New diver with a question about BCD made for women!

[3DTex]

Hi,

My spouse (dive buddy) loves her Zeagle Zena BCD.

 

[Quero]

I had a Diva for years and years. Wore it out and was sad when I wanted to replace it and they were no longer produced. I've got a whole bunch of BCDs, including backplate/wing/harness (Halcyon), back-inflate (Aqualung Zuma Pro) and sidemount pillow (Dive Rite Nomad XT), but for most diving I use the Zuma even though it's a unisex design and doesn't fit as well from the waist to the shoulder as the Diva used to or as well as the H or the XT do. To be honest, though, my issue is crotch straps, which I don't like. I actually had to change the two-inch webbing on my XT to a one-inch one for comfort, which has helped, but I really loved that I never felt the need for one with the Diva.

 

[jkyle]

ScubaPro Ladyhawk!

 

[Damselfish]

I like my Ladyhawk, but there are a variety of womans BC's available many mentioned above and you just need to see what is available near you to try on and see what you like. BP/W you may not need to try on a bunch for fit, but it would be good to learn more about that and try out as not everyone is a fan.

The comment that jacket BCs fit no one and that women's BCs are only sales is not true. Though you could be led to think otherwise by reading enough threads on this board, plenty of people find a traditional BC that fits them perfectly. And while I'm sure there have been BCs marketed for woman that weren't designed well, there are others with different styles and cuts that work for many woman.

 

[fnfalman]

I've posted it before and I'll post it again. When the manufacturers claim that their BCs are cut for women's figures, pray tell, which type of women's figures? The busty type? The athletic type? the slim built type?

 

[Quero]

You guys just don't get it--fnflman and halocline. Most men think of the primary anatomical difference between men and women's upper bodies as being women's breasts and chest area. In terms of BCD fit, that's not the only, nor even the main issue. The main problem is the waist to shoulder length. Women have defined waists with the hip bones making it necessary to strap the BCD higher on our bodies than men do on theirs. The length of the torso of the BCD is simply too long for women's bodies as a rule. When inflated, the BCD lifts off the shoulders and up around the ears. Also, women are narrower across the shoulders, so unisex BCDs tend to shift across the upper back since the the BCDs gap where the armholes are. Neither of these issues has anything to do with "busty type" "slim built type" "athletic type" or any "type". It's bone structure. This is why a harness system really is "unisex" because the webbing can be short enough for the proportions of a woman from her waist to her shoulder and fit snugly across the back. Has nothing whatever to do with breasts. BCDs designed for women are primarily shorter in the torso area and somewhat narrower in the shoulders. Some do have panels for the breast area while others don't. It's not "just" marketing--it's a manufacturing response to a real need for a product due to consumer demand. I am a female instructor and I work frequently with female students. My rental gear is "unisex" for a whole lot of reasons, but I admit that they rarely fit the women well and usually fit the men just fine. New divers ask me all the time what item of gear to invest in first, and usually my answer is "dive computer." However, for women, I usually say "BCD and dive computer."

 

[diversteve]

There's also the Zeagle Lazer if you're looking for something that travels better. LaZer - Recreational BCs - BCs - Zeagle Dive Systems

The LaZer is based on the very popular Stiletto BC. The LaZer however is cut, shaped and sized for the female form. It features a vest that is scooped in the lower rear to accomodate shorter torsos and wider hips. It is a rugged full featured but light weight BC, designed for women who may do both warm and temperate water diving but don't need the twin tank capability or higher lift of Zeagle's heavy-duty BCs.

 

[halocline]

You guys just don't get it--fnflman and halocline. Most men think of the primary anatomical difference between men and women's upper bodies as being women's breasts and chest area. In terms of BCD fit, that's not the only, nor even the main issue.

Excuse me, but I said nothing about women's vs men's anatomy. What I said was that jacket BCs in general do not perform in the water nearly as well as rigid backplate/webbing harness systems. It has nothing to do with gender, just bad design by the scuba gear industry. Please don't confuse my post with someone else's.

 

[Quero]

Excuse me, but I said nothing about women's vs men's anatomy. What I said was that jacket BCs in general do not perform in the water nearly as well as rigid backplate/webbing harness systems. It has nothing to do with gender, just bad design by the scuba gear industry. Please don't confuse my post with someone else's.

No what you said was that jackets don't fit anyone well. You also said

The differences between 'mens' and 'womens' jack BCs are mostly there for sales purposes

And if you mean by that statement that the manufacturers are offering a product for which there is a demand (equipment that fits women's bodies) and they want to sell them, then, fine! However, even a casual reading of your post indicates that you don't think these differences are of any consequence. I disagree, being that I'm a woman and I have 1) purchased and used jacket BCDs designed for women 2) purchased and used backplate and wing systems, 3) purchased and used back-inflate BCDs, and 4) recently purchased a sidemount wing. Of all of these, the most comfortable to wear have been the jacket models designed for women. My backplate and wing rig has been stored and has not been in the water for 8 years now. I don't like webbing under my arms. I don't like crotch straps. I don't like a hard plate on my tailbone. And I perform in the water just fine without a hard backplate and a harness. I know that many women aren't bothered by those things, but that doesn't make womens' models of jacket BCDs nothing more than a sales gimmick.

 

[halocline]

The recreational dive industry sells all sorts of very questionable products because there is a demand for them. Unfortunately, most people evaluating dive gear do so in a dive shop showroom, which is a completely different environment than actually in use underwater. This means trying on BCs in street clothes in dry air rather than in a wetsuit (or drysuit) underwater where the weighting loads are almost opposite.

I'm glad you like your jacket BC, but I completely stand by my opinion that they do not work nearly as well for men AND women divers as do BP/W systems. I very strongly suspect that if ALL divers were given the opportunity to evaluate jacket BCs and BP/W systems under water wearing exposure protection with weight properly distributed, there would be an overwhelming preference for the BP/W. Instead, students are trained by dive shops selling jacket BCs, so what do you think they're exposed to? Of course there are occasional exceptions, but it's not the norm.

But, that's just my opinion, the only thing I objected to in your post was your characterization that I, like 'most men', apparently think that women's bodies = boobs.