What can your LDS do to bring in more women divers?

[pelan-pelan]

Floaty legs have the advantage of being designed for muck diving. They keep your fins up.

Many many years ago went for first try-out dive at Kungkungan Bay in Lembeh. Dive guide was Liberty and I was wearing ankle weights. I saw the dive guides "clock" the ankle weights as we walked to the boat. He was totally polite and said nothing but I am sure he was thinking that he would have them removed by the end of the session. On our return, as we walked back from the boat, I was still wearing the ankle weights and I saw the guides "clock" the weights and the cheerful look on Liberty's face because we'd "passed the test" and I didn't kick up the silt.
So I muck dive in ankle weights, I tell the guides not to panic. It breaks the ice and the guides are happy to muck dive with us.

By the way, if you have floaty legs and rear, ankle weights are wonderful for helping with balance and take the strain off the waist. You can always take some of the lead out of them. And jokes about helping anchor down to a rocking deck are good. Another tip is to wear weights on the front of the weight belt and have it very slightly loose. Let's face it your backside will stop it slipping off. This gets the weights as low down the body as possible and acts as a keel - ie weights below your body) to keep balanced whilst diving. (Integrated weights may be too high up the body.) Everyone is different - it's worth a try, it might work for you.

Sorry - off topic slightly - but dive shops - please can you support the "experiment and everyone is different approach". It helps so much, and sensibly puts the initiative into the divers' hands. Promotes divers taking initiative to understand buoyancy and hence gives confidence.

 

[Killerflyingbugs]

I think that a lot of the problems ya'll are facing is because most gear is designed for men (even the sap stuff). I bet a rig actually designed for woman by woman would make a mint.

 

[Marie13]

I think that a lot of the problems ya'll are facing is because most gear is designed for men (even the sap stuff). I bet a rig actually designed for woman by woman would make a mint.

I don't need a "rig designed for woman by woman." BP/W takes care of that problem.

 

[Killerflyingbugs]

10-4

 

[uncfnp]

I don't need a "rig designed for woman by woman." BP/W takes care of that problem.

Except that very few backplates are shaped or sized for women.

 

[Marie13]

My female specific gear issues come from being well endowed. BP/W solved that issue with regards to BC, and it's even better with my Halcyon that has no chest strap. I ended up getting a custom drysuit since I didn't fit the standard sizes (but being short was a factor as well).

 

[pelan-pelan]

Do women come in a greater variety of shapes and sizes than men?

I agree with Marie - you have to try different things and customise. Girlie gear doesn't seem to fit me although I'm not a blokey shape. I used to hire the old Sherwood basic BC and it was fairly OK. Then BCs got all stylish and trendy and nothing fitted. I started trying every BC I could get my hands on, including girly ones. Pink gives me toothache. Comfortable on land did not mean comfortable in the water. It was like an old advert for corsets - riding up, twisting round and getting garotted by the chest strap on the giant stride. I always suspected that I would end up buying a very expensive thing. Wrong. The best fit was a very basic hire model - an old Aqualung Waves (pre-integrated). Hired one on a holiday and then bought one at a Dive Show. The excellent dive shop guy advised me to try it first, didn't want to sell it to me "just like that" because fit was important etc etc. That was superb practice and if the dive shop had been anywhere near where I live I would have gone back to it.

Dive shops - please let your customers keep trying things. Perhaps you have regular divers who would be prepared to let someone try their gear in a pool or training session, as well as the dive shop gear.

How do gear manufacturers get feedback? Do dive shops have an input? Do the manufacturers listen?
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm available for a dive event where manufacturers foot the bill and we dive using all the different types/styles of BC (fins, suits, regulators). Bonaire maybe?

Is there a dive shop who's prepared to organise such an event?

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Some of the Scubaboard events, such as the MegaDive at Ginnie Springs or the Invasions will have manufacturers have demos for use. I'd like to guess that the reps there doling out gear are instructed to listen to what people say after they bring the gear back.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Do women come in a greater variety of shapes and sizes than men?

 

[drrich2]

Except that very few backplates are shaped or sized for women.

Haven't used a backplate, so asking more in case someone in the industry reads this thread & would consider it...any thoughts on how a backplate 'shaped' for women would differ from whatever's out there now?

Seems like 'sized' wouldn't get gender specific (e.g.: some people start diving at age 10, so 'little people' can be male); is that true, too? Is the issue a lack of petite backplates, or does 'sized' mean something else?

Richard.