First dive with a She-P -- Why did I wait so long?

[TSandM]

I got my silicone She-P from Laura more than a month ago, but I needed to send the suit I was going to put it in, in for some repairs. So I got it back yesterday, and installed my Halcyon p-valve last night. That went pretty well, and this morning, I knelt in the hot tub to test the job. I got wet. As far as I can tell, it was backwash from the valve, which didn't have the cap on it. Putting the cap on stopped the problem, so I crossed my fingers and hoped I was right.

Two dives today. I spent about six hours in my drysuit. I drank tea, and a latte. It was WONDERFUL to be able to drink, and not fight my way out of my suit, and back into it (particularly as I was diving a brand new neoprene neck seal, and it's TIGHT). The device was comfortable, and if I hadn't been worrying myself silly about leaks, I think I could have forgotten it was there. I didn't use any tape at all, and I had not a single drop of leak until I disconnected the device to get out of the suit. Then I had problems . . . I have to get a handle on that.

Overall, this gets four stars. Comfortable, easy to apply, and a HUGE step forward in my diving freedom. No more worrying about sites that don't have bathroom facilities. No more inconveniencing of male dive buddies, who have to put the boat in to shore between dives because of ME. No more eating overly salted chowder before dive classes, so I'm not the one who makes the whole group get out of the water when what we all really want to do is go back down and see if we can get it RIGHT this time

Gals, if anybody is thinking about this and worrying that it's too hard to install, or to use . . . It's not.

 

[Sas]

Gals, if anybody is thinking about this and worrying that it's too hard to install, or to use . . . It's not.

Yes this is what I was thinking but I really like the idea of having a p-valve on my drysuit. I struggle to do an hour and a half in my drysuit before needing to jump out to run as fast as I can to the toilet It is a real pity to call dives for that reason... So it is good to hear other people speak well of it. Seeing as it is nearly warm enough to go back into my wetsuit I have a bit of time to think about it and figure out how exactly the whole p-valve works!

 

[BabyDuck]

oh, excellent! sounds like your learning curve isn't going to be as steep, and that's great - especially since i have mine ready to go as soon as i get a suit.

 

[DiverLaura]

Welcome to the She-P sisterhood!!!

We should have some little 'caps' in stock in the next couple days that might be helpful with the 'after dive' issue, but the most important thing there after unhooking is the "tilt" and empty the she-p reservoir... I find giving it a little "squish" whilst doing so helps get pretty much all the residual urine out of the device.

If people do go to using a cap, the other recommendation will likely be to 'squish' the device (draw slight suction) before putting cap on, otherwise every time you sit, the air pressure will likely pop the cap off Still in 'trial' stages with this option, I have not really found it necessary as I make a point to empty the device and then kinda bend the tube 'down' into the poise pad which a) puts the 'opening' in a place where residual will be caught in pad, and b) puts a kink in the tube (I am trying out a silicone extension, this probably won't work so well with the norprene extension)

I got my silicone She-P from Laura more than a month ago, but I needed to send the suit I was going to put it in, in for some repairs. So I got it back yesterday, and installed my Halcyon p-valve last night. That went pretty well, and this morning, I knelt in the hot tub to test the job. I got wet. As far as I can tell, it was backwash from the valve, which didn't have the cap on it. Putting the cap on stopped the problem, so I crossed my fingers and hoped I was right.

Two dives today. I spent about six hours in my drysuit. I drank tea, and a latte. It was WONDERFUL to be able to drink, and not fight my way out of my suit, and back into it (particularly as I was diving a brand new neoprene neck seal, and it's TIGHT). The device was comfortable, and if I hadn't been worrying myself silly about leaks, I think I could have forgotten it was there. I didn't use any tape at all, and I had not a single drop of leak until I disconnected the device to get out of the suit. Then I had problems . . . I have to get a handle on that.

Overall, this gets four stars. Comfortable, easy to apply, and a HUGE step forward in my diving freedom. No more worrying about sites that don't have bathroom facilities. No more inconveniencing of male dive buddies, who have to put the boat in to shore between dives because of ME. No more eating overly salted chowder before dive classes, so I'm not the one who makes the whole group get out of the water when what we all really want to do is go back down and see if we can get it RIGHT this time

Gals, if anybody is thinking about this and worrying that it's too hard to install, or to use . . . It's not.

 

[Gombessa]

No more eating overly salted chowder before dive classes, so I'm not the one who makes the whole group get out of the water when what we all really want to do is go back down and see if we can get it RIGHT this time

You know you mean "DO IT RIGHT"

 

[Diver Lori]

Okay, I'm intriqued. I'm heading to FL in a few months and will be able to stop by EE and make a purchase. But in the meantime, what are we talking in terms of cost?

I have looked at the website, but of course it's in British pounds. I did see references to stoma glue, etc. I've got access to that stuff since my father has a stoma, etc. The powder to prevent irritation is great he tells me.....but I digress.

So, before I head south, what am I looking at in cost?

TIA!

 

[BabyDuck]

lori, look at laura's website or send her a pm here (scootergirl) or an email at ljjames at mac dot com. she's the north american rep & can let you know in dollars & send from the us. do a search for the thread 'all the boyz are doing it...' and read the last few pages. the thread starts out the whole journey, and the beginnings are the learning curve while the last are consolidated info.

i just got mine, and it was in the neighborhood of $180 for the she-p, weenis, qd, spray adhesive (which is supposed to work way better than the stoma adhesive), and adhesive removal pads.

 

[TSandM]

The silicone She-P was somewhere in the $175 range, and the Halcyon p-valve was about $130, if I remember correctly. (There are cheaper ones.) The She-P at that price came with the quick disconnect, the adhesive spray (which works GREAT) and a variety of adhesive remover pads, as well as a piece of extension tubing.

I had my second dive with the device last night, and it went even better than the first one. I brought a washcloth to use to catch drips when I disconnected, and used Laura's tip about squishing the device to empty it. No mess! And I was a lot more relaxed this time, and I really didn't even notice the device was there during the dive. (You do feel it a little bit when walking.) If things keep going this well, I can't imagine doing a dive without being "hooked up". I'm also casting an ambitious eye at some dive sites I've previously avoided, because of the lack of facilities.

Oh, and at the risk of TMI, I found a lovely secondary benefit of the She-P -- No more sitting on cold, wet toilet seats!

 

[SparticleBrane]

I suppose there is even an advantage of using this over what guys have to do -- this seems (besides the spray adhesive) to really be a "one-time purchase." (Correct me if I'm wrong?)

Whereas with guys we have to continually buy condom catheters...

 

[TSandM]

I don't know what the use lifetime of the silicone She-P is going to be, but it should be a while. It's fairly thick, so it's not something I'm worrying about tearing. Silicone discolors over time, as anybody with a yellow mask skirt knows, but I don't care about that, either. It shouldn't become brittle or fragile with time. Looking at other silicone items, I would guess the lifetime on this should be as long as I want to dive. The only wear points I can see are where the molded exit tubing comes into the reservoir, as that is a place where tension is applied as the tubing torques from side to side. So we'll see!