Pee valves for recreational diving

[SOUTH DEVON]

pee valves-
I'm a relatively new recreational diver and have just ordered my first dry suit, the company said they would fit me a pee valve for free if I supplied it .
My questionnaire is are pee valves just for decompression diver's , is it worth the hassle for a recreational diver, is it easy to go over the side of a rib full of mixed diver's after diving (I've only done shore diving so far) -okay these probably sound like silly questions , but I am currently diving in a wet suit and often go twice during a 1 1/2 hour shallow dive.
I have found a local supplier and they tell me that I do not need a balanced valve, although I'm a little bit worried about squeeze in such a sensitive area.
The link for the pee valve is
http://www.othree.co.uk/pvalve.html
I would appreciate any comments /thanks/Steve

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Most people feel the need to go less during a dry suit dive as they are generally warmer and not directly exposed to the cold water.

Having said that, when you do have to go in a dry suit, you really have to go and the fact that you can't magnifies the problem. Most dry suit divers I know take a trip to the rail just before zipping up the suit whether they feel the need to go or not.

If the valve has an external shut off, no balancing is required. However you have to remember to open the thing before you go. Failing to do this results in the condom expanding substantially before it "blows" in the suit with interesting results. (you will be the guy who opts not to get out of the dry suit during the surface interval =) And when done, you'll want to shut it off again to avoid any cold water coming back through the valve.

Personally, I don't find pee valves worth the trouble on short rec dives. On a small boat you have the option of peeing over the rail in potentially mixed company before and after the dive or you have the option of donning and doffing (or at least connecting/disconnecting) the condom in mixed company. Either way, you get over being shy as about the best you can achieve is turning your back to everybody.

Pee valves are also not hard to install by yourself if you decide to use one later. You can also do the depends thing on your first few dives to guard against the possibility of not making it through a whole dive.

 

[MechDiver]

Well, I guess to counter DA, I'll have to say p-valves are the next best thing to a dryzipper
Actually, the concerns Aquamaster raises about a small boat and mixed company are exactly the reasons to have the valve. Also, we use plastic quick-disconnect fittings on ours. You put on the cath in private, all you do once in your suit is connect the fitting.

For a drysuit, I would definately use a balanced valve.

MD

 

[bwerb]

One of the things about drysuit diving is that because you can't go without one (or Depends...no thanks) and you know it, you will often dehydrate yourself to ensure you don't have to go. This is affect offgassing and dive comfort as well. I think sometimes it's almost psycholgical...now that you've zipped up, it will not be possible at all for you to "use the facilities" for at least the next hour...brrr...that water is cold...thirty minutes into the dive...man...I'm getting a little uncomfortable here...then the tunnel vision starts (and the "drysuit dance" on the deck if you dive with a non-self donning suit and are reliant upon someone else to let you out.)

Just get the valve-you'll be happy you did.

 

[kavka]

I just made one. It's easy and it works .
http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2270

 

[DeepTechScuba]

This topic harkens of that TV ad GOTTA GO GOTTA GO GOTTA GO GOTTA GO.

Realistically speaking, I suppose this issue is specific to each particular diver, since diving in a drysuit is not like diving in a wetsuit (fact), and since everybody is different from everybody else (fact).

Some divers apparently GOTTA GO the instant they hit the water, every time. It does not matter whether or not they just went before suiting up in their exposure suits. They simply have to go again! I have seen this. I have a theory that they must either drink a whole lot of caffiene all the time, and their bladders are therefore burning all the time, or else the minute cold water touches them, they gotta go again.

For this type of diver, a P-valve is probably a necessity in their drysuits, since they just have to go, and holding it for the next 30 to 60 minutes while they scuba dive would be unnecessary misery.

For the DONT HAVE TO GO crowd, simply using the bathroom (or the bushes) before you suit up for your dive, and avoiding caffiene drinks before diving, works fine. No P-vale needed.

For the no-P-valve group, the gearing up protocol becomes the following:

1) Get up in the morning of your dive day and start to hydrate yourself; in fact, start to hydrate yourself the night before, by drinking a lot of juices and water, and avoiding caffiene and milk.

2) Drink plenty of juices and water on the way to the dive site; for dive safety's sake, you must be really hydrated before you go diving.

3) Get to your dive site and do your survey of the site and evaluate the conditions for diving, and make your go/no go decision.

4) Haul your gear to the beach or boat and assemble it.

5) THEN GO TO THE POTTY BEFORE YOU SUIT UP.

6) Suit up, gear up, and go diving.

From this moment in time, the last potty visit, by avoiding caffiene on the evening and morning of your dive, you probably will NOT need to potty again for 1 to 2 hours.

So if you follow this protocol, you should not need a P-valve in your drysuit. Unless, of course, you cannot get up in the morning without caffiene, or unless you always GOTTA GO GOTTA GO GOTTA GO GOTTA GO.

Or, if the water makes you go all the time.

Some GUE-diver may counter-argue that it is an unnecessary failure point not to have a P-valve, since hydration is a major critical concern for dive safety, tech or NDL, and therefore it is not-DIR to be without a P-valve at any time.

Thats fine too. You decide.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Thats a good clarifcation, I don't do caffine (ever - it screws up my fine motor control when shooting) and start hydrating the night, or at a minimum, the morning before a dive and then go just before the dive.

But if you are a diver who lives on coffee, coke etc, you probably are not going to be comfortable doing a dive without one.

I guess I also wear a semi-dry more than a dry suit, a pee valve is not an option and peeing in a semi-dry really is not an attractive option either.

 

[Uncle Pug]

.. and only bother hooking it up on the dives you will need it. For the short single dives don't bother.

 

[ew1usnr]

MechDiver once bubbled...
You put on the cath in private, all you do once in your suit is connect the fitting.
MD

You insert a catheter? Are you serious?

 

[MechDiver]

ew1usnr once bubbled...



You insert a catheter? Are you serious?

EXTERNAL cath.