I realized after reading most of this thread that I got certified with two girls! One was getting certified because her husband was, and they were going on a cruise. The other was her younger sister and I think they were doing it as a "family bonding" thing. And one of our instructors is an IDC course director in the PADI stuff....pretty high up! What's funny is she showed up with a drysuit and an aluminum 60. I was expecting steel doubles....
Anyways, I don't think the two girls are diving anymore. I don't know for sure because I haven't had any contact with them since the class (sometime I'm going to ask at the dive shop if they've ever rented anymore gear) but the married one seemed miserable: trouble getting down, clearing, totally uncomfortable in the water, equipment too heavy, wetsuit hard to get into, this is not fun. The sister took to it all way better, so we ended up buddied up most of the time while the instructor spent time working with the married girl. If either is still diving, I think it'll be the younger one. The married gal probably got spoilt diving in warm water and will never ever ever think about doing any diving in thsoe freezing cold springs again. The other one has likely not been spoilt and might go back into springs
I went out two weeks later and bought everything I needed to go diving and have since logged 7.5 hours underwater and I'll triple that before summer is over.
And this one girl who's a bit of a close friend *cough cough* who'd I'd like to get diving....she's a really tiny, skinny dancer. I definitely know she couldn't carry an alu80. At some springs we walk a few hundred feet easy to get into the water and I don't exactly enjoy it, I know she'd never forgive me. I'd probably have to carry it for her. She likes warm ocean water so she won't love the springs. She'll probably have trouble clearing and with her mask flooding. And she'll decide she doesn't want to do it at all after getting certified. $250 and two weekends is alot to decide you don't like the sport
Truthfully, I had the same problems: I was freezing, my mask leaked like a sieve, I was miserable. But dang, being able to breathe underwater? how cool is that? Heck, i can put up with hypothermia for that! So I'd almost think I agree, more men are willing to put up with the inital miserableness for the later benefit.