Why are more men inclined to dive?

[DawgDiver]

I agree with what a couple of people said.

Most women

A) Are afraid of sharks
B) Are more danger-conscious (scared of drowning)
C) Hate the idea of having to wear a wetsuit (which they think they look bad in)


I think those 3 things play more of a role in the lack of more women in diving than any "intimidation factor" caused by more male divers. Most women have a greater concern for safety than men, we tend to throw caution to the wind and charge into things with bravado. They are also very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very..............................................................................................................................VERY conscious about the way they look. And it's hard to look good in a wetsuit unless you are jessica alba and they are custom made for you.

 

[Ann Marie]

My husband doesn't dive and has no desire to learn. I love diving and he loves golfing. We have a great marriage but are independent enough to have our own hobbies.


P.S. I love sharks, it's spiders that I hate!

 

[Bobbin-along]

Once I went to a drysuit I loved it. absolutely hated wetsuit diving, to the point of not wanting to do it ever again. I like being warm-ish, dry, and there's nothing like a good trilam to hide your less than perfect physique.

Guys like the idea of looking like an alien all kitted up, and enjoy the prospect of peeing in their wetsuit, and grading each other's hanging boogers.

 

[DiverBeth]

I
Anyway back to the point of the thread:
--most all women think they look bad in a swim suit
--women think they look even worse in a wet suit--you would think it would act like a giant full body girdle and make you look smaller but it doesn't it makes you look fatter by a large degree
--women don't like being out numbered by men
--women are get more afraid than men--drowning, sharks, snakes, eels, pond or lake muck and gunk
--the gear is hard to carry (even for some men)

I kinda have to agree with you Leah. I know I've tried to get my girl friends interested in diving but with no luck yet. I wish there were more women in diving but that hasn't stopped me from taking a dive trip whenever I can.

 

[LowVizWiz]

Also, people with good marriages dive together, so-so relationships...they would rather have the time apart for relief. Exceptions...of course.

My wife and I have a great relationship... Getting better with age! I would love for her to dive with me, but 2 young kids and her dislike of saltwater will most likely keep her from diving. However, she was the driving force behind me getting certified. I kept looking for a buddy for years until she said to me, this is your dream don't wait any longer and just do it. She still supports all my activities from fishing, to diving, to basketball, football, and on and on and on...

I think it boils down to basic differences in men and women. She enjoys watching me do all the things I like doing, she does not have to "play" to participate and I'm beginning to understand that about her. She goes to dive stores with me (This is not always good It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission) She also enjoys me being there for her activities even if I don't like trading pins or cross stiching.

Learning to enjoy who each of us is without trying to become who the other one is has helped our marriage greatly.

With that said... she's affraid of sharks and spiders too!:focus:

 

[TSandM]

Women are afraid of being outnumbered by men? What women? Not ME!!!! One of the things I like about diving is that almost all my dive buddies are men.

My husband, on the other hand, isn't terribly amused at me running off a couple of nights a week to spend the evening with other guys. I think, honestly, that could be a big reason why women don't dive if their SO doesn't. A lot of women don't do much of anything if their SO doesn't, unless they can do it when he's otherwise occupied, whether that's at work or at his own hobby. Women are MUCH more tolerant of men taking off to do their own thing than men are of women doing that, at least in my experience and observation.

I also know from personal experience that it is difficult to learn to dive with a spouse who is a diver, because of the criticism thing. I coped with it by simply deciding at the beginning that I was going to dive with other people. After a year and a half, and 250 dives, I've finally gotten to a point where I can dive amicably with my spouse. It would simply not have worked earlier.

Why does diving not appeal to women? I don't know. My original LDS has done a beautiful job of marketing to and instructing women, and I'd say almost half their clientele is female. Maybe it's because they have some particularly good marine life ID and photography people? I think women tend to like animals in general, and I know it's one of the biggest reasons I dive.

Diving IS hard physical work, and involves discomfort, but I keep my horse in a barn where the almost purely female clientele rides and jumps, grooming horses and cleaning and hauling tack, which is not as hard as hauling dive gear, but is certainly physical labor. And that's a sport that's all female.

It's certainly a strange dichotomy. But the original question, I think, has to do with the dynamics of relationships/marriages, and the tolerance each gender has for independent activity and unshared time.

 

[wombat201]

Hehe! I've found that the more advanced courses I've been taking, the lower the proportion of females gets.... my regular dive buddy is also female, and we're both single (and like guys)... I've given up caring what I look like when diving, as to be honest NOBODY looks too hot in a dry suit and hood with snot hanging over their face, crawling up rocks after a dive! But that's part of the fun. And being a female minority on most courses and group dives does have certain advantages.....

Having said that, botah my buddy and I (and most other female divers I've met, at least outside of the tropics) are NOT "girly girls" - most of the other sports I participate in or would like to try tend to involve unflattering gear, not very much dignity, and/or getting pretty dirty - not too glamorous or ladylike! That said, we do clean up pretty decent for post-dive drinkages!

 

[almitywife]

a few weeks ago i tried to have a conversation with a LDS manager about wetsuit sizing and women... he was asking what to do about getting more women thru his store

when i started saying that i felt part of the problem was body image issues and wetsuits he response (and i have witnesses) was 'well i dont want those type of women here, they can **** off'

yes there are women diveshop owners and boat operators and dm & instructors but really, the diving industry is a mans world in general

i note that on my sewing forum no-one really asks "why dont more men sew" .... maybe because we women just get on with it and enjoy

 

[creamofwheat]

Diving is indeed a man's world. You go into technical diving and it is even more so. My OW class actually consisted of 3 females and a male. My cavern course consisted of all males...and me, the lone female.

I can understand why women wouldn't want to dive, for sure. It's cold, dark, the gear is heavy. I admit I nearly died while wearing doubles for cavern. I don't blame any women who doesn't feel like lugging that around. And even in recreational diving, in cold water, there's a lot of gear to wear and it ends up being pretty heavy and uncomfortable.

Though I admit, I have never heard a women say that she didn't want to dive because it was unflattering, or didn't look good in a wetsuit or anything. It's usually just a simple lack of interest in my experience.

It's kind of like asking why don't more guys sew, or ride horses, or dance? They just don't find it appealing.

 

[Quarrior]

For me, I'm working on my Underwater Bikini Inspector Card.