What women want?

[Queen]

ups - I'm sorry, I missunderstood you.
so we have almost the same number of dives? Although I'm diving only for 4 years.

I stopped logging my dives in the late 80's when I stopped doing SAR. After a few hundred dives it seemed redundant.

to be honest - probably both....I simply don't understand this way of thinking and I think it's against woman intrests.

We can agree to disagree on this. For me, I find it empowering women to celebrate our uniqueness, we are not just smaller versions of men and our strengths are very different, it in no way diminishes a woman to be aware of this.

This I don't understand My one wetsuit is a female one - made by Beuchat, the second one female as well - by SP. As i wrote - i use BP and there is no way to have it female or male because it's so simple that fits everybody. My wetboots are my size. My fins also. My drysuit is female one and it's the worst part of it. None of my things (but the drysuit undergarment) are custom made. And I even didn't have to look very much for these things. Just walked to the shop and in everyone I've been there are male and female suits.
Have a look here:
http://www.scubapro.com/prod/wets/Monopiece_Barrier/Mono_Barrier.htm
or here:
http://www.beuchat.fr/catalogue/index.cfm?action=voir_sous_categorie&scat=12&a=1
or any other wetsuit producer. They all produce male and female stuff.
Every big producer I can think of does it.
Mania

Then you are a very lucky woman. I am a larger woman (5'10" tall and plump), there are no womens suits made that fit me. Many women who are not thin or who are less curvy that an average women have a very difficult time fitting into a standard wetsuit.

But again, this isn't just about suits...it's about the sport we support with our time and money taking the time to be aware of our uniqueness in return.

 

[mania]

Maybe I'm lucky. I'm 5.4 ft and 130 lb (hope I did the conversion properly), so I'm nither very tall nor fat.
But I have a friend and she is 6.06 ft and also didn't have problems in buying female wetsuit.
The producers I linked for you do operate in the US....

And again - there is nothing unique about us but the menstruation and pregnancy.
Mania

 

[Cacia]

And again - there is nothing unique about us but the menstruation and pregnancy.
Mania

I am so shocked you keep saying this.

(I thought you were a scientist or something...)

Mania, why would there only be TWO things about US that would be different? Biological systems don't work that way.

 

[TheRedHead]

There's many psychological/physiological differences between men and women starting in infancy. It doesn't make either sex better or worse, simply different.

 

[mania]

Mania, why would there only be TWO things about US that would be different? Biological systems don't work that way.

this was a simplification of things. There are also hormones and few other things. Still they have nothing to do with the way your mind works. And it's all about mind.
This is only the matter of intelligence, selfcontrol, training and so on.

BTW, one of the very few female scientists who got Nobel Price was Polish - Maria Skłodowska-Curie

 

[Cacia]

BTW, one of the very few female scientists who got Nobel Price was Polish - Maria Skłodowska-Curie

OH! ...I love that stuff

Certain cultures never have won one, you know, even though they are very intelligent. One must have creative thought.

So...you don't think being aware of post partum psychosis is useful regarding a tech dive buddy? :blinking:

add cave to that.

I wonder if you had ever had DES or testosterone replacement, or infertility treatment if you would be so flippant about the significance of hormones?

 

[mania]

catherine
I already wrote - postpartum is a contraindication to diving. As EVERY depression - either male or female. postpartum is simply a depression. The fact it's caused by giving birth doesn't change the basic thing - it's a depression.
So every diver despite sex should know diving during depression is no no.
Unless you are implying that women are so stupid they don't know they have depression?
Mania
PS. The part about Skłodowska was only for fun....

 

[Cacia]

Unless you are implying that women are so stupid they don't know they have depression?

yes, that is exactly it. (I am not afraid of the word stupid, because I have been called blonde and stupid my whole life...I have to be okay with that)

because you are in the middle of your happiest time ever and it drops on you...perhaps you have never been depressed before. It can manifest itself in taking big risks sort of unconsciously.

okay, I'll drop it, but I think you might be oversimplifying we *finely tuned machines* just a bit.

 

[dennisg]

Thank you for all your contributions, they're all valid and they're all valuable, thank you.

You've only got to look at the scubaboard or any other diving forum worldwide to see that women habitually ask the same basic questions over and over again (i.e. my previous list) which makes me believe there are elemental issues simply not being addressed on conventional scuba courses. Of course we are all different and we each seek something particularly different to the next person, which is why I am curious to your feelings and opinions and am trying to establish a collective grasping of what those elements might be from a global audience.

I personally have a background particularly biased towards physiology and diving/hyperbaric medicine so consider myself fortunate to have had access and exposure to collections of research by the likes of the UK-based Diving Diseases Research Centre which reviews some of these very issues raised on my previous list (although of course nothing is ever conclusive). Personally I provide a short presentation as part of my OW dive courses (probably just half an hour or so) and then give all the women (and any men who are interested) some handouts which provides reading in further depth for those that want it. It is a tough call as the knowledge disseminated at OW level is rather basic in comparison to what is provided at higher level, but I just feel there must be a need for inclusion of specific women’s issues on courses otherwise women wouldn't keep asking the same questions over and over again on these forums.

I'd have thought it would be valuable to cover the topics even if its purpose was nothing other than to simply dispel the myths and assumptions that surround the questions (Mania: I agree with your dissected comments completely). I'm not trying for a second to imply that women are disadvantaged or necessarily at any higher risk. One thing is certain in my mind from my many years industry experience: women make better divers than men, but then children make better divers than women too (generally of course).

And yes it is amazing just how often women ask the question on the scubaboard about nails and shampoo, again something that is clearly a valid concern for many. Perhaps the answer is for dive schools to offer a simple 3-hour seminar specifically covering these issues which can be attended by those who have an interest (male or female). Point being that I am not aware that this happens anywhere or that women’s issues receive any due respect at any point.

Kind regards,

 

[mania]

And yes it is amazing just how often women ask the question on the scubaboard about nails and shampoo, again something that is clearly a valid concern for many.

And this to be honest horrifies me. It means that many women don't really have more serious things to concentrate on? Is really nail polish and shampoo the most important things in diving? Why aren't they interested in decompression, IDC, and many other medical aspect of diving. After all we should know what's going on with our body while diving and not necessarily what's going on with our nail polish.

Point being that I am not aware that this happens anywhere or that women’s issues receive any due respect at any point.

You should contact dvrliz1 because she organizes such conference - i think in Autumn. And the preliminary programm is already prepared - if I remember well from her later posts which also are lost.
This was the thread I mentioned at the beginning - unfortunately only the first post survived the SB crush.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=193210

Catherine - remembering from your avatar you have beautiful hair and a great blonde colour many would love to have. So I wouldn't worry about being called blonde. As for being told "stupid" my reply is always simple. If somebody tells me so I ask him/her what's his/her IQ. Many of them has it smaller that I do (I'm MENSA member). PLus i tell them about - what none of the IQ tests show - the life experience anyone has and which is very particular for each person. As is your life experience.

Mania