Women and everything being heavy in scuba diving

[MichaelMc]

I suggested that BikerBecca, and her sister, was likely *stronger* than most, so not a great representation of the norm. Nowhere did I suggest she was sensitive (to be exact, I commented on her statements, not what may have driven them). I highlighted upper body strength. It has been a while since anyone scuba diving has been doing laundry with rocks.

I've had a working female scientific diver comment that she loved diving with other women as they were always helping each other out. While the men just stand back and let someone struggle through, of either sex. Which I have tried to take to heart. And still fail at.

I dive with a fair number of college age female divers (I assist in our program). Normally an age of high relative fitness for men and women. My experience is the college women have more issues with the gear weight than the college men. Most in both category are not athletes.

I *hope* that a guy saying 'Hey, that looks heavy, do you want a hand?' does not make them a knuckle dragging misogynist in 2019. Or asking if gear being heavy is generally an issue. If it does, this transition to a brighter world is going to take a long... time. And suck on all sides.

 

[Kimela]

Meh. Isn't it better to treat the occasional dumb/ignorant/contrary/ill informed comment as a "flier" and not really worth responding to? Honestly, I find the male attitude on Scubaboard to be overwhelmingly supportive of women in the sport - not misogynistic or hostile in any way. We - women and men - are far more alike than different. Especially when neutrally buoyant.

 

[aquacat8]

I’m a smaller gal and for me the heaviness of the gear is a real issue and has affected my gear and diving choices! In fact I am what mountain bikers call a “ weightweenie”, Happy to modify my gear to shave off a few pounds! Yay PST HP 80 steel tank!

 

[Marie13]

I’m a smaller gal and for me the heaviness of the gear is a real issue and has affected my gear and diving choices! In fact I am what mountain bikers call a “ weightweenie”, Happy to modify my gear to shave off a few pounds! Yay PST HP 80 steel tank!

HP80 doubles (aka my "dwarf dubs") are fabulous. Smallest/lightest doubles you'll get aside from LP50s, which are too long for me.

 

[aquacat8]

And while being lighter than many tanks on land, they are more negative in the water, something that often confuses people. So you really can take weight off your belt.

 

[aquacat8]

The only annoying thing is they often don’t fit well in tank racks on dive boats, the pvc pipe type racks come up too far, interfering with the tank straps. I have heard some people bring a block to put underneath the tank.

 

[Marie13]

The only annoying thing is they often don’t fit well in tank racks on dive boats, the pvc pipe type racks come up too far, interfering with the tank straps. I have heard some people bring a block to put underneath the tank.

The Great Lakes boats I've been on don't have the PVC pipe racks. You strap your tanks in with a strap that's attached to the bench or a big rubber bungee strap with hooks on each end. I like the latter better. The straps that are attached to the bench are too high for HP80s (or AL63). I've strongly recommended to my local charter op (since I'm a regular) that they lower the straps or have a few lower ones.

 

[aquacat8]

Can you bring a strap?

 

[Storker]

Men tend to have more upper body strength than women. Clearly a trained women can far surpass an untrained man on athletics.

One of my favorite athletes is a young woman weighing some 50kg, and you can't pay me enough to make me meet her on the mat. She'd kill me (if not literally, at least I'd feel that way if I ever were to meet her).

That said, I agree that the median (or average) woman has less body strength than the median (or average) man, and the average (or median) man has more body strength than the average (or median) woman. The rather significant point which is often overlooked is that the distribution curves of those two populations overlap rather significantly.

 

[scubajelly]

One of my favorite athletes is a young woman weighing some 50kg, and you can't pay me enough to make me meet her on the mat. She'd kill me (if not literally, at least I'd feel that way if I ever were to meet her).

Do you do a grappling sport (the meeting on the mat part is what led me to ask)? I train and compete in Brazilian jiujitsu. I also lift weights. I'm pretty athletic, but I still have a hard time lugging all the equipment needed to dive in cold Monterey water from the car to shore dive, which is why I prefer tropical diving from a boat.