To pee or not to pee; the survey

[Geoff_H]

The medical term is "immersion diuresis" and essentially what happens is that when we are in water that is colder than the surrounding air, the blood vessels in the extremities narrow.

Hey.. thanks for explaining this - fascinating. Mirrors my own experience very closely - had over a hundred dives in warm water and never peed once (nor felt the need). As the season gets colder here in Japan, I've felt under increasing pressure underwater after starting diving.

This can be to extent have no need to pee at all on shore, then 20 minutes into the dive I'm in pain trying to hold it in.. either a case of calling the dive or letting go.. and obviously there is only one option if you got up at 6am to start diving

I was very surprised to see 3 in 4 divers have peed in their wetsuits though.

Still waiting for someone to link the Warhammer picture....

 

[DivingCRNA]

For those who complain about how hard it is to hold it, for whatever reason (you had a few sodas before jumping in, or you have 30 minutes of deco), what do you do on long car trips? Please don't tell me you piss yourself in these cases, too. I just haven't found myself needing to go so bad it couldn't wait. Do as your mother taught you, pee *before* the long trips...

Ever hear of immersion diuresis???

Being under water makes your kidneys make more urine. Then you gotta pee.

 

[Rainer]

Ever hear of immersion diuresis???

Being under water makes your kidneys make more urine. Then you gotta pee.

Dude, read the other posts. It makes YOU have to pee. While it certainly increases my urine production, I do NOT need to pee, while hydrated. Bummer you pee yourself.

 

[SoCalAngel]

EWWWWWWW so gross.....

not so much the sitting in your own urine...but the smell when you peel out of it!

 

[DivingCRNA]

The real interesting poll would be "Who has accidentally pee'd in their DRYsuit on a dive by thinking they were in a wetsuit when they pee'd?" !

On my first couple of dry dives I kept thinking "Don't Pee".

 

[DivingCRNA]

Dude, read the other posts. It makes YOU have to pee. While it certainly increases my urine production, I do NOT need to pee, while hydrated. Bummer you pee yourself.

Actually, My rule is that if I need more than a 3 mm wetsuit, I dive dry. I have never pee'd myself in my drysuit.

It is usually warm enough in a 3 mm where "flushing my suit" is no biggie.

BTW-If you do not want to swim in pee, you should give up diving. The fish do NOT get out of the water to go pee!

 

[DivingCRNA]

I don't pee in mine, but I'm curious what the habitual pee ers do when theyre diving in water temps below 45 or so degrees. do you flush the suit and risk hypothermia? or do you wait til your out on land and strip down and let pee splatter all over everything?

Dive dry.

 

[WarrenZ]

I don't know where you dive at, but 90% of the time there is no bathroom available anywhere close to my dive sites.

FD

Doesn’t matter if they aren’t any around there are always trees or something else. Just think about it this way even if there aren’t trees nearby people will eventually stop watching you.

 

[pennypue]

I don't pee in mine, but I'm curious what the habitual pee ers do when theyre diving in water temps below 45 or so degrees. do you flush the suit and risk hypothermia? or do you wait til your out on land and strip down and let pee splatter all over everything?

Yup, drysuit and DEPENDS. I pee A LOT. Three mil for tropical diving and I pee frequently in my wetsuit, I also will dive back in after my dive just to squeeze in an extra pee. (And I had to teach myself to be able to do. I used to have to get out of the ocean and go back into the hotel, while on vacation, to pee. I couldn't make myself do it. So I'm justifiably proud of well developed skill.) FWIW, I definitely get immursion enuersis. I have to be very careful to rehydrate after a cold dive.

Rainer, Don't think that not peeing is some kind of badge of honor. It's just biology. Some guys go bald, some don't. I pee, you don't.

 

[Geoff_H]

Dude, read the other posts. It makes YOU have to pee. While it certainly increases my urine production, I do NOT need to pee, while hydrated. Bummer you pee yourself.

So what would you do if you didn't need to pee on entry, then you're absolutely bursting 10 minutes into the dive? To the extent you're in excrucitating pain clenching your muscles to hold it in?

I'm guessing you dive in relatively warm water, or you don't endure the same physiological reaction as the rest of us!