What are the biggest challenges for female divers compared to men?

[TSandM]

sealionesse, did you get the backplate AND make your transition into doubles at the same time? Double tanks tend to put everybody head down (thus the term, "lawn dart") which ends up causing the diver to try to dive very head up to balance the gear.

I have found that tail weights are really useful with doubles. If you can get the rig itself more or less balanced, the rest is pretty easy.

 

[sealionesse]

Hi there. No, the issue I had was on a single tank. It was a shore dive to practice skills in shallow water--so one tank was plenty of air.

I did cover doubles in the class, but that was for the boat dive in deeper water for simulated decompression stops. By the time I did the doubles I was fine on weight because of a tail weight and by then my instructor figured out a good way to balance me so to speak. But when I dive starting again next month, I won't have my instructor's doubles and it's back to a single tank for me (and that issue of being just a tad too much like a "lawn dart" because the ingratiated weight system can only hold 10 pounds max and the single tank adapter weight is a fixed 6 pounds... so if I take off weight, it's off my waist where I need it most). I am fine by the time I get to about 50 feet and most of my dives will be at that depth or deeper.

 

[elinox]

My main problems so far have been: BC sizing, tangled hair, staying warm in the water and skin care/sun protection.

Tangled hair could easily be fixed by carrying a comb and conditioner for after every dive. Found that suggestion just now, thanks!

As could the problem of being too cold underwater; I should invest in a warmer wetsuit since my shorty is only a 2:1mm. I was cold even in the Caribbean after 30 minutes down!

Sun protection is also pretty easy because I simply stay in the shade on the boat as much as possible. I discovered that slathering on sun screen was great protection for my fair skin, but it was causing my mask to fog perpetually to my great frustration. No sun screen means no fogging issues! So I just stay out of the sun as much as possible, which is my rule of thumb normally.

As for BC sizing, I may have read that as 'BCD sizing'. What's a BC?

As for my issue with a BCD, I'm petite at a mere 5'3" so most things made for 'normal' sized women don't fit me in some fashion. The regulator I was renting on my last dive trip was a bit too big for my mouth. So I wonder, before I buy my own BCD unit, do they make them for smaller people? Can you simply customize them?

 

[mala]

Hey Ladies... a lot has changed for female divers since this picture was taken in 60's! But female divers still face challenges when it comes to diving that our male counterparts don't have to worry about.

What are some of your biggest obstacles when diving ... Equipment sizing? Long Hair? Fashion? Staying Warm?

The Aqua Lung team wants to know .... In a perfect world, how would you want these issues resolved?

View attachment 124365

ha.

probably finding a guy that uses the same amount of gas.

 

[GingerSnaps]

My biggest issue has definitely been the huge discrepancies in sizing. It seems that no matter what the size chart says my size is "supposed" to be, I need something different. Sometimes its a larger size, sometimes smaller. I haven't seen much consistency within brands and certainly not between different brands. Considering it seems there is not as much female gear stocked in the shops, this makes trying things on even harder. I hate asking the shop to order something just so that I can try it on. Wetsuits seem to be the worst for me, as I apparently have more hips and booty than someone my size is supposed to have. Everything is happy from my feet to my thighs. Then, once I get to the middle of my upper thighs, I have to stuff and tug and stuff and tug to get all the stupid neoprene up and over. Then it all fits happily from the waist on up. Seriously, stuffing my ass into a wetsuit feels a lot like stuffing my parachute back into its deployment bag.

The color pink is no issue for me at all. I used to really dislike pink until probably end of high school, maybe even the beginning of college. Then all of a sudden I love pink. Not just any pink, though. It had to be "HOLY CRAP THAT IS BRIGHT!!!" pink. I have very little pink on my scuba gear, just small accents here and here with a whole lot of black, and I'm OK with that. I just switched to a wing and the set-up is so blah being nothing but black. I love the overall idea of the harness and it lays just right across my shoulders and all that, but the webbing is insanely stiff and I would prefer something a little softer. I came across this awesome leopard print webbing for a reasonable cost that I may swap out the harness for. It is softer without being flimsy and still has plenty of structural strength. As much as I have just a little pink in my scuba gear and like it that way, my skydiving stuff is MUCH brighter. Everything is neon pink, royal blue and black and it makes me happy every time I see it on videos after jumps

---------- Post added February 1st, 2014 at 06:36 AM ----------

Oh and I forgot to mention that mouthpieces that actually fit are not so easy to find. When I had braces during high school, they told me had to use molds that they say they usually use for 8 and 9 year olds. The small Aqualung comfo-bites fit pretty well, and keep me from getting sore spots in my mouth from where the mouthpieces would dig in or rub against the places it was too big.

 

[NAM001]

Putting up w/male divers !!!!!...Especially the ones who think women aren't capable.......

Especially the ones who think women aren't capable.

Have you read the posts???
Too tall for my suit. Too short for my suit.
Too much me for my suit. My tanks are too heavy.
I have to carry gear too far.
Fins too small ,, fins too big Feet are too skinny / fat
Gear is wrong color. Boy ladders and not girl ladders
The summation is:
The sport is not centered around me. Daddy fix it.

Your profile says you are an accomplished diver, however if you are among a group of divers (present or not) that are not so qualified, and you are treated the same, (guilt by association), as lesser divers by those who try to adapt to the group., The problem does not reside with those who are trying to treat everyone fairly.

There are things that just cant be fixed. If a 10# neutral bouyant tank with 200 cubes in it was available everyone would have one. But it is not and in many’s opinion you shouldn’t dive what you can’t, haul to that dive site.
Overall this is a good thread and thanks to the likes of TS&M a lot of balance is provided.

Gear weight and other issues , as a problem, is an appropriate concern. Male divers ???????????

 

[Akimbo]

…The Aqua Lung team wants to know .... In a perfect world, how would you want these issues resolved?...

If you want to really help your female customers, to a lesser extent male customers, and your company start investigating technology to produce custom wetsuits from body scans. It is coming and this is the time to get ahead of it.

Body Scanner Finds Perfect Clothing Size - ABC News

It will be more about organizing your production capability to accommodate body-scan data files and how your dealers can manage sales than the scanners or cutters themselves. I believe there will come a time when off-the-shelf clothing will be a thing of the past. It makes sense that high-value garments that demand an ideal fit, like women’s wetsuits, will lead the revolution.

 

[NAM001]

WOW What an idea, Sure would eliviate a lot of fitting issues. Imagine DUI having one of these. walk in , zoom zoom her is a disk of your scan, submit it with your order and undies requirements, we will work from this raw data. Or use the scan from the shopping center or where ever. I know i have avoided many purchaces because of being unsure about fit, and having no whre near to get measured for a certain product.

If you want to really help your female customers, to a lesser extent male customers, and your company start investigating technology to produce custom wetsuits from body scans. It is coming and this is the time to get ahead of it.

Body Scanner Finds Perfect Clothing Size - ABC News

It will be more about organizing your production capability to accommodate body-scan data files and how your dealers can manage sales than the scanners or cutters themselves. I believe there will come a time when off-the-shelf clothing will be a thing of the past. It makes sense that high-value garments that demand an ideal fit, like women’s wetsuits, will lead the revolution.

 

[rivers]

My biggest issue was finding fins that fit. It became easier when I switched to a dry suit. My drysuit is MTM, so not an issue. I wear a backplate and wing, so perfect fit on that. I manage my twins no problem, but we tend to help each other out lifting them into car boots around here and make it a two person lift. I could care less about my hair when I'm not diving, never mind when i am. A beanie is great. I sport black kit for the most part. As long as it's black, I'll like it. Stop making everything pink!
Now, women and p-valves... We need to make that easier.

 

[sphyrnidus]

My SO's problem is not her power, or lack of it. She was a very good swimmer, training for championships. Then she started ice skating, kajakking-> she paddled the from the Netherlands to Danmark, which took two weeks out at sea. Then there was bicycling to the Cote d'Azur (also two weeks), did I mention karate or running? Now this results in a body with swimmers shoulders, very strong solid legs etc. Just last week her drysuit died after 12 years of service and we went shopping. If she was a guy it wouldn't have been a problem, but for her: if the legs fit around the calves, they're to long. Same at the upper level, to find something her shoulders fit in, without it being to large in the waist is dificult, let alone that in a drysuit you need both things right in one piece. Having it custom made is an option, but rather costly.
Same with her wetsuit, she had to buy a man's size, women's just don't fit.