi jacket style bcd and her own bp/w and has, with out a doubt, confirmed the bp/w is the right choice for her! She said the first day the jacket bc made her back hurt to the point of tears and felt like it barely held her head out of the water, but she stuck it out and made it through the skills. The next day she asked the instructor if she could use her own and had three much better dives than the day before. No back pain, no buoyancy issues and overall felt better. Today I took her out to the local scuba park for two tanks to celebrate her certification and on the ride home I asked her if her gear was comfortable on the dive and felt well. She said she couldn't believe how good her bc felt underwater "it was like it wasn't even there". Thanks to all that offered help on the thread, She and I both appreciate it. - Mark

 

[Ayisha]

Congrats to your new dive buddy!

 

[Marie13]

Congrats to your daughter! I just got certified myself this weekend.