Another "female peeing" issue

[CaseyJr]

We recently certified. During one classroom session, I was the one who asked, "What do you do when you have to use the bathroom?" (small dive boat w/out facilities). Needless to say, I was surprised at the answer ....:11: Anyway, when we did our OW dives (in a lake), I had to go so bad I thought my bladder would burst, but try as I might, couldn't "go" in the wetsuit. When we got back on the boat and got out of the wetsuits, I asked one of our female instructors and she said to don snorkel (etc.) and get back in the water (my husband was in the same dire straits so he accompanied me -- it's nice to have company). That worked. So why couldn't we "go" when we were in the wetsuits but could when we weren't? Is it psychological?

Same thing happened the next day. I hate to think I may have to shorten a dive just because .....

 

[Sas]

I have the same issue, I can't seem to pee in my wetsuit (and trust me, I have tried real hard ) so sometimes when I get out of the water I am just running for the toilet. Usually I am fine during the dive, just when I am ascending the urge hits! On shore dives with no toilet, I can only go if I take off my wetsuit and pee in the water that way, but I freeze to death doing that now days so I spend a while finding a nice bush at some sites. Something about being in 'clothes' stops me from going, I think that is all it is. A psychological issue!

I have a drysuit now and thinking of setting up a p-valve actually cos I will be doing longer dives, I think if I know it isn't going to be floating around in a suit, I will be able to go.

 

[vicdiver656]

You think you got it bad? What about divers who use drysuits??? Without a P-valve, they're toast! :rofl:

 

[Anti-Hero]

As a drysuit diver who doesn't have a pee valve, I find it hard to have any sympathy for you.

When I dive a wetsuit, peeing in it is one of life's little pleasures. I don't know why you can't, but I suggest getting that worked out. Nothing like a nice warm pee in 50 deg. water!

 

[Noboundaries]

Definitely psychological. A learned behavior. Relaxing works best and relief is easist when task loading is least. OW certification is a high task load environment because of the newness. I couldn't pee either at that time and had to walk quite a way to the bathrooms.

Word to the wise.....if ever diving with me and my wife, avoid us when descending, at our safety stops, anytime it appears we're just hanging in the water and not moving, waiting for the boat to pick us up, or letting others go ahead of us when reboarding the boat. Chances are it is bladder vacating time. My wife and I now recognize when the other is dumping liquids and we have fun teasing each other. :mooner:

 

[jsado]

seems to be an awful lot of pee discussions lately... one time I had a poll removed by a mod because I went buck nutty and included the word....well wait, I don't want to be banished forever...lets just say that was the OPPOSITE of pee and used in a context that was clearly all in good fun........

 

[David P]

I remember that issue, you gotta figure that it has been ingrained in your brain for how many years not to release if you're wearing clothes. I like to drink lots of fluids, then on a nice relaxing dive I can just let go! Then I got into a drysuit, very hard to go again. Even after a few... incidents that are now called "Yellow Russian" (started off as popoff then yellow popoff) I got pretty comfy with letting go (still feel for the hose movement as the plumbing is primed) However if I'm doing a training dive where I am really concentrating on something, forget it! Dam is closed. Then after the work and we're swimming back in and I relax, I get a nice little jet propulsion action going! Once you get more comfy in the water and really learn to relax, the problem will just "GO" away

 

[sambolino44]

I think it's totally psychological. That doesn't make it any easier. I've never had any more of a problem in my wetsuit than just in the water, but sometimes it just won't go! On our recent trip to Belize I was shocked to learn that it's common practice to just go in the water, and I'm not talking about just pee! But what else are you going to do? The island we were on was not much bigger than my yard; there's no way it could sustain the traffic if everybody stayed on the island. Not a pleasant thought, but there's no denying it's as much a part of life as breathing. You tell yourself, "Just relax", but all your life you've been taught that that's the most important muscle that MUST NOT EVER let go! And now you're telling it to relax? Sure, pal.

I wonder if there isn't some trick you can play on yourself, like how you can make yourself salivate just by thinking about a pickle. So far, the only thing I've found that works for me is to just clear my mind, like meditation.

It's not just women who have this problem.

 

[Fossilbabe]

Ok since we are on the subject it think it is totally psychological. Next time you need to go think of it as shark repellent. rofl3 You might get a good laugh out of it and enjoy your dive more.

 

[cruiser]

It's psychological. Peeing in the water will get easier the more you do it, especially when you're done with class and on more enjoyable dives. Not many sports let you pee on the fly like diving, a real plus