Peeing in wetsuits

[spoolin01]

Both pressure and temperature seem to be involved. Apparently you get the shifting in volume towards the core due to compression - I'd imagine the major compressibility is in the chest cavity but I haven't seen an explanation of the basis of the body's compressiblity- augmented by the slight pressure differential effect on the lower limb fluid when in a heads-up position (similar to the weightlessness analogy). ...and the temperature effect produces a parallel neuroendocrine response.

ETA: That article discusses the physiology of immersion compression with the head out of water - a far more extreme example of compressibility than a diver breathing air >1atm. So which factor dominates - inversion of the effect of gravity on blood volume distribution or differential compressibility of various body compartments (or whether the excess pressure also causes some neuroendocrine confusion that contributes) - is still an interesting question.

 

[Centrals]

I only dive "wet" and temperature(feeling cold) seems to be the only logical reason that makes me want to pee near the end of the dive(within an hr) when I am already at shallow water(6 - 9m).
So if I am well prepared, good thermal protection, no such probelm at all.

 

[Crass3000]

I make sure I take a leek before each dive. I made the mistake of pissing in my first wetsuit and it always smelled like hell after that. I guess I could have used that special wetsuit washing product but I just dove with the suit for the rest of the year and then got a better one. I can see where that might be a problem on longer dives though.

 

[BRT]

My wife was terrified of diving a drysuit because of the need to pee. Real life experience has shown that the urge is much less in a drysuit. I think the pressure thing and the weightless idea are both hogwash. I wonder if water tends to go through the skin increasing the amount of water in the body. Somebody needs to take a scales on their next wetsuit dive trip and see if they gain weight during the dive. But hold it in in the name of science until you are done weighing!

 

[ibj40]

I make sure I take a leek before each dive. I made the mistake of pissing in my first wetsuit and it always smelled like hell after that. I guess I could have used that special wetsuit washing product but I just dove with the suit for the rest of the year and then got a better one. I can see where that might be a problem on longer dives though.

I think the "stinky" wetsuit after peeing is an Urban Legend, more than reality. Your wetsuit is designed to be saturated by the medium in which is it immersed, whether that immersion be external or internal. Plus, consider the volume of water that a wetsuit is exposed to during a normal dive? How can one (or two) bladder's worth of urine impact a wetsuit to the point that it is perceivable?

As for me, I'll have that cup or two of coffee before the morning dive, and maybe a bottle of water on the way out on the boat. I take a great deal of pride in knowing of the dive sites where I've relieved myself, kind of like my cats and dog appreciate the places they mark.

The old adage is true: "There are two types of divers, those who pee in their wetsuits, and those who lie about not."

 

[Max Speed]

I think otherwise. I have one dive buddy whose wet suit always smells like pee and I have been on dive boats where the whole stern starts to smell like pee. I think it is like smokers who do not notice the tobacco smell.

---------- Post added September 1st, 2014 at 12:23 AM ----------

Somebody needs to take a scales on their next wetsuit dive trip and see if they gain weight during the dive. But hold it in in the name of science until you are done weighing!

I lose weight during heavy diving days, especially cold ones.

 

[diver_dj]

I think otherwise. I have one dive buddy whose wet suit always smells like pee and I have been on dive boats where the whole stern starts to smell like pee. I think it is like smokers who do not notice the tobacco smell.

Don't underestimate the value of flushing a decent amount of water through the suit before getting back on the boat. The mercy flush makes a big difference.

 

[Steve_C]

Unless it is real cold I do a wetsuit flush at the end of a dive. At the quarry I will swish the off wet suit in the water. When I rinse my gear at home in a tub after ocean dives I add some of the rinse stuff when I do the wetsuit last. I let equipment air dry in the garage where it dries quickly and has room to air out. Dry wetsuits (4/3, 7, 3 shorty) and BCD and hoods hang in my clothes closet in the master bedroom. There is no smell from any of them. This equipment has over 300 dives on it.

 

[Doc Harry]

Underwater communication can often be confusing.

My wife was always complimenting me for hugging her while we were diving.

It wasn't until much later that she learned that hugging her was my underwater communcation for "I'm peeing right now."

 

[drbill]

Interesting. I don't lie about it... I pee almost every dive. However, I've found that when water temperatures are "high" (up in the 70s during those rare El Ninos or other warm water events), I pee far less often despite staying hydrated at the same level. During a super warm water episode several years ago temps were in the mid 70s all the way down to 150 fsw and I went over 100 straight dives without peeing in my wetsuit once.