Peeing in a dry suit

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Skydiver1

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florida
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Hi all

I recently began the practice of evacuating nitrogenous waste from my bladder on dives. It seems the sensation of being in cold water with water on the skin causes this physiological response. I was wondering if the same happens when wearing a dry suit - although water is not directly in contact in skin apart from face, does the urge to urinate still present.

Thanks.
 
Yep. You still need to pee when wearing a drysuit. Having said that...........unless you have a p-valve (with condom cathetor or she-P) or are wearing adult diapers, you should not pee in a drysuit. Besides being smelly and gross, bacterial infections are likely.
 
Yep. You still need to pee when wearing a drysuit. Having said that...........unless you have a p-valve (with condom cathetor or she-P) or are wearing adult diapers, you should not pee in a drysuit. Besides being smelly and gross, bacterial infections are likely.

Is it not a major disadvantage that you still feel the urge to urinate?

Like if you had to jump on a rib, do a dive, then go back to dive center - you could be looking at a good two hours. This coupled with adequately hydrating oneself because of breathing cold compressed air would be very discomforting.
 
squeeze out every last drop before you zip in even if you don't feel the urge. pee in head or bum over side. not a big deal.
 
If you get a drysuit, spend the extra and get a p-valve installed. Planning to not pee is much more dangerous. Dehydration bends people every year. With a p-valve you can drink all you want and be comfortable the whole time.
 
If you get a drysuit, spend the extra and get a p-valve installed. Planning to not pee is much more dangerous. Dehydration bends people every year. With a p-valve you can drink all you want and be comfortable the whole time.

I thought the p-valve thing was a joke. Thats actually interesting, reading up on them now.
 
cold or warm, I gotta piss like a racehorse when I get out of the water. I've got a P-valve so I'll piss 4 times or so on a 2 hour dive, but for instance a one hour dive and I'll be fine for all but the very end of the dive when I start ascending. Then, when I hit the surface, it's a rush to the green-latrine unless I've got a p-valve.

I love my p-valve, even if it does sop a little pee through the balancing chamber.
 
bless you, spd, for keeping the ladies in your reply!

p valves are no joke - they are a gift from god.
 
I dove a dry suit for three years before I put in a p-valve. You get used to hitting the head RIGHT before getting in the water, and doing the waddle of shame out of the water (and the quicktime gear strip, so you can get to the restroom!) I still don't use my p-valve for relatively short, single shore dives.

The urge to urinate when diving is called immersion diuresis, and is multifactorial. It is due to a number of factors that tend to centralize blood volume during diving (those include being weightless, and being cold). It occurs in dry suit diving to essentially the same degree as wetsuit diving. This can lead to the dry suit diver not being diligent about maintaining hydration, because of the discomfort of having a long swim with a full bladder. P-valves are a safety device, in my book!
 
It's a nice option to have, but it's a hassle and no guarantee that you are going to stay dry.
I had to cut a dive short this past weekend because I don't usually bother to hook it up any more.
 

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