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

[oldschoolto]

I have been wondering where to ask this question for a long time. I was glad to see this forum and the poll. I voted other, because definitely my period is the biggest challenge. I went with my husband on an 80 ft. OW dive once, day 1 or two of the blessed period. Came out of the water, sat down in the boat, and when I stood up was sitting in a puddle of blood, as if I had been wearing no protection whatsoever. It seemed the pressure had wrung it right out into my suit and there it was for the world to see. So, So embarrassing. so, what do you do?

We are planning a big trip with the kiddos and knowing my luck I will start the first day of the trip, even if it's not due, just because that's how I roll.

Please don't feel to embarrassed .... Most of us men have wife's and or girlfriends that at one time or another had a accident with their period .... Just part of life... We understand ... And thankful its not us that have to deal with it....

Jim..

 

[Iralub]

Iralub, I am petite as well. Al 63's or 72's are great, and a HP steel 80 is the same height as the AL 63 but heavier. The weight is manageable, and you just wear less weight. They're not always available when traveling, but sometimes you might get lucky.

Yep, certainly hoping more dive ops will have the smaller/shorter tanks. Makes a huge difference to dive experience, relaxation and air use for me. I haven't tried the steel ones but will keep an eye out. Thank you

 

[thebangwrangler]

Diver0001, pretty much all my diving involves flying, so I end up using whatever tanks the dive op has. Some ops have al72 or al63 tanks and when they do, I use them and it's great. I use less air than most, so I'm ok with a smaller size. It's pretty rare for dive ops to have those though. I've also used al53 on shallow dives. I'm getting better with the weight of the tank, but can't fix the size issue if smaller tanks aren't available.
On the bright side, I never have trouble getting help when needed

Btw, with long hair, I got myself a bang wrangler and it works like a charm. Long hair is a choice anyway, it's not an inherent attribute, so if hair gets in the way of diving, is not the dive industry fault.

We LOVE seeing feedback like this out in "the wild" of the internet. Yay!! Glad it's working for you, and if anyone else wants get hooked up with FREE shipping, just use IHEARTSCUBABOARD as your discount code The Bang Wrangler

 

[Manneca]

I see a lot of women (including the ones in my certification class in 1980) who dive only because their spouse, SO, or whatever want a dive buddy. They are afraid, don't like the cold water, don't like low vis. I wish there were some way to show them the joy of diving, to make sure they are comfortable in the water. My then husband got certified several years before I did. I kept putting it off until he went diving in Grand Cayman and my son and I went along on the boat to snorkel. We were in the harbor and the fish were everywhere. My son who was about 10 had an underwater fish id guide and he would hang in the water, looking at the fish and finding them in the id guide. It was then that I decided I wanted to get my scuba certification. I can only imagine the different experience I would have had if I'd been forced into diving.

This is somewhat off topic, but I've been thinking about it a lot.

 

[Ayisha]

Meanwhile, I and some of my other female friends dive avidly in our cold low viz lakes, rivers, and quarries, and our husbands or SO's don't dive. C'est la vie.

 

[Jumana Ameeri]

The biggest challenge for me is standing with all the equipment before diving which usually happens during boat diving. That 3-5 minutes gets me really exhausted even before starting the dive.

In addition, I went on 2 shore dives and my buddies had to help carry all the equipment for me until I was in the water and that is when i put it on. Guess I need to join the gym soon.

My only issue by far is the heavy equipment

---------- Post added October 11th, 2015 at 03:23 PM ----------

Forgot to add getting cold and starting to shiver under water halfway through the dive.

 

[Balinese_bubbles]

I have had the same mask problem. I finally found a frameless mask that fit. Just this week, in fact.
I'll have to check my gear tomorrow and post the name of it, if you like, it's locked downstairs right now. It's seems to fit a multitude of sizes because my husband accidentally " stole" it our first dive this AM and he wants to get one, too. It also has a wonderfully large viewing area so your peripheral vision is nice.
as far as pink, I like it because it's easy to find my stuff on the boat, too. I also just happen to like pink. Maybe it's a blonde thing? I'm not really a girly girl at all but I like pink.
I'm only 5'1 and I have a heck of a time diving with an AL80, it's too tall and bonks me in the head and butt. I dive a short tank when I can ( AL 63 usually) which generally lasts close to an hour on a typical warm water, 80 foot, fairly easy shore dive or boat dive.
just got my drysuit. Went with a pricey custom from Diving Concepts due to my wide shoulders and short size. It fits perfectly. Love the trilam, it's so comfy and easy to don.
wish we could use a pee-valve like the guys!
upper body strength is my biggest problem, by far. Bad neck from a fracture doesn't help at all because I'm limited in the working out that I can do and the daily pain that I have.

Hi Dr Tracy,
Your post is exactly what I was looking for - I'm your height and am considering getting a dry suit as I live in the UK and won't get much diving in otherwise. I have wide shoulders and all the curves. Do you have any recommendations because I don't want to go custom for the first suit?

I might be getting ahead of myself as I've only started out a couple of months ago.

Thanks

 

[Germie]

I was last weekend on a techdiving exhibition. 98% of the visitors was man. I really like technical diving, and all my sportsdiving is to become a better diver in technical diving. So I always dive with technical equipment. In a man's world
Some see that as strange, but I like caves and deep wrecks. I am one of the few techinstructors too. But the challenge is to do the same as man, and be better. I always say, I dive like a man

 

[rivers]

Hi Dr Tracy,
Your post is exactly what I was looking for - I'm your height and am considering getting a dry suit as I live in the UK and won't get much diving in otherwise. I have wide shoulders and all the curves. Do you have any recommendations because I don't want to go custom for the first suit?

I might be getting ahead of myself as I've only started out a couple of months ago.

Thanks

seaskin
Dry Suits from Seaskin Custom Drysuits home page - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits
custom suits at a reasonable price