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How women measure up as divers compared to men
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I was teasing my #1 dive buddy the other day about his "harem". It seems as though all of his buddies are female. He told me he just plain prefers diving with women -- they move slower, spend more time searching for little stuff, and are just basically more fun for him.
I haven't run into much attitude about women in diving, but I've had one or two funny experiences. Last year, four of us went down to MX to cave dive for a week. At one of the sites, a guide, who appeared to be local, came up to us and asked us, "Are you guys diving?" (I felt like saying, "No, we just like to haul these doubles around for strength training.") "Are you going in the CAVE?" "Do you have anyone else WITH YOU?" It was clear that the concept of four women cave diving without a nice, strong man to take care of us and keep us safe was just not computing for this guy. I let him carry my doubles to the car for me, so he felt better
And we got a few comments from the Ginnie Springs management on Monday, when three of us checked in to cave dive. They weren't unpleasant comments, just an acknowledgment that all-girl cave diving teams aren't that common.
I haven't run into much attitude about women in diving, but I've had one or two funny experiences. Last year, four of us went down to MX to cave dive for a week. At one of the sites, a guide, who appeared to be local, came up to us and asked us, "Are you guys diving?" (I felt like saying, "No, we just like to haul these doubles around for strength training.") "Are you going in the CAVE?" "Do you have anyone else WITH YOU?" It was clear that the concept of four women cave diving without a nice, strong man to take care of us and keep us safe was just not computing for this guy. I let him carry my doubles to the car for me, so he felt better
And we got a few comments from the Ginnie Springs management on Monday, when three of us checked in to cave dive. They weren't unpleasant comments, just an acknowledgment that all-girl cave diving teams aren't that common.
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I was teasing my #1 dive buddy the other day about his "harem". It seems as though all of his buddies are female. He told me he just plain prefers diving with women -- they move slower, spend more time searching for little stuff, and are just basically more fun for him.
I haven't run into much attitude about women in diving, but I've had one or two funny experiences. Last year, four of us went down to MX to cave dive for a week. At one of the sites, a guide, who appeared to be local, came up to us and asked us, "Are you guys diving?" (I felt like saying, "No, we just like to haul these doubles around for strength training.") "Are you going in the CAVE?" "Do you have anyone else WITH YOU?" It was clear that the concept of four women cave diving without a nice, strong man to take care of us and keep us safe was just not computing for this guy. I let him carry my doubles to the car for me, so he felt better
And we got a few comments from the Ginnie Springs management on Monday, when three of us checked in to cave dive. They weren't unpleasant comments, just an acknowledgment that all-girl cave diving teams aren't that common.
I think it is because women are smarter than men...Typically they have men offering to carry heavy gear and to generally acting as slave labor....I would call this being smarter.
OP
Or maybe women simply don't feel they have to prove anything to anybody whereas guys are often swaggering.
I just had a female student finish her OW course a couple of days ago. She asked for some fun dives with additional coaching, so off we went to Phi Phi, on a rather windy day. While discussing our dive plan for one of the dives, I mentioned that we needed to come up on the eastern lee side of the island for the boat pickup since it would be too hard to board in the heavy seas the wind was kicking up on the western windward side. As it's a tiny island that we could dive on either side to get to the pickup point, I asked if she had a preference as to which side to dive. She didn't miss a beat, but just said, "Well, since I'm so inexperienced and I'm still working on my air consumption, let's go up the east side for the entire dive. That way, if I run low on air, we can surface on the correct side without any worries." Another instructor had two inexperienced male divers and briefed their dive for an east-side tour, but both of them debated with him, saying, "Oh we can handle it, no problem. Let's go up the western side." Not sure what they did in the end, but they were back on the boat before we were, swagger and all!
I just had a female student finish her OW course a couple of days ago. She asked for some fun dives with additional coaching, so off we went to Phi Phi, on a rather windy day. While discussing our dive plan for one of the dives, I mentioned that we needed to come up on the eastern lee side of the island for the boat pickup since it would be too hard to board in the heavy seas the wind was kicking up on the western windward side. As it's a tiny island that we could dive on either side to get to the pickup point, I asked if she had a preference as to which side to dive. She didn't miss a beat, but just said, "Well, since I'm so inexperienced and I'm still working on my air consumption, let's go up the east side for the entire dive. That way, if I run low on air, we can surface on the correct side without any worries." Another instructor had two inexperienced male divers and briefed their dive for an east-side tour, but both of them debated with him, saying, "Oh we can handle it, no problem. Let's go up the western side." Not sure what they did in the end, but they were back on the boat before we were, swagger and all!
I think it is because women are smarter than men...Typically they have men offering to carry heavy gear and to generally acting as slave labor....I would call this being smarter.
One of my favourite TV shows is The Big Bang Theory. Your statement above is proven in the episode where Sheldon breaks up with Amy Farrah-Fowler and is absolutely miserable, moping in his room and acquiring cats, but refuses to call her and attempt to get back together. So Leonard calls Sheldon's mother who calls Amy to their apartment so she can meet her. She then tells Sheldon he is absolutely correct in breaking up with her as she is totally unsuitable for him. At which point Sheldon and Amy decide to get back together because he doesn't want his mother telling him what to do. Or something to that effect. Sheldon's mother is a perfect illustration of what makes women so effective at things they do.
If I had doubles I would certainly happily let a man carry them for me. I let them carry my gear bag instead. ;^)
This is no surprise to me. Although I am mostly a solo diver, the majority of my "regular" buddies are women and most of them instructors. Their air consumption is often better (although some of them get cold quicker... they have less "bioprene" than I do), their skills are very good, and they tend to be better buddies as I feel women are more attuned to "relationships" (the buddy one, the ecological ones, etc.) than many men.
PS... there is no romantic involvement with any of the lady buddies
PS... there is no romantic involvement with any of the lady buddies
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Agreed! Women are better divers.
I always like having a buddy that has more air ( or gas ) than I have.
I always like having a buddy that has more air ( or gas ) than I have.
In OW classes the women seem to listen to every word and the guys not so intently.
+1 for women divers! Over the years we have seen the shift in recreational classes to the point that it seams as though I have more women then men. Over the past couple of years we have also seen a boom with women Tec Diving (OC & CC). I have really enjoyed teaching them and I will put them up against the men any day of the week. Women just really seam to listen well and then apply themselves even better. Sorry, but I think guys just think too much at times and take longer to apply themselves.
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I beg to differ, I don't think that the whole issue is about being better or worse as a group. It is entirely personal.
Women get the same satisfaction of being "superior", they just express it differently.
Feb. 2009 on the Sea Lion. Captain Al puts a letter in the dock mailbox because no dockmaster present yet. Maybe it was the 24 degree air temp or all the snow, who knows. Out on the water, NOTHING on the radar. Is this thing on??? My son and I suit up for our first dive of the year and splash. Pretty rugged dive, stayed close to the tie-in while checking out an interesting (and big) piece of a wooden ship that the winter storms deposited near the "same old, same old" wreck we were diving. Got my mesh bag entangled in the wreckage, notice that a knife appeared on a plank near me. Odd, untangled myself and continued on, glanced again at the knife, it was gone. Turned to make sure my son was within arm's reach and noticed someone hovering in the "death from above" position. We made our way back to the upline, surfaced, and noticed Jenn looking out over the gunnel with a trace of a smile on her face. Got it in a flash, she was on "guardian angel" duty. She never said a word topside, probably didn't want us to feel like we had a babysitter.
When girls rock, they know it. They just don't seem to need a local consensus.
Women get the same satisfaction of being "superior", they just express it differently.
Feb. 2009 on the Sea Lion. Captain Al puts a letter in the dock mailbox because no dockmaster present yet. Maybe it was the 24 degree air temp or all the snow, who knows. Out on the water, NOTHING on the radar. Is this thing on??? My son and I suit up for our first dive of the year and splash. Pretty rugged dive, stayed close to the tie-in while checking out an interesting (and big) piece of a wooden ship that the winter storms deposited near the "same old, same old" wreck we were diving. Got my mesh bag entangled in the wreckage, notice that a knife appeared on a plank near me. Odd, untangled myself and continued on, glanced again at the knife, it was gone. Turned to make sure my son was within arm's reach and noticed someone hovering in the "death from above" position. We made our way back to the upline, surfaced, and noticed Jenn looking out over the gunnel with a trace of a smile on her face. Got it in a flash, she was on "guardian angel" duty. She never said a word topside, probably didn't want us to feel like we had a babysitter.
When girls rock, they know it. They just don't seem to need a local consensus.
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