Help out a new lady diver!

[finstotheleft]

Hello girls! Help me out here. I just got certified on 7-12-02. I'm brand new to this, and I'm wondering....what should I know as a woman diver?

My trainers were great, but they are all guys. Call me a little old fashioned, but I didn't want to ask them those 'feminine' questions. I wasn't even sure if they would have an answer for me if I did ask!

So what's the low-down?
What kind of gear do you gals use?
Has PMS ever totally messed up a dive or been the source of an injury for you?
Do you dive around sharks, or even in the ocean at all while on your period?

Let's hear it...I want all the dirty details. Let me know what I'm in for!

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by finstotheleft
Hello girls! Help me out here. I just got certified on 7-12-02. I'm brand new to this, and I'm wondering....what should I know as a woman diver?

My trainers were great, but they are all guys. Call me a little old fashioned, but I didn't want to ask them those 'feminine' questions. I wasn't even sure if they would have an answer for me if I did ask!

So what's the low-down?
What kind of gear do you gals use?
Has PMS ever totally messed up a dive or been the source of an injury for you?
Do you dive around sharks, or even in the ocean at all while on your period?

Let's hear it...I want all the dirty details. Let me know what I'm in for!

1. You are not a woman diver.....you are a woman who dives. There is a huge difference! Your instructors would have answered all your questions. They are there to teach you all aspects of diving and you should never feel embarrassed to ask them any question. In fact, a male instructor explained to me the cause and effects of womens special needs better than any doctor ever could have!

2. I've never had PMS so that doesn't apply to me but I've never called or aborted a dive due to anything associated to being a woman.

3. Your period is no problem. The small amount of discharge you'll have can be controlled with tampons. As for any smell, it's old, dead blood and sharks aren't interested. They wouldn't be anyway. While on your period make an extra effort to stay hydrated as you'll be more prone to dehydration....drink extra water, eat more bananas and other food high in Potassium, etc. If you have severe cramps, just lay out a day. What I'm trying to say is there's absolutely no reason for your period to interfere with your diving.

4. Before you get hung up on buying 'womens' dive gear, try on all styles and sizes. Buy or rent what is comfortable to you, regardless of what's on the label.

 

[finstotheleft]

I hinted around the topic to my instructors, because for my last pool session I was on my period. I was more tired than usual, and my mind was distracted from what I was doing because I had that nasty waterlogged tampon feeling and was just feeling generally "blah...". It was also the worst day of my period.

I mentioned that "it was not a good time of the month for me", to the instructors, but that's as far as it got. It probably is my fault for being to bashfull to be direct with them.

I guess I just wanted to hear from women who dive what they think about it, and get some real scenarios to base things on...

I haven't gone crazy with the women's gear yet....but those BC's for women look much better than the ones I used in training. My poor boobs were squashed to death in those things!

 

[tx.lakerats]

I second Dee.... try all brands not just limit to "women" as you'll be surprised at what's out there!

 

[art.chick]

I have had some incidents with periods/PMS. The cramps made the weightbelt unbearable on my 1st OW dive. I truely believed that I could not dive without an integrated BC. I was wrong. When we are new, so many things are uncomfortable & strange to us: hoods seem to squeeze the neck, regs kill the jaw, masks make us feel closed-in, etc.

With time, you will have gotten more comfortable with the gear & the proceedures. For the time being, if there are "girl" items that make you feel less constricted, go for it. Many male divers have some info (or mis-info) about women & diving, but none of them know what it is like to live with the differences, so you are right to consult other women when you have concerns.

One thing I heard form one of the authors of "When WOmen Dive" is that women often choose fins that are very easy to kick. This is a mistake for a couple of reasons: the softness won't accelerate well, and won't develope your leg muscles. If you get somewhat stiffer fins & work out in the pool often, you will build muscle which will keep you warmer (coldness is a problem for people with smaller muscles.) You will be able to keep up with any buddy, too.

 

[Starfish]

Here are a few practical pointers that I have picked up along the way that are useful:

1) Dive in a 2 piece Tankini (not a bikini). The Tankini give you full bathing suit coverage and stays put while allowing you easy access when a bathroom stop is necessary. On a pitching boat at sea, having to take off your bathing suit is not convenient.

2) Don't worry about fashion or beauty.
No one cares what you look like and some guys actually prefer the "rugged outdoors type," fresh faced, no make-up.

3a) Bring a hat (even if its overcast).
No one looks georgeous with matted hair. Stick on a hat.
PLUS it offers sun protection.

3b) Use a lycra swimmer cap or scuba-do-rag (sp?) to contain hair if you need to.

3c) Putting some biodegrateable conditioner in your hair before diving willl alleviate tangles. Your fresh water rinse after diving will help the tangles, as will using conditioner before shampoo, then shampoo, and then condition again in your post dive/home shower.

4a) Don't let a boyfriend or partner (male or female) set up your gear for you.
If you can't lug it yourself and set it up, you shouldn't be diving.
Now I'm not saying that a helping hand isn't good, like when I had to walk down some slippery stairs to get to the water; it was nice to have my hubby help me get my gear down.

4b) Putting together your gear, yourself, allows you to do your mental check list and visually inspect your gear.

5) Not all weight belts work for all women. You may need a belt that doesn't slide off your hips. Try one till you find one that has some grip if you need it. You may also need to have your weight belt up higher then you think. (I had mine slung on my hips and it kept sliding down. I had to put it up higher on the hipbone to prevent slippage.)

6) As you know, most dive gear is patterned on a man's body. So don't get vain about size charts and names i.e. "L" versus "XL" or a size "6" boot versus a size "8."
Simliar to women's clothing, try on different sizes until you find a fit, THIS MAY INCLUDE several of the same size "8" boot or whatever, particularly if you need a bit narrower shoe or wider (the person sewing the boot may have move a 1/16th on an inch in one direction which may make the boot tighter or loser.)

7) As for PMS and all it's relatives you have had good advice there (hydrating, ibuprophen). You may want to look into the "Instead" femine protection product.

Hope these pieces of practical advice help. --Starfish

 

[scuba-sass]

WARNING - Guys, you might want to skip this post.

I just returned from WreckMania (see related threads), and got my period after the first day of diving. I was completely exhausted that first night, but honestly - it wasn't just the time of the month. That was some strenuous diving!

I knew ahead of time my period would be due, and procured some "super-plus" tampons, since I usually use pads or smaller tampons. I was also glad that our boat was equipped with a head, and went prepared with some paper towels and plastic grocery bags. Most heads are "waste only" and often (as was the case here), toilet paper is intentionally not provided, so no one puts it down the drain. There was a trash container in the head, so I just disposed of my paper waste and tampon, neatly wrapped in the bag, in that container. If necessary, I could have dicretely (sp?) carried the trash out to the main waste can without attracting too much attention.

Does that cover enough of the gorey details for ya'?

Feel free to PM me if you need more.

Happy Diving,

Scuba-sass

 

[art.chick]

I second what was said about the tankini!

Also, I forgot to mention: I stay warm by not taking my suit off between dives. When I have many dives in a few days & there is no time for the suit to dry, I have a wardrobe (yes, a whole wardrobe) of diveskins to protect my skin from the thermal shock of putting on a wet wetsuit.

 

[finstotheleft]

Thanks for the advice. You guys are pointing out some good stuff!

One of my instructors has been following me around the chat rooms, just to see what I'm up to. I went to the dive shop yesterday, and he kind of teased me about not asking him (it was very jovial, not a bad thing). And, as I assumed, he had the answers to my questions had I not been too bashful to ask him.

Still, it is nice to get a woman's perspective. Who else would know how to tell all the gory details?! (thanks scuba-sass...i never would have thought of some of that stuff until it was too late!)

Keep em' coming!

 

[scuba-sass]

A couple of Handi-Wipe packets can be invaluable on a dive boat. Enough said...

Scuba-sass