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Scuba Forum / UK Scuba / January 2005BC's for women
I'd never really understood the difference between male and female BCs until I tried the Diva LX on at the weekend. Wow, I didn't realise that a BC could be comfortable! This has now persuaded me into thinking it may be worth investing in my own BC, rather than using rental BCs designed for men. So, I have been researching this morning on the best BCs for women and it seems like the Diva is quite popular. However, I have noticed some posters commenting that it caused difficulty with dry suit valves. Currently I've only ever dived in wetsuits, and I imagine this will be what I continue to do. I am interested in learning to dry suit dive though so want to make sure I future proof my BC purchase. Is there any real problem with the Diva LX and dry suits, and if so is it enough for me to consider a different BC? I was also wondering what the major difference between the Diva and the Eva is, apart from the bra styling on the Diva? Any opinions gratefully received. S > Is there any real problem with the Diva LX and dry suits, and if so is > it enough for me to consider a different BC? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > S Changing over to a dry suit should not present any real problems. If you use a hired or loaned suit then the position of the valve may be an issue but I would not think it would be insurmountable. If you buy a new suit you can have the inflation valve situated anywhere you want ( on the suit is preferable :-). If you buy a second hand suit you could have the valves repositioned to suit your configuration. taz. Buy a Halcyon Wing System, or similar, and all your problems are solved. Talk to Bardo on this newsgroup or my LDS at Selsey, 01243 601000. Money well invested and you will never wear a BC again. Chrystianne > I'd never really understood the difference between male and female BCs > until I tried the Diva LX on at the weekend. Wow, I didn't realise [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > S > Buy a Halcyon Wing System, or similar, and all your problems are solved. > Talk to Bardo on this newsgroup or my LDS at Selsey, 01243 601000. Money > well invested and you will never wear a BC again. > > Chrystianne I agree. Whilst it looks like a nice option with the swivelling shoulder straps, all these bits of plastic are potential points of failure and this particular BCD does not have a great deal of lift. More importantly, if you ever decided to have a twin-set of cylinders, not only is there insufficient lift, but also the design of the bladder would not be appropriate. My wife & I changed to a backplate & wing about three years ago and would never wish to dive without this configuration, which offers all the benefits and none of the disadvantages. We both have halcyon steel backplates & Explorer wings for UK drysuit / twinset diving and our own made Aluminium backplate and smaller wings for warm-water (wet-suit) single tank diving. I have exactly the same with my twin 7's and have the aluminium Halcyon backplate with the smaller bag for holidays. My only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner. It may not suit everyone but I'd really like to find someone who didn't like the configuration. Have you got the 2m hose for your main regulator and a necklace set up for the other one ? >> Buy a Halcyon Wing System, or similar, and all your problems are solved. >> Talk to Bardo on this newsgroup or my LDS at Selsey, 01243 601000. Money [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > twinset diving and our own made Aluminium backplate and smaller wings for > warm-water (wet-suit) single tank diving. > My only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner. It may not suit > everyone but I'd really like to find someone who didn't like the > configuration. Linda, my wife, & I agree. > Have you got the 2m hose for your main regulator and a necklace set up for > the other one ? We found that a 2m hose was just a little bit too short when diving with twins & a canister light, so we opted for the slightly longer 7ft hose. Yes our backup reg is on a bungee necklace. Our kit config is very close to DIR with the single exception of a slob-knob on the central isolator of our twinsets; because of previous arm & shoulder injuries we have difficulty in reaching the central isolator valve if we need to do a shutdown. The aluminium backplates we have for warm-water diving were based upon al of the best parts from several other backplates, both commercial and individual developments, and are as good as the Halcyon but a lot less expensive. If you know anyone interested I still have a few of them left from the recent manufacturing batch, all completely finished and hard anodised (but without webbing or hardware). TonyH I have to have the slob knob too - !!! I won't start a DIR thread here (I am /not/ DIR) but it seems we have virtually the same kit. It works, is always admired by dive centres abroad, and more importantly, you are streamlined in the water without all those hoses with a BCD damaging the coral. >> My only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner. It may not suit >> everyone but I'd really like to find someone who didn't like the [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > TonyH > I have to have the slob knob too - !!! > > I won't start a DIR thread here (I am /not/ DIR) but it seems we have > virtually the same kit. It works, is always admired by dive centres abroad, > and more importantly, you are streamlined in the water without all those > hoses with a BCD damaging the coral. I completely agree. I find it especially useful when doing wreck penetration without being snagged by the wreck and stirring up the silt, and not destroying coral reefs when abroad. > >> My only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner. It may not suit > >> everyone but I'd really like to find someone who didn't like the [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > > > TonyH > Buy a Halcyon Wing System, or similar, and all your problems are solved. > Talk to Bardo on this newsgroup or my LDS at Selsey, 01243 601000. Money > well invested and you will never wear a BC again. > > Chrystianne What you suggest is good advise but she did ask for advise on the jacket she is interested in. taz. > What you suggest is good advise but she did ask > for advise on the jacket she is interested in. > > taz. If I'd had the choice when I was buying my kit a few years back and the wing/harness system was readily available, I would explore all the pros and cons of BCD/Wing. I was simply trying to suggest that she looks at both systems, after all, diving is one of those sports where you can make expensive mistakes. She needs good advice from a dive shop who sell both. I was simply trying to suggest that she looks at both > systems, after all, diving is one of those sports where you can make > expensive mistakes. She needs good advice from a dive shop who sell both. I agree, and advice from other divers who have personal; experience of several kit configurations and don't have any commercial interest in selling what is currently gathering dust on the dive shops shelf and / or with the greatest profit margin. > So, I have been researching this morning on the best BCs for women and > it seems like the Diva is quite popular. However, I have noticed some > posters commenting that it caused difficulty with dry suit valves. Since the bra part does not inflate, you can push the drysuit valve through the tissue should it be covered that way. You'd try in better in a shop. In any case, the front part will also act as a thermal shield, like old horsecollar styles did. Matthias > > So, I have been researching this morning on the best BCs for women and > > it seems like the Diva is quite popular. However, I have noticed some > > posters commenting that it caused difficulty with dry suit valves. > > Since the bra part does not inflate, you can push the drysuit valve > through the tissue should it be covered that way. Push through tissue? > You'd try in better in a shop. In any case, the front part will also act > as a thermal shield, like old horsecollar styles did. You can also see if anyone in your local club has this item and ask them to look and if possible try it in the pool. The only viable 'thermal shield' (jargon that looks like it was lifted directly from the advertising and sounds like a device used by welders) is your suit, whether its a wet-suit or drysuit. The ability of the old ABLJ (horse-collar) BCD to keep a chest warm is so small as to be insignificant as, if it were tight enough to stop water flushing through, it would restrict the divers breathing! I've just had a look at the Aqualung web-site and after reading through all of the bullshit 'patented new unnecerssary devices' they don't even mantion the most important detail required of any BC device, that being the lift capacity. Marketing once again taking over from divers needs! It's obvious TonyH >>Since the bra part does not inflate, you can push the drysuit valve >>through the tissue should it be covered that way. > > Push through tissue? In german tissue is equivalent to fabric. Language slip on behalf of my part. >>You'd try in better in a shop. In any case, the front part will also act >>as a thermal shield, like old horsecollar styles did. > The only viable 'thermal shield' (jargon that looks like it was lifted > directly from the advertising and sounds like a device used by welders) is > your suit, whether its a wet-suit or drysuit. The ability of the old ABLJ > (horse-collar) BCD to keep a chest warm is so small as to be insignificant > as, if it were tight enough to stop water flushing through, it would > restrict the divers breathing! Too many ifs. A fenzy reaches around, from belly across the shoulders. It is warmer. I tried it, several others did. Same message from everyone whom I asked. Matthias > I've just had a look at the Aqualung web-site and after reading through all > of the bullshit 'patented new unnecerssary devices' they don't even mantion [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > TonyH > > The only viable 'thermal shield' (jargon that looks like it was lifted > > directly from the advertising and sounds like a device used by welders) is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Too many ifs. Exactly the problem. I believe that we should dive with the bare minimum of 'ifs' > A fenzy reaches around, from belly across the shoulders. > It is warmer. I tried it, several others did. Same message from everyone > whom I asked. > > Matthias However, there are mor negatives to the use of a 'Fenzy' than even a conventional BCD, and thats a compromise compared to a good backplate & wing. My first ABLJ was a Spiro Atlantic back in the 80's, however that was diving in a 7mm wetsuit not a modern drysuit & thermals, I would not like to go back to the restriction of movement that I had with that gear configuration. TonyH >>A fenzy reaches around, from belly across the shoulders. >>It is warmer. I tried it, several others did. Same message from everyone [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > conventional BCD, and thats a compromise compared to a good backplate & > wing. I took a similar, but non Fenzy horsecollar down to Spain last spring, becuase of space considerations, and I regretted not having taken y backplate. Afterwards, I tried my Fenzy again, and found it was eons better than the barakuda collar. It is just that for a comfortable dive you have to use a minimum in weights. My first ABLJ was a Spiro Atlantic back in the 80's, however that > was diving in a 7mm wetsuit not a modern drysuit & thermals, I would not > like to go back to the restriction of movement that I had with that gear > configuration. What kind of restrictions are you talking of? Matthias |
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