What women want?

[MeiLing]

Spot on, MeiLing!

Thank you!

 

[trucker girl]

It certainly doesn't hurt to have it, but the point of this thread by the OP was addressing "What women want" with regards to diving.

What everyone's posts overwhelmingly keep saying is that women still want to be women, and recognized as such, even when they're spending their time pursuing a predominently male-dominated sport! Somehow that seems as though it offends you.

Wow. I think you pretty much hit it! I know I couldn't have said it better- and certainly not as compactly!

Mania- I would suggest that in your sticky you remove the comments about nails and hair. I know you meant it in a humorous way as it relates to THIS thread, but I don't think it's appropriate in the sticky you posted. And it wouldn't make sense to someone who didn't read through this whole, godforsaken firestorm! My .02- but I think, despite my antagonism..., it's a valid point.

 

[trucker girl]

Whoa- Mania- I spoke too soon- I just looked at your sticky again (I've been offline most of the day) and I see you already took that out! Good call!

 

[TheRedHead]

OK, Red Head
I can share some of my battles with doubles.

Thanks. That is very kind of you.

So I went to the gym. And concentrated on back and stomach muscules. Twice or three times a week. It helped.

I also need to work out on the machines at the gym. The equipment here at home is not helping much. Jogging on the treadmill doesn't help much with doubles.

but few tips I have learned. To carry doubles - ask for help or get a troley (H2Andy has a perfect one).

I intend to get a dolly (as we call it here).

To put them on - if from the ground you have to first bend one leg. Then with help of your hand placed on the ground try to sit. Bend forward and stand up using your tights muscules.

I haven't tried putting them on from the ground. I am usually in a dive boat and I can get up OK. But when they strap on the AL 80 deco cylinder, it's tough.

I tried to draw 4 stages of standing up. But I'm completly lost when drawing is concerned - please forgive me.

Thanks it was clear to me. And I'm so sorry you broke you leg. Almost like starting over again. I have an old disc injury that bothers me from time to time.

When I took my Deco Procedures class, all the other students were big strapping men, fairly young and in good shape. My instructor was only 5'7" and he dives double 120s. Chickdiver is right. Men don't talk about the difficulty in public.

I trained in double AL 67s because we were diving in warm water with wetsuits and at my level, that is plenty of gas. The class did our checkout dives near Key West because my instructor was diving a big wreck down there, the Wilkes-Barre. Me and my buddy flew down there and my instructor assured me he could arrange for some double 67s.

On the morning of my first checkout dive, I see my tanks and they're double E7-100s and I'm thinking, crap! I don't know if I am going to be able to do it. I got off the boat with them and did my dives and got on the ladder to board the boat and I couldn't get up the ladder. One of the DMs had to pull me up by the manifold. It was so embarrassing. Made me hate being "the weaker sex."

Now, I have double Faber 72s which I like and can handle the weight, but that ladder still kills me.

 

[MeiLing]

Made me hate being "the weaker sex."

Being the weaker sex does suck! But it's better to accept help than to hurt yourself trying to prove a point which you may not have even needed to!

 

[trucker girl]

I'm planning to make myself scarce around here...

Any of you wanting to have a little "what women want" fun can follow me if you wish...

WWW-DDS!

 

[TheRedHead]

I always am looking for a more lady-like way to remove the boogies.

If the water is calm, I'll remove my mask to my neck while waiting at the tag line to board the boat on the pretense of getting hair out of my face, which of course, means holding one's nose, dipping head back and quickly brushing off the boogies while my head is under water.

 

[chickdiver]

TRH-

Get thee to the gym, girlfriend!! I am 5'3" and a whopping 130lbs- I've been crawling up and down boat ladders and in and out of caves for 10 years in 104's- sometimes with deco bottles as well. You are right that running on the treadmill won't help with this stuff. Machines will help, and they are a good way to start, but free weights are really the way to go. Machines are very good at isolating specific muscle groups, but they don't allow the body to bring other muscles into play to stabilize the load- which can be very important on a pitching boat deck! Free weights will force you to stabilize as well. Don't forget the abs and back (frequently referred to as "core" muscles) as well.

Good luck.

 

[TheRedHead]

Thanks Chickdiver. I'll look into free weights. In fact, my instructor told me about a woman he went through Adv. Trimix with who hired a personal trainer in order to build the strength required. I shall enroll in a gym. Having the encouragement of other women diving tech gear is very dear to me. Thanks again.

 

[erparamedic]

Wow! Things sure got heated in here while I was away today! Of course, there were the lighter times too.

Meiling... you and I have had our differences in opinion... but, we are certainly on the same page in this thread. You really hit the nail on the head when you said, "What everyone's posts overwhelmingly keep saying is that women still want to be women, and recognized as such, even when they're spending their time pursuing a predominently male-dominated sport!" Amen, Girl!

Queen, I am in the same boat with you... I'm moving on to a lighter thread.

TG... here I come, girl!