Trimix for girls??

[octgal]

Forgive me for sounding stupid, but i have been reading up on trimix lately. I would definately like to try it at some point in the future HOWEVER i have come up with an issue i think i will have and wanted to hear some feedback.

Now, at the moment i dive a single LP95, of course i don't have to wear any weights and am way overweighted as it is. When i get into doubles for full cave i cannot imagine how i will even stand up with 2 tanks. One is bad enough! HOW WILL I HANDLE 4 tanks???????

Can any girls out there or instructors or whoever give me some idea how we are suppose to handle 4 tanks for trimix?

i'm sure this is a stupid question, but i can't seem to get past how i will achieve this unless i start lifting more weights in the gym then i already am and bulk up to superwomen

*SUPERoctogal*

 

[chickdiver]

There are plenty of us. I've been doing it for over 10 years now, and I'll happily discuss the progression with you. Email me- hchoat@cox.net.

 

[octgal]

There are plenty of us. I've been doing it for over 10 years now, and I'll happily discuss the progression with you. Email me- hchoat@cox.net.

Thanks chickdiver, i will have to do that. Any other girls out there with some pointers? Do you guys struggle with your 2 LP95's????? how on earth will i do this?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Chickdiver taught my trimix class.
Highly recommended.
Rick

 

[cmalinowski]

Where is H2Andy to tell you to get a man to help you? Has anyone checked to make sure Andy is OK? Something must be wrong.

EDIT: PS: Don't get me, I'm going to have a tough enough time lifting my own here soon... I am sure you'll do fine though.

 

[XJae]

switch to a ccr and two of your tanks could be 13cf.

 

[TSandM]

I think this is a good question -- at least, it's a good question to me. I'm transitioning to doubles this spring (or hoping to!) because I want to do cave training, but I'm dreading the weight. I'm not at all sure I could ever climb a boat ladder with double tanks (but I have joined a gym in hopes I can get CLOSER to that), let alone with stages.

 

[octgal]

Yeah i knew i was not alone!!! I'm not a wee fragile little girl, so if girls are doing this without a problem then i SHOULD be able to handle it. but yeah i'm having a hard time seeing how this is possible.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Here is the way it should work.

Lets say you are wearing doubles and have two deco bottles and you are in the water at the surface after finishing an open water deco dive. You swim up to the ladder or swim step and unclip one deco bottle and hand it up to the deckhand, you then unclip the other deco bottle and do the same. Now you remove your fins and hand them up. When you start to climb up the ladder the deck hand reaches down and grabs a valve on your doubles and helps pull you up the steps, once you are on the deck the deckhand helps you to a seat near your deco bottles where you sit. You lean back and relax for a few minutes while still wearing your doubles, if you want to you grab the reg from your O2 bottle and breathe from that while you catch your breath. When you are comfortable you remove the doubles and sit and relax for a while, perhaps still breathing the oxygen from your deco bottle.

The gist of it is, if you are on a "tech friendly" boat the crew should help you into and out of the water much more than on a recreational boat. you don't want to exert yourself right after a deco dive if you can avoid it. This would apply to a male or female diver.

Yeah, doubles are heavy, but with some help they can be managed. In caves you may need to do all of the carrying yourself, but you spread it out over time by leaving the deco cylinder(s) very close to the place where you exited the water. When you have removed all of the rest of your gear you go back and retrieve the stuff at the waters edge.

Mark Vlahos

 

[nalfein]

My wife had the exact same apprehensions about the trainsition to doubles, don't sweat it. I think more than anything you just get used to handling the extra weight. She's fine to climb a boat ladder in snotty weather, twin 100's and a 40 deco bottle with her drysuit and weight belt... albeit a light weight belt. That being said, she does train regularly, but nothing out of the ordinary, running, swimming, and weight lifting regularly. She's of slight build so it looks like too much stuff for her to be hauling around, but she constantly surprises me.