Why are women going tech?

[Taliena]

It's passion, I like caves and deep wrecks. Not the standard divesites everybody can dive. I like places where most divers never come. And a lot of man are jalous

 

[tstormdiver]

My start in technical diving started when I made a really stupid decision. As a Dive Master, I was talked into entering a cave (Vortex) without training. Yes, I had been told not to,... I knew better, but was assured it was a safe dive (I have since discovered there really is no such thing). Long story short, my buddy & I became disoriented when it turned dark & we could not find our way out. I nearly ran out of gas. After a well deserved butt chewing & very serious discussion of the possible implications of my actions, by my instructor (also a cave/ tech instructor), he asked me if I wanted to learn how to cave dive properly. My curiosity was such that I agreed. I was put through 2 yrs of hell to make absolutely sure I knew why what I did was so wrong at so many levels. I learned that & vastly more. That is why I use this experience often to help those contemplating going into caves/ overhead environments without training. I have even told my instructor to use it in his classes when/ if he felt it was appropriate. From there I learned a whole new respect for those levels of diving & have embraced it. I have recently started my journey into rebreather diving & hope to start my CCR Cave later this year. I find the more I dive my unit, the more I love it! I love the reduced weight, the longer bottom times (utilizing the optimal PPO2) & especially the quiet). As soon as the winter breaks & spring starts, I will be in the water as much as possible. While I most certainly would not recommend anyone else start tech diving in the same way I did, in my local group (about a couple dozen), I am the only active female tech diver right now. I guess I'm "one of the guys".

 

[dreamdive]

My start in technical diving started when I made a really stupid decision. As a Dive Master, I was talked into entering a cave (Vortex) without training. Yes, I had been told not to,... I knew better, but was assured it was a safe dive (I have since discovered there really is no such thing). Long story short, my buddy & I became disoriented when it turned dark & we could not find our way out. I nearly ran out of gas. After a well deserved butt chewing & very serious discussion of the possible implications of my actions, by my instructor (also a cave/ tech instructor), he asked me if I wanted to learn how to cave dive properly. My curiosity was such that I agreed. I was put through 2 yrs of hell to make absolutely sure I knew why what I did was so wrong at so many levels. I learned that & vastly more. That is why I use this experience often to help those contemplating going into caves/ overhead environments without training. I have even told my instructor to use it in his classes when/ if he felt it was appropriate. From there I learned a whole new respect for those levels of diving & have embraced it. I have recently started my journey into rebreather diving & hope to start my CCR Cave later this year. I find the more I dive my unit, the more I love it! I love the reduced weight, the longer bottom times (utilizing the optimal PPO2) & especially the quiet). As soon as the winter breaks & spring starts, I will be in the water as much as possible. While I most certainly would not recommend anyone else start tech diving in the same way I did, in my local group (about a couple dozen), I am the only active female tech diver right now. I guess I'm "one of the guys".

From some of the replies I take that my question was regarded either a little stupid or and an obvious one. When I posted this question, I suspected that it would not be so obvious! At least in recreational diving, only 33 % of divers are women. I also suspect that this ratio is less when looking tech and rebreather (working on getting the stats).

Technical diving, at least in some circles, is accompanied with a lot of chest thumping and machoism. Something that could turn a woman off (but certainly also men) or brings out a stubborn streak to "show the boys wrong". Increased weight from gear might be a challenge, as well. I spent hours in the gym strength training, as I was convinced that if I cannot handle my gear, I have no business diving it (my own machoism). There is the increased cost issue as women are still earning less than men. And, a whole lot of other issues that are at least statistically related to women more so than men as a whole.

I certainly appreciate all the comments here, but particularly the shared insights by women. I love diving my rebreather, crawling in caves, and going deep. I am hoping that by making other women more aware that tech diving is certainly within their capabilities, more women are willing to at least look at it rather than outrightly dismissing it.

Claudia

 

[Cave Chick]

Some of my favorite classes have been with all women, I've been lucky enough to sit in on a few with Jill Heinerth on my way to becoming a cave instructor. We were told by the guys we could be heard giggling from a mile away! The women always listened very well and did wonderful!

 

[TSandM]

I think the gear does put women off . . . and there is no question that it's heavy and can be a LOT of work. And I base that in part on the fact that I know a number of couples where both dive, but she won't dive cold water because the gear is just too much. As well, I think that it is probably fair to say that women tend to be more interested in animals and less interested in rusty metal (which is not to say that there aren't women who are passionate about wrecks!) and animals are easily accessed without having to go to technical depths. I probably wouldn't have bothered with tech training just to see cloud sponges (which was the main animal I wanted to see deep) but the caves were a siren song I couldn't resist.

 

[mala]

give me a female tech buddy anyday.
they are generally more sensible underwater and better on gas.
Sure they cant navigate for toffee but they make up for it by eating and drinking less during the après dive.

whats not to like?

 

[meagicano]

I think the gear does put women off . . . and there is no question that it's heavy and can be a LOT of work. And I base that in part on the fact that I know a number of couples where both dive, but she won't dive cold water because the gear is just too much. As well, I think that it is probably fair to say that women tend to be more interested in animals and less interested in rusty metal (which is not to say that there aren't women who are passionate about wrecks!) and animals are easily accessed without having to go to technical depths. I probably wouldn't have bothered with tech training just to see cloud sponges (which was the main animal I wanted to see deep) but the caves were a siren song I couldn't resist.

I'm obsessed with wrecks and am rethinking tech now that my health has significantly improved (I had some environmental exposure issues in the navy which affected my breathing a few years ago). However - I don't have the money - yet - so I'm going to be a chick who sits on the sidelines, does lots of squats and obsesses about buoyancy until I'm ready to start moving forward!

And possibly throw a cavern course in there

 

[ComputerX]

According to the 2009 DAN Annual Diving Report eight percent of female divers in the PDE hold technical certifications compared to six percent of male divers in the PDE. More information on the PDE here.

It's not a statistically valid sample, but it is better than anecdote.

I prefer female buddies, both in and out of the water. I just get along better with women.

 

[oldschoolto]

So they can hang out with Northeast Wreck Divers.... And TECH GIRLS are hot...

Jim...

 

[JanieDiver]

Hello, the only thing that has deterred me from considering tech is the weight. I am kind of petite (5'4", 120 lbs) and have enough of a hard time with a normal tank (I am in Miami so I most often time warm weather), and can't imagine the weight of a double tank, especially trying to climb back up on a boat after a dive (or two). Is this a normal concern and how do other women get around it? Of course, more squats in the gym, but I have spoke to several about smaller tank configuration, etc. but wondering what you all do.... with kind regards