For Women: My stupid question of the day . . .

[BettyRubble]

I am new to diving and have a few 'stupid questions of the day'.

1. Suggestions on how best to handle the 'weight' of diving - gearing up is much heavier then I anticipated. I have a bad back but am fiercely independent, so I am looking for hints on how to carry my own tanks, plus how to manage gearing up and finally getting up the ladder or dingy. I'm a whopping 5'2. I did fine in class but recovery took a few days!

2. What are the best kinds of suits or 'cloths' to wear under wet suits? I typically where 2 piece suits as I have a short torso and 1 pieces are not comfortable. Yet, I know diving is predominately male and I don't want to be the chick flashing everyone while gearing up etc. Anything I should avoid? I tried 'swim trunk shorts' with a full coverage top but the shorts were not comfortable in the suit.

3. Thinking back to your early diving days, was there anything as a woman you had to change to either dive safely or 'be one of the boys?" I can only imagine what some of the old timers think of female divers to begin with, but newbie female divers must have a special place in their hearts! Any pitfalls I can avoid?

Thanks for your help. I know we newbies are annoying as heck!

 

[luckydays]

Hi Betty, Welcome to the board and to diving. It is a great time and I hope you love it as much as the rest of us do.

To answer your questions
1) As you get better, you will dump weight. It happens to all of us. I started with a 7 mil suit and 28 pounds with an Aluminum tank and now I am at 12 lbs with a steel tank. (Steel tank has better buoyancy characteristics than Aluminum and weighs about the same). I have basically dumped 10 lbs off my weight belt just by getting better at diving and practicing. As for carrying gear, it is a pain. I just deal with the hassle of it all. I too hurt my back years ago but I just make do. I would have no problem asking for help if I needed it but as of yet, I have not had to. I can say that it is easier to get around with the gear if it is safely still attached to your BC and on your back instead of carrying in any other way. If you are carrying your stuff to a site, you can always put it in a wagon or trolley of some sort to get it to your gear up place. If you are on a boat, you will just bring your gear to the boat. The DM is there to help (that is why they deserve the tips they get). The DM can help you get in the water but you should keep your gear on you until you are sitting back in your spot on the boat and bungeed in place. It is not safe to get out of your gear while you are in the water.

2) Under my wetsuit I wear either a two piece swim suit. I usually wear this to the dive site uner my street clothes. The suit has shorts for bottoms that are a little short and easier to wear than board shorts in my opinion. Or I will wear bike shorts and a rash guard for a shirt. I would not wear a bikini but that is just because nobody would want to see me in a bikini anyway. Once the dive is over, If on a boat, I willl go to the toilet area and change my clothes and undergarments that I brought with me. If at the quarry, I hit the changing room, and if there are no other options, I always have big towels with me and I will wrap one around me. I just do my best to make sure that it does not fall off and if it does just keep going and hope that I did not shock any children.

3) From my experience, I think you will have very few problems diving with the guys. Most women have better air consumption then men so you will be a great buddy as you get better. You will be able to stay at depth longer then a similarly experienced male diver. If you can handle the language of some of the men and laugh at yourself when someone tells you that you cant navigate or have snot hanging off your nose, you are going to be fine. Most people from my experience just want to dive with someone who is safe. Gender is not a factor. Of course I am a bit new as well but I have rarely dived with other women and I most regularly dive with men at the quarry. So long as I can laugh at them and laugh with them when they are laughing at me, I am good. Learn to be a good diver and a great buddy and you should have no problems finding people to dive with you.

No matter who you dive with, just keep diving. Dive local and often so you can get the experience you need and want. You will get better, find regular buddies and make lots of friends. If you are ever in the Chicago area, look me up and we can dive together.

 

[bamamedic]

1. I'm 5'3'' and I feel your pain. The gear can be heavy as hell sometimes! One thing that has made my diving a lot easier is purchasing a small, folding hand cart. It fits quite nicely in the trunk of my Miata, and I use that to transport tanks, gear bags, etc. Makes it a lot easier than trying to lug all that gear across a parking lot by hand.

I can't give you much advice about boat diving, because I don't dive from a boat all that often, but having dive partners that understand your limitations can be really helpful. The few times that I've dived off a boat, my partner exited first, and helped stabilize my tanks as I climbed up, which helped a bunch.

You also might consider using smaller tanks...us smaller women generally use less air than the average dude, so you might be able to get by with a smaller aluminum tank than the standard 80, and still get the same dive time as your larger buddies.

2. When I dove a wetsuit, what saved my behind was purchasing a "dive skin". It's just a one piece nylon suit that looks just like a wetsuit, only much thinner. I wear it over my bathing suit and under my wetsuit. It makes sliding the wetsuit on so much easier, and since it's not neoprene, it comes off without taking my bathing suit with it!

3. When I started diving, I had to be really careful picking my partners. I've had a bad experience or two while diving with a couple of "macho" guys who didn't seem to understand that I was new, not very strong, and couldn't keep up with them. It's not really a problem anymore, because I'm a lot stronger, and a lot more experienced, but when I was a brand new diver, I learned to be cautious about finding people to dive with...I'd talk with them first to make sure we were both on the same page and warn them that I was a little slow in the water, so they were prepared.

 

[Louie]

It's always nice to hear from a fiercely independent woman.

1) Where heavy weights are concerned, it's best not to be intimidated. I'm a whopping 5'2 at 50kg so not speaking as a herculean woman. Activities requiring physical exertion become easier with experience. You gain the confidence, figure out your own limits and realise that only few things are impossible. If you have a bad back, it may be a good idea to inform the guide or boat staff so they're aware you may need to modify your entry/exit methods. Depending on conditions, you may be able to get into your BC in the water or remove your BC - or at least your weights - when you're exiting onto a RIB or boat. Remember to make your BC buoyant to avoid it sinking when you're not in it!
Finally, there's nothing wrong with asking for assistance and it's good to help our fellow divers.

2) There's nothing wrong with a bikini or two piece under your wetsuit (unless it's forbidden or deemed inappropriate by local custom). If you're leaving your swimwear on for the surface intervals, a two piece makes going to the toilet a lot easier. If you want a bit of coverage, a rash guard (like the ones surfers wear) are good for making it easier to slip into the wetsuit and prevent neoprene rash.

3) The macho moron crowd will look down their noses at women, diving and elsewhere so I wouldn't pay too much attention to them - it's THEIR problem. But I do honestly believe they're a dying breed. If you look at the stats, people who dive are likely highly educated, have good jobs and are interested in matters related to the environment and the world around them - not the Mr Misogyny we try to avoid.
There are some stereotypical behaviours that women display - to their detriment. The worst one is the "can you assemble my equipment for me? I don't know how..." followed by "I don't want to break my nails..." and "do I have to carry my own equipment..." you get the idea. These are the women who are probably married to the Mr Machos or the world.
A woman who is independent and looks after her own affairs shouldn't have to go out of her way to "fit in". Everyone on that dive boat is going to be interested in a common goal - the safe and enjoyable dive - whether male or female.

So welcome to the club and enjoy the dip!

 

[Diver Kat]

Hey Betty!

I'm 5'4" and have blown discs in my back, so I understand your concerns. Answers may depend on where your diving. If it's locally, then getting a cart or rolling bin can be a big help. I use aluminum 63's instead of 80's when diving at home and that helps quite a bit. And for short distances I got a couple of tank straps that let me carry each tank horizontal, rather than vertical.

For travel, you can often find an op that if your with them for the week, they'll stow your gear and put it on the boat each morning for you. Saves you hauling it back & forth every day. Also, in places like Cozumel, you can often take off your gear in the water, and the dm or boat captain will lift it on board so you go up the ladder unencumbered. The best thing is ask questions and discuss any concerns and possible options with the dive ops your interested booking with. More often than not, they will do what then can to help you out.

As for partners, I've been lucky to have my hubby for almost all of my dives over the last 6 years. I will say, that in general, most of the guys aren't hung up about diving with a woman, they just want to dive. You'll always find a few macho idiots, and you'll always see a few helpless girlie girl types. But mostly, divers are some of the nicest people you can find anywhere, and also some of the most helpful. It was a big part of why I fell in love with diving ... the old-timers are just thrilled to see another newbie come along and become an addict like them!

 

[HisLovelyBride]

I agree with luckydays! I am 5'2" and struggled with weighting at first. One thing that helped me was to distribute the weight. I have a harness and wing style BCD and my husband made a 5 lb. stainless steel plate to insert in the back of the harness, (something like a back plate, but not something to attach a tank to) if you have a vest style BCD, you can use the trim pockets to redistribute some of the weight.

Then I put on 1 lb ankle weights and the rest in my integrated weight pockets. As luckydays did, I also opted for a steel tank (love my steel tank.)

When I dive my 7ml wetsuit, I have 14 lbs over all, but when I dive my dry suit, it's 20 lbs.

As for undergarments... when I dive wet, I wear a tankini - two piece. It makes visiting the restroom easier. Taking down a one piece and your wetsuit is just too much work! It is also fairly easy to change out of in restricted areas after the dives are done for the day. If the weather is warm, it can actually dry quickly and not require changing for the trip home.

Never be shy to ask questions! Like many a wise person says, "the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask."

Welcome to Scubaboard and to diving!

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Welcome to SB. Four thoughts that pertain to your first issue:

(The responses you've already received have been spot on...and I'm not qualified to comment on your other issues.)

1. Many women find that wearing very heavy weightbelts can be a problem, because the weightbelts chafe their hips and strain their backs. But they need X amount of weight. (Which does diminish, somewhat, with experience.) One way to reduce the problem with the heavy weightbelt is to move some of the weight off the belt. You do that by selecting a different BC. This is one example, but there are many others like it - what they have in common is a 6 lb stainless steel backplate. http://www.halcyon.net/bc/eclipse

The backplate is worn flat against your back, and allows you to remove 6 lbs off your belt. (If you live in an area with cold water, and you use a 28-32 lb weightbelt, there are also thicker plates that remove 12 lbs off your weightbelt.) Either way, some users report less strain on their lower backs and hips from removing weight from their weightbelt.

2. The responder above who recommended lighter tanks had a good idea. You may want to look at an aluminum 63 cu ft tank, or even a steel 72 tank. Here is a site with a matrix on it containing specifications for many different types of scuba tanks. The eighth column over from the right gives you a relative weight in lbs so you can compare one tank's weight against another:
Diver Discount Catalog-Scuba Equipment,diving gear,spear guns & scuba diving equipment

3. If you need to move your gear any distance, many female (and male) divers learn that it can be easier to wear their tanks on their back to move them, rather than carrying them by the valve with their hands or one of the 'tank carrying devices' you can buy at scuba shops. Of course, bamamedic's recommendation regarding the folding cart is better still - but still there will be times such as getting on dive boats or some shore entry sites where the cart won't always work. For those times, try wearing your tank on your back rather than trying to lift it in your arms.

4. You may already work out, but I'm told by some female dive buddies and colleagues that lifting weights helped them to better be able to muscle double tank assemblies and other dive gear around dive sites and boats. It may be something you want to consider.

Take it one step at a time, and things will come together over time.

Doc

 

[Sas]

I am new to diving and have a few 'stupid questions of the day'.

1. Suggestions on how best to handle the 'weight' of diving - gearing up is much heavier then I anticipated. I have a bad back but am fiercely independent, so I am looking for hints on how to carry my own tanks, plus how to manage gearing up and finally getting up the ladder or dingy. I'm a whopping 5'2. I did fine in class but recovery took a few days!

It could just be because you are new. I had awful DOMS after my cert classes but after a few weeks of diving and carrying my own gear I could easily carry the weight. I am over 5'10" though... You can do weights at the gym to help if you are very keen too. Some people use a trolley to wheel their tanks to a boat. And if your back is bad, you can gear up in the water. Though in many places that is not practical (my diving is done off live boats so not really an option for me it seems).

2. What are the best kinds of suits or 'cloths' to wear under wet suits? I typically where 2 piece suits as I have a short torso and 1 pieces are not comfortable. Yet, I know diving is predominately male and I don't want to be the chick flashing everyone while gearing up etc. Anything I should avoid? I tried 'swim trunk shorts' with a full coverage top but the shorts were not comfortable in the suit.

I use a bikini. Most women I know wear a bikini or a one-piece. Why is a one piece not comfortable if you have a short torso? Sorry not sure what you are getting at with that so not sure what to advise you of... You could use a very thin dive skin and just get into that in private and leave that on until you are ready to dive?.

3. Thinking back to your early diving days, was there anything as a woman you had to change to either dive safely or 'be one of the boys?" I can only imagine what some of the old timers think of female divers to begin with, but newbie female divers must have a special place in their hearts! Any pitfalls I can avoid?

Don't try too hard to "be one of the boys".... It's just not needed. I have found nearly all of the men I have dived with (and they have been in a wide age range including old time divers) to be wonderful and they have never treated me differently because of my gender other than to say they are envious of my air consumption The main problems I have had are with 'macho' men who have less dives/experience than me who I guess feel they have to prove something as a result. They tend to act like eejits. I have not met many of them though

 

[avlena]

I wear a tankini now. Getting out of a 7mm hooded vest requires a lot of contortion, so I had a lot of "wardrobe malfunctions" when I wore a regular bikini.

For the weight, ditto what everyone else said. Make sure you're not over weighted, and investigate using a smaller tank. That said, don't be afraid to ask for help; risking injury just to keep your pride is silly. My husband and I have a good system worked out - he carries my weight pockets for me after the dive, and I carry his fins & mask. It's amazing how dropping the 10lbs of weights makes everything else manageable.

There will always be some dive buddies that are jerks, not necessarily because you're a woman, but because you're new, consume more air, haven't mastered bouyancy yet, etc. Ignore them. There's plenty of dive buddies out there who will be understanding as you grow in your skills. And, if it still bothers you, maybe you can find other ways to contribute to the dive group. When I first started diving, I was a bit sensitive about the fact that my air consumption meant we had to end dives early, and sometimes I needed help out of the surf, so I compensated in other ways - researching the dive sites as much as possible, bringing snacks & other goodies to keep everyone well nourished on the dives, etc. Looking back, I would have been accepted w/o any of this and it was all in my head, but it made me feel better so I was able to focus on the important stuff - enjoying my dive, and improving my skills as a diver!

 

[Starlet]

I wear a bikini too, as for the weights like people have said once you get better you will drop weights. I used to be stuffed after diving for days, but since I have been diving more often I'm OK