Libra? Isla? DIva? Luna? Which one?

[bsquyres]

I am in the process of certifying right now, but my diver husband wants me to buy my own equipment. I agree and have just about everything...except the BC. I originally tried the Isla, but I'm really not sure. A female divemaster suggested the Luna for me (she uses one). I read all the posts and have found lots of good advice, but nothing on the Luna BC (Sherwood). Does anyone have an opinion about this one? :06:

And please, no offense intended, but...no BP/wing stuff... its been pretty well covered in other threads...

 

[CuriousMe]

Hi bsquyres,

Welcome to the board. Everyone's got a favorite (mine is the Diva LX).......the best is to try as many as possible in the water and see which one fits you best.

Have fun.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[astrl]

I agree with Cathie... everyone has a favorite. I went with the Zeagle Escape because Zeagle was modular and gave a better fit. I liked the Escape because it still had some storage pockets and wasn't restrictive across my chest as the Zena was.

Definitely try a few on and see how they feel. Good luck!

astrl

 

[hnladue]

I also have a Zeagle Ranger. I jus thave the shorter sholder straps. Fits very nice and snug! Try on as many as you can...you may be surprised!

 

[bsquyres]

Thanks for your advice...unfortunately, I can't find an LDS that sells Zena. Actually, that may be a good thing, at least for me. Sometimes I'll decide on one thing and then find something else I like better or just as much. Anyway, I got to try on a Luna and it just clicked! :07: Since there wasn't a place to try it under water, I had the sales guy load it up with tank and weights and then I tried it on again. Bought it right then and there. I've used it once since then and I like it alot.

Thanks again!

 

[Trish The Fish]

Cathie,
I just got the Diva LX, too (or at least I believe that is what I have). Everyone says I will love it... but I'm not crazy about the idea that it doesn't encourage "heads-up" floatation at the surface. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
Trish The Fish
trish3fish@yahoo.com

Hi bsquyres,

Welcome to the board. Everyone's got a favorite (mine is the Diva LX).......the best is to try as many as possible in the water and see which one fits you best.

Have fun.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[CuriousMe]

Hi Trish,

Hmmm...guess I really don't know what you mean. There are two different Diva's....one is the QD and one is the LX. The QD is a standard jacket design, and the LX has a wing but is a hybrid (it also has bladders in the lower front half of the jacket).

One comment made about back inflate jackets (that aren't hybrid and don't have the bladders in the front of the jacket as well) is that at the surface, if you over inflate the wing it will push you on your face. This can generally be avoided by not over-inflating the wing and by just leaning back onto the wing while on the surface.....but the LX has bladders in the front as well.....I haven't felt like it's been pushing me forward at all on the surface.

Is this what you're referring to Trish?

Peace,
Cathie

 

[Rosie]

I have a Diva LX and although the position underwater is great (because of the wing), I find it does tend to push me face down on the surface. CuriousMe, you are probably right, so I am going to try inflating it less to see if that helps, but I suspect that the weights being at the front also contributes to the problem.

Other than that, it is a lovely comfortable fit but I read somewhere that most newer jacket-style BCDs are designed so that they inflate outwards and thus don't crush your rib-cage anyway. Any thoughts on that?

cheers
Rosie

 

[bsquyres]

---"most newer jacket-style BCDs are designed so that they inflate outwards and thus don't crush your rib-cage"

I had had my Luna fully inflated both in and out of the water and so far I haven't felt squeezed or confined like I did in the Oceanic I used in class. In the end, I think that is one of the things that sold me on this BC. I had looked at the Isla and the Ladyhawk seriously, but the chest strap on the Ladyhawk was to tight and the Isla just didn't give me...well the only way I can describe it is it didn't "speak" to me. :06: I really did like the Ladyhawk, but I kept getting flack from my husband and others ...got tired of it. Maybe I'll get a back inflate in a few years.

 

[Nay]

I really did like the Ladyhawk, but I kept getting flack from my husband and others

What flack were they giving you? I'm buying the Ladyhawk tomorrow. The Libra and Diva both came very highly recommended and I also tried on the Eva and Zeagle Ranger but the Ladyhawk seems to fit the best. I don't really like the pocket but will have to try it and I'll let you know. Between my husband and I, we're spending almost four grand tomorrow.:icon10: I'm still in denial about that one.
Wish us luck!