To new FEMALE divers

[Ber Rabbit]

I always recommend slap straps to anyone who has longer hair. It's not a question but doing a mask remove/replace gets a little more challenging when you have to untie the knot your hair has made around a standard strap. I also recommend braids or low ponytails (nape of neck) that don't interfere with strap placement if hair is long enough. Personally I grease my dry hair with cheap conditioner then wet it to help keep it from absorbing the chlorine in the pool.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[girldiverllc]

Guys can get "pee valves" in dry suits. What can we do? I'm still waiting for an answer I like. Until then, I'll stick to my wetsuit and relatively warm (>50F)water.

Ok, so I don't know that you'll like my answer...but you can find it an article I wrote for XRay magazine...Drysuits for Divas

http://www.girldiver.com/articles_clothing.htm

Yeah...we've got a ways to go there, huh?

Happy Diving!

 

[Laura Campbell]

Good Afternoon all!

Personally - I found my first Open Water Course (done here in Scotland with a diving company - quite scarey and male dominated) Firstly even just signing up was hard, very off-putting and intimidating on the phone.

I was the only female in a class of 8 big hairy arsed men and I felt that really any questions I wanted to ask would have been daft. There were all sorts of daft comments made about me and my chest size even before the classes started!

I certainly never would have asked about the female issues above - given the tone of the sessions.

I actually sadly, got a busted eardrum diving with this same company - as on my very FIRST open Water dive in a local Loch - they buddied me up with this guy - who was 6'4' and built like a brick wall, with massive paws for hands - the Dive Instructor (bright spark that he was!!) told him to take my hand and hold onto it the whole way down - due to the expected low visibility.

Sad to say, his hand swallowed mine, he dragged me down to 7 metres, with my hand in his, with my other one free hand trying to dump air and equalise at the same time!

I couldn't and he wasn't even looking at me - neither was the instructor and my eardrum just got worse, and worse and then - blew.

When finally the (male) instructor bothered to ask me if I was ok - and I gesticulated that 'NO!! I AM BLOODY NOT!' (use your imagination here!) he indicated for me to go to the surface ON MY OWN!!!!! Which I did (not knowing any better) and got a reverse vertigo on the way up. Then I passed out at the surface, no-one came to help me exit the water (ALL MALES ONLY PRESENT) and no-one helped. Once on land - I was crying and really upset - this was my dream to become a diving instructor - and I was told by all the men at the shore - that if I'd blown my eardrum then that was it - I would NEVER be able to dive again. They actually were laughing at me!

Needless to say, I went to the hospital - where a lovely (FEMALE) doctor checked and told me my eardrum was in fact blown - and when I cried at this, she asked, 'Why are you so upset?' and I told her - 'It's my dream to be an instructor and now I can't!' (Believing what the men shore-side said) she smiled kindly and said 'don't be silly, it grows back!' and 'even if it didn't - you can have it fixed'

Having not really believed her (thought she was just being nice - but she wasn't!) I emailed PADI and asked them - they contacted the dive centre in question and they hadn't recorded the incident nor reported it to the upper management in the company. PADI acted on this - and the way that they did made me believe that PADI was the training organisation for me!

I am very sad that this was my first experience diving - but it did NOT stop me - I went on and did the referral dives in Adelaide, Australia (where I was taught by a man and a lady!) I am now a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, having lived and worked abroad for years as a PADI OWSI and I now know just how bad (AND OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS!) what happened to me was - I am aiming at making diving for ALL other females and children in Scotland a lot more safe, fun and thorough.

I take real pleasure in teaching others and love to change this attitude here in Scotland, if you have any advice, questions or others on this post - I'd love to hear from you!

Best Fishes!!

 

[DukeAMO]

Wow Laura, that's one of the worst training stories I've ever heard. Good for you for pushing past it!

 

[tracydr]

No! I've severed more than one instructor's connection to the program for dating students. Wait till after the class or quit teaching.

Married mine.
Well, we were dating before he taught me. I was certified but he taught my AOW, Rescue, Nitrox.

 

[TjRjn]

This may seem completely stupid but I'm having trouble finding and don't remember it being covered in class (including in the PADI manual which I've recently re-read) advice on when and how to use the dump valve on my BCD.

---------- Post Merged at 04:44 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:17 PM ----------

Wow! Thanks for sharing.
Maybe it would be worth naming the aforementioned dive company to warn other women?

 

[BluewaterSail]

Laura, good for you!

No question that your OW instructor was not only a jerk, but also stupid, and should never have been teaching scuba to anyone. I am glad that you survived him!
No question that you are and will continue to be an asset to the scuba community!

I haven't seen you around SB much. Welcome!

 

[SubMariner]

This may seem completely stupid but I'm having trouble finding and don't remember it being covered in class (including in the PADI manual which I've recently re-read) advice on when and how to use the dump valve on my BCD.

As you may or may not have read on here before, the only "stupid" question is the one that isn't asked. So kudos for asking!

There usually are at least two ways to dump your BC:

1) Tug your inflator hose. This will activate the main quick dump mechanism on your BC.

2) Learn where your other dump valve(s) is located. Some have a single one on the back at the bottom (usually a short string with a small ball on it), while others have that plus another one. Pull the string to activate the dump valve.

You can use the dump valve any time you need to quickly deflate your bc. When & where depends entirely on your dive circumstances. For example: my BC is inflated while I await my dive buddy to join me at the surface. He/she jumps in. We signal we are going down, so I pull my inflator hose & dump the air so I can descend.

Pax,



--

 

[dgreenh]

I tell my female students to beware of bathing suits that tie. Wetsuits have a strange way of untying and/or shifting them. It can get real embarrassing for them when they remove their wetsuits if they are not aware of this phenomenon..

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Good Afternoon all!

Personally - I found my first Open Water Course (done here in Scotland with a diving company - quite scarey and male dominated) Firstly even just signing up was hard, very off-putting and intimidating on the phone.

I was the only female in a class of 8 big hairy arsed men and I felt that really any questions I wanted to ask would have been daft. There were all sorts of daft comments made about me and my chest size even before the classes started!

I certainly never would have asked about the female issues above - given the tone of the sessions.

I actually sadly, got a busted eardrum diving with this same company - as on my very FIRST open Water dive in a local Loch - they buddied me up with this guy - who was 6'4' and built like a brick wall, with massive paws for hands - the Dive Instructor (bright spark that he was!!) told him to take my hand and hold onto it the whole way down - due to the expected low visibility.

Sad to say, his hand swallowed mine, he dragged me down to 7 metres, with my hand in his, with my other one free hand trying to dump air and equalise at the same time!

I couldn't and he wasn't even looking at me - neither was the instructor and my eardrum just got worse, and worse and then - blew.

When finally the (male) instructor bothered to ask me if I was ok - and I gesticulated that 'NO!! I AM BLOODY NOT!' (use your imagination here!) he indicated for me to go to the surface ON MY OWN!!!!! Which I did (not knowing any better) and got a reverse vertigo on the way up. Then I passed out at the surface, no-one came to help me exit the water (ALL MALES ONLY PRESENT) and no-one helped. Once on land - I was crying and really upset - this was my dream to become a diving instructor - and I was told by all the men at the shore - that if I'd blown my eardrum then that was it - I would NEVER be able to dive again. They actually were laughing at me!

Needless to say, I went to the hospital - where a lovely (FEMALE) doctor checked and told me my eardrum was in fact blown - and when I cried at this, she asked, 'Why are you so upset?' and I told her - 'It's my dream to be an instructor and now I can't!' (Believing what the men shore-side said) she smiled kindly and said 'don't be silly, it grows back!' and 'even if it didn't - you can have it fixed'

Having not really believed her (thought she was just being nice - but she wasn't!) I emailed PADI and asked them - they contacted the dive centre in question and they hadn't recorded the incident nor reported it to the upper management in the company. PADI acted on this - and the way that they did made me believe that PADI was the training organisation for me!

I am very sad that this was my first experience diving - but it did NOT stop me - I went on and did the referral dives in Adelaide, Australia (where I was taught by a man and a lady!) I am now a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, having lived and worked abroad for years as a PADI OWSI and I now know just how bad (AND OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS!) what happened to me was - I am aiming at making diving for ALL other females and children in Scotland a lot more safe, fun and thorough.

I take real pleasure in teaching others and love to change this attitude here in Scotland, if you have any advice, questions or others on this post - I'd love to hear from you!

Best Fishes!!

Will PM you later but for now what I can say is do not be shy about telling your story where you are teaching. And make sure every student you have knows what happened, how you got through it, and that it is why you put the safety of your students above all else.

To hell with gear sales, promoting the lds line, and getting as many divers in the water as fast as possible. Concentrate on turning out safe, competent divers. Show them how to help themselves or a buddy from day one.

The divers you turn out will be a direct reflection of not only your knowldege and skills, but also your ethics, morals, and values. When you hand them a card ask yourself if they are a reflection of that. And ask yourself if you would allow your child to dive with them with you or any other pro not around. If the answer is yes to BOTH of those then give them the card. If it is no, find out why not and correct it before you hand them something that will allow them to go out and hurt themselves or someone else.

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