What's your view of Technical Diving

[heater]

When you say technical diving I am assuming that you are doing 'deep' diving more than a hundred feet, cave diving and wreck diving that includes deep penetration and depth. There are some woman in Canada that do that 'stuff'. Alot of them are involved with an organization called C.A.S.T - Canadian Amphibious Search Team. Each province has one. I think your location also directs your dive buddies. I am sure on the east coast - Canadian and American you will find females that tech dive. Access to tech diving is better - the Doria, the Empress etc.... In Winnipeg, Manitoba there is a dive shop called Diver's Den that could hook you up with a couple of women interested in Tech diving and are members of C.A.S.T. One of the instructors dove the Doria and is mentioned in the book Deep Descent. Hope this helps, if you need any more info I am happy to help you out!

 

[Diverdoris]

Since the majority of instructors for such couses are male, it's very difficult for a woman to even get her foot in the classroom, that's why there aren't many out there!!

I don't agree that it's more difficult to get your foot into the door, just because you are a woman wanting to take the classes. What you will find is some many women don't dive as often, in as many varied environments and may find it diffictul to do the skills required to complete the tech classes. It’s a lot of work, but worth it.

I love wreck diving, deep or shallow. I like the deep wrecks the best because they tend to be in the best condition. If you want to get into more "advanced" diving, you need to find an instructor and/or shop that supports that type of diving without the extra ego that sometimes goes with it. Its fun, it's challenging and it's going to take you places you never thought you would want to go. And you will meet some of the best divers with the most and the least egos. Try a cave class to get started, a very good learning class, and lots of work, but worth it. Let me know if I can help.

 

[bashan]

for me technical diving is any dive that use more then one Gas mixture or decompression, or hard cilling.
in this kind of diving you must use different planing then the "nonedeco table".
but thats a flex term i must admit
i know of one female Technical diver and i must incurage you ladies
technical diving is just a tool that allow you more time, more depth, and more joy
try it the sooner the marrier
YB--

 

[nessum]

...sorry if this is redundant but I haven't read all 6 pages of this thread...
I am very interested in Tech diving, but it is a few years off for me. First of all because I have other goals and interests in recreational diving before I need to get into the tech stuff.
Also, the cost... I've spent a lot on rec. diving in the last couple years so I'm not tempted to pay a fortune for more training & gear at the moment.
Those reasons I think cover why many do not get into tech diving. But there's one more reason that maybe women in particular are put off by the tech stuff: ego. Now, I say this & one of the best divers I'll likely ever meet is quite modest & soft-spoken. I also have some buddies that have gone over to the DIR side & are still normal human beings. But I think over-all there's this feeling of machismo attached to tech stuff.

 

[H2Andy]

But I think over-all there's this feeling of machismo attached to tech stuff.

fortunately, the butt-holes are in a minority.

unfortunately, all it takes sometimes is one bad experience.

 

[CUunderH2O]

There's machismo attached to any activity that's mostly male-dominated, diving included. If you really want to get into tech diving, join some of the tech diving boards and get to know people. I've noticed that while a few of the tech-minded men look down on women, many more will listen and will help you get where you want to go in diving. Ignore the rest.

I haven't found many other women who like to dive as often as I do or in the conditions I dive in. That hasn't stopped me; don't let lack of female tech diving 'buddies' stop you from taking up whatever form of tech diving you wish to pursue.

 

[paula paz]

In average just the 30% of diveres are women.
That, in part, is because the psychological differences between men and women. Men on average seem to take more risks than women, that's why by consequence they appear with more frequency in the statistics of mortality associated to the tech dive like caves, deep, and mixes of gases. But also that make that men will be more encourage to became a diver, also a tech diver, and women, again in average, will prefer the safety of the recreational diving.

Now, like Tavi said, because the same characteristic women are more knowledgable when they do tech. We want to be safety, and the best way to do it is to know about the risk we are takeing.

So, we are just a few but very knowledgable