If you are a female scuba diver then you would know how important it is for a BCD jacket are and why they should fit properly.

Although most BCD are generally made for men, there are still some that can fit women, even if you are petite or small.

A well-fitted BCD jacket is a lot safer, so it is strongly advised to always go for a size that fits your body type; not too loose and not too tight either.

If you are new to diving terms, a BCD (short for buoyancy control device) jacket is an equipment that is worn by scuba divers to create and establish neutral and positive buoyancy in and out of the water.

Just like buying a scuba mask for big nose, chose the right BCD jacket as a small or petite woman can come as a challenge this is because you cannot just order any buoyancy jacket you see online because it looks like it would fit, proper online investigations are needed for your safety in and out of the water.

In this guide, you will see our recommendations of BCD jacket women divers with small or petite body and why they are the best.

The Top 5 BCD Jackets for Small or Petite Women

One of the things to bear in mind when purchasing a BCD (whether you are a petite or not) is size, it is as essential as the color of a scuba fins.

Since BCD is generally made for male divers, when picking out a BCD as a woman with a petite or small body, it is best to go for sizes from smaller than large, they usually give the best snuggly fitting.

Additionally, if you are not sure of your size or sizes smaller than large will not suit, you can use the table below as a reference:

BCD size chart

Moving on, here are the 5 best scuba diving BCD jackets that will fit women who have small or petite bodies:

1. Best scuba BCD jacket for petite women: Aqua Lung Pearl BCD jacket

The first BCD jacket on this list is the Aqua Lung Pearl women’s scuba diving jacket designed to give you the best of both worlds: comfort and a streamlined buoyancy.

This jacket allows you float effortlessly especially when you are at the surface, also creates a simplified profile while you dive.

This BCD has a built-in advanced sleek air cells and at the same time, each sizes comes with an appropriate torso length that creates the perfect fit on the wearer.

If you are a lover of adjustable straps, then this BCD jacket has added a third ‘best’ to the “both worlds” (comfort and a streamlined buoyancy), the straps makes it more comfortable to wear the jacket over a simple dive outfit

You don’t even have to worry about wearing a regular bra with it as this jacket has a sports bra style front plus it has an adjustable waistline so you don’t have to worry about your bust size.

2. Best scuba diving BCD jacket for petite or small women: Oceanic Hera BC jacket

The second on the list of the best BC jackets for petite women is this one from Oceanic Hera, designed to fit the female divers as it comes in all the small sizes.

Although it is a bit on the expensive side, it offers many efficient features ranging from the patented adjustable positioning system to the pre-bent stainless D-rings specific to fit contortedly on shoulders.

A great thing about this BCD is its durability and plenty of storage (pockets), it has a bit of an adjustable buckle system and the front is made to give the bust a breathing space.

The strap around the neck area is adjustable too, so you don’t have to worry about getting choked by something you bought with your own money.

3. Best BCD jacket for small women: Scubapro Bella BCD jacket for women

Moving on to the third jacket on this list, this Bella feminine-looking BCD from Scubapro.

Scubapro is popular for their generous contribution in providing efficient scuba diving equipments for divers, so it is no surprise that they have women’s BCD in their catalogue.

This Bella BCD jacket has a Y-fit shoulder fit that bends to fit any shoulder type as comfortable as possible.

It also comes with a 5th-generation Air2 inflator that weighs about 8 pounds and somehow it is quite lightweight.

One special feature about this Bella BC jacket from Scubapro is how durable it is, plus it comes with a whole one year warranty.

Additionally, it has an adjustable soft cummerbund neoprene neck and a padded backpack; this BCD is made for comfort and secure dive in and on the surface of the water.

It also has two large zippered pockets, and an extra D-rings for extra carry-on.

However, if you are small or petite diver, going for sizes under medium will be your best option; you can check our size reference table above.

4. Best BCD jacket for small petite women: SEAC Ego diving BCD

This is the cheapest BCD for women on this list and we will let you know why we recommend this in a second.

This BC jacket is the best-value for money in the market as it has a high-lift buoyancy force that can even light heavy cylinders or other carry-ons, however, the buoyancy depends on the size you get (XXL offers the highest buoyancy and so on)

It has 4 D-rings and 3 dump valves to hang your carry-ons and other diving accessories and that helps remove excess water after diving.

The only downside to this BCD is that its seams are sometimes poorly sewn, they tend to loosen after too many uses, but if you are good with a thread and a needle; you can always sew them back every time.

5. Best scuba BCD jacket for small petite women: RIPTIDE Mira women’s Back BCD

This is a lightweight BC jacket that is popular for weight integrated features, specially made for women.

It gives a comfortable fit to the wearer, comes in many sizes including small and extra –small.

It has an adjustable fit that makes it easy to fit any bust size, an at the same time offers great water buoyancy to the diver.

Like the other BCD on this list, this one comes with 9 D-rings on the sleeves plus lumbar support cushions, so expect less cramps.

On the back on this jacket, you would find a water valve, for removing excess water to avoid adding extra weight to your BCD.

For the price, we think this is the best fit for any petite diver looking for a good BCD jacket that is under $500.

Conclusion

Finding the perfect BCD as a female diver is difficult talk more of the ones for a petite or small diver.

However, we understood how challenging it can be, and gone around to find some of our favorite scuba BCD jackets for women and have complied them with reviews in this guide.

While most of the BCD listed in this guide are made for women, they can also be worn by men whose bodies are more on the small side as long a syou know your weight, height or size (check the size chart above).