Small Petite Women...

[sunfish]

I'm 150 cm and when I shop for dresses in the US, I look for sizes 4 and 6. Strange thing is, I'm small even for a Japanese woman, but most of the regulars in my dive club are about my size!

I'm just a beginner, so you might not want to take my word for it, but people in my club who are qualified as DMs use the same setup I do. I have a Mobby's neoprene drysuit (the smallest "off the rack" size sold in Japan fits me well), and an Aqualung BC in XS (what else? ) I have a regular sized head (which makes for getting my head through the neckhole of my drysuit an interesting project which involves the use of either old pantyhose or a plastic shopping bag), so can't help you with the mask. I have size small Gull (Japanse manufacturer, don't know if they sell in the US) fins.

 

[artsprite]

I'm 5' 0" and wear a size 10. I use a sherwood luna bc, a sherwood mask made for a small face and a sherwood oasis reg. I use force fins because they cause less leg fatique, are shorter and lighter that regular fins, but are quite powerful. I had to get a custom wetsuit. I found a pair of Akona reef gloves in an xs that fit my hands perfectly. the fingers are just the right length. (short) I like to dive with an AL 63 tank, but when I go to the caribbean this spring I'll probably have to make do with an AL 80 because I think that's all the dive charters use. I'd like to try a steel 80 sometime because it actually weighs a little less than the 63. The 63 is shorter of course, and fits my torso better. In fresh water with no rubber, I use about 6 lbs of weight.

 

[scubabunny]

I can't really help you with the BC and suit. I am 5'1 3/4" (gotta add that in!!) and I dive with a Diva. But, I don't have any experience in dry suits, so I don't know if that would work or not. I have noticed that Seaquest does have a shorter backpack in all their BCs than most manufacturers so they may be more comfortable for her. Or, try the back plate and wings.

As for masks...it all depends on how her face is made (ie. narrow, wide, high cheekbones or low, high brow...etc). For a narrow face, I would suggest trying a TUSA Splendive or Platina, Mares Lirica or Opera, Scubapro Avalon (comes with or without purge..the purge has a tendency to make it harder to equalize). IST has some nice smaller masks, but they are hard to distiquish because they also do private lables. Ask if your shop carries IST, and if so, ask to try on the Corona,Twingo Jr. or Taraus. Basically though, she has to find a mask to fit her. Each mask is different.

Same with fins. Size 5 shoe is hard to fit here, but we are not in cold water. If she has her boots, have her take them into the shop when she tried on fins. The fit depends alot on the thickness of the sole, and the shape of the foot. From my experience, Mares Quattroes (small) are the best fit for small feet (we don't carry them anymore ) You might also try Scubapro Twinjets, or Tusa Imprex.

I am just giving suggestions for what I know. I'm sure there are other brands out there that will work just as well. Most important thing is for her to find something that fits her and is comfortable. You can spend $200.00 on the "best fins" but if they don't fit...the money is wasted.

Hope this helps some!

 

[MightyDiver]

I am a new diver, petite (5'3" but size 3 hourglass) and thought the hunt for a BC was very difficult UNTIL I tried on the Zeagle Zena. I had to get them to make me an XS (only $20 for custom orders ). I also tried various wetsuits and found the Scubapro line in XS fits well. Only mask that fit me at our dive shop was the Akona Shorline but I'll keep trying masks since I'd like to have more than one just incase. As for fins, the Cressi Spacefrog XS fit with the ankle bands cranked down. I have yet to use a full size tank since the 63 is too darn heavy as it is and I'm fit. I'll have to try just gearing up in the water with an 80 tank soon.

 

[Zept]

I'm with MightyDiver... after trying on all the fins in Singapore (well, almost), I got a pair of Cressi Frogs in XS/S. They are narrower than anything else I tried.

I never thought of myself as 'petite' until I started diving. When I moved to Singapore, my clothes size changed from 'small' to 'medium' (my body hasn't changed, local clothes are just smaller than European ones). Now I wear an extra small BC on top of a small wetsuit, which goes over a medium swimsuit. Logically, this should mean I have a large heart... but actually I'm a complete coward. Oh well.

Zept

 

[beepbird]

I too am small! 5'2", 103 lbs, size 4.5 foot. I think I drove my local dive store nuts with my requirements. Booties were my biggest challenge in that nothing fit, my foot would fall out of a size 3 bootie because the heels were too wide. And if the bootie fit they fell out of the fins because the pockets were too deep. I finally found a size 2 Deep Sea bootie with an extra bump on the heel to help the fin strap stay on. Right now beach dives aren't as bad as before. I use US Divers Blades XS, but was told by a high end dive shop that I should try the since discontinued Apollo's.
I was also told that Henderson makes custom fit booties for >$70, ouch!

I still need to get a BC and will read on in the forum.

Thanks,
Beepbird:

 

[MightyDiver]

I just purchased a petite wetsuit online from http://www.onlinescuba.com
They were very helpful via email with my questions. I hope the suit will fit well. The thermo suit I chose for colder water even came in a REALLY small which is wonderful. I hope this link isn't too long so you can see the size chart. It's the first time I've seen a suit made for a woman 5'tall and 95lbs. http://www.onlinescuba.com/products...ving_semi-dry_suit/xwetsuits/b1_xcelchart.jpg

Oh, and as for BCs, the Zena by Zeagle comes in an XS. If you call them they will give you the measurements. The waist is adjustable from 23" I recall. It's the one i bought and they only charge $20 for custom orders which I thought very nice.

 

[Zept]

Bodyglove makes some pretty small wetsuits. I tried on an XS (US 3/4, I think) and couldn't get it over my calves! V embarrassing.

Z

 

[beepbird]

I must have tried 6-8 different wetsuits. I finally bought a 7 mm Excel wetsuit in size 4. It fits pretty well. My only complaint is that the legs are a little long and the knee pads aren't quite in the right place. With zippers and Velcro I can't really cut it shorter, so i just have to live with it. But it does keep me warm for So Cal beach diving.

 

[jan_rose]

Glad that I found this web site, I read the part about petite women, I am 4'11 and 91 lbs. It has helped me alot. Any advise anyone can send me please do. Thanks