What are the biggest challenges for female divers compared to men?

[MeetTheFishes]

I didn't make it through all the pages of replys but only saw 1 person mention needing a custom suit.

I HAVE HIPS! Sexy delicious curvy hips (not to be confused for letting myself go and being too overweight to fit most gear). I'm still renting my gear because I'm new but nothing fits. I'm wearing a men's large dry suit (to fit the hips) so it's CRAZY baggy and long in parts with feet 5 sizes too big. I'm in a men's large BC to fit my boobs and leave room over my weight belt. The weight belt has to really be in my waist or it slips off (which happened on my first OW cert dive!). I will have to buy a custom dry suit and will struggle to find wet suits that fit me (for tropical trips) forever. BOO.

Also, I'm not the weakest girl I know but I can hardly lift my BC when it's weighted up (16 lb plus inherent weight and big Al cylinder). Yes, that'll drop with experience, but it's making gearing up/down right now very hard.

 

[WaterV]

I too have problems getting gear that fits properly. Most, if not all exposure suits cut for women would need to be 2 size larger for me. I too have hips and very strong thigh... Meaning I can swim forever -) ) but I need to get guys suits. And these are way too long on the feet, legs and arms... Also, because of my hips, my tanks are a bit high when sidemounting... Currently working on finding a way around this...
I think the weight of the gear is not a male/female problem but rather a built problem. I am strong enough to carry my gears and I know guys with smaller builts that would not be able to...

 

[CaliDenna]

For those of you like color but don't want pink, Aqualung's new women's line is purple. Cressi also has purple out now as well. Aqua Lung Women - US - details by Aqua Lung

 

[kimbalabala]

I think that the problem with wetsuit/drysuit sizing is the same problem throughout the fashion industry. Clothing is cut to fit what I call "freakishly tall and skinny" women! Understand that I am "vertically challenged" and have been known to wear "normal size" capris as regular length pants! So yes, I'm totally jealous! I'm about 5 foot tall (5' 1" if I stretch my neck out). I haven't complained about my wetsuits but the reality is that they're too long in the torso and too long in the legs. I'm not overweight - I go from 110 to 120 depending on hormones and the time of the year. My wetsuits fit me about the same at both ends of the spectrum. It's nice that we DO have the option of getting custom suits, but it would be nice if the industry would recognize that most of us are not Victoria's Secret models.

 

[rivers]

I didn't make it through all the pages of replys but only saw 1 person mention needing a custom suit.

I HAVE HIPS! Sexy delicious curvy hips (not to be confused for letting myself go and being too overweight to fit most gear). I'm still renting my gear because I'm new but nothing fits. I'm wearing a men's large dry suit (to fit the hips) so it's CRAZY baggy and long in parts with feet 5 sizes too big. I'm in a men's large BC to fit my boobs and leave room over my weight belt. The weight belt has to really be in my waist or it slips off (which happened on my first OW cert dive!). I will have to buy a custom dry suit and will struggle to find wet suits that fit me (for tropical trips) forever. BOO.

Also, I'm not the weakest girl I know but I can hardly lift my BC when it's weighted up (16 lb plus inherent weight and big Al cylinder). Yes, that'll drop with experience, but it's making gearing up/down right now very hard.

For a drysuit, get either a MTM or a whites fusion. Bs wise, try as many makes and models possible, including jacket style, back inflate, and backplate and wing.

 

[rmh84]

I did'nt read the whole thread here I actually found that none of the above apply to me generally!

I'm a rec diver, so no doubles or heavy tech gear for me - and being a farm girl, I don't have much problem with the weight of my gear at all, especially once it's on - plus i tend to use the "balance trick" for caring dive tanks (one in each hand is easier then just one - even though it's double the weight) which means my buddy will probably get the "full service" expierience from me since I'm very quick to have my gear out and ready to go.

I'm short and curvy, but the solution for wetsuit sizing is to just spend the cash on a hyperstretch Henderson - accomodates the girls very nicely. I don't dive drysuit yet - so not sure what my issues will be there.

 

[Nylorac]

I read through this thread this morning, and it struck me that it may be the best ever example of how the posting membership of SB is SO not representative of the diving world at large. Look at the number of women posting in this thread who are diving doubles and complaining about the weight of the gear. In the world at large, how many female divers do you think are diving double tanks?

NOT many. The weight of the gear is a major problem for me while drysuit diving here in New England (diving with one steel 100 tank - just rec but an avid diver). I don't weigh much and have medical issues that signficantly add to the difficulty of carrying the necessary weight. Diving here can be challenging and there are few other women to dive with in my group - at one point I was so frustrated I was ready to give up but Lynne gave me some very helpful advice on SB and I didn't give up - it has paid off with some awesome dives!

 

[Cheeky]

Really?

(Says Lynne, who is a 34DD and LOVES her backplates)

Also a member of the DD club and is head over heels with her B/P wing...............love, love, love it!

 

[sealionesse]

I am new to tech diving (just finished an intro class). And I bought a backplate and wing to replace my old BC. The problem I have with it is that I really need the weight on my hips. When I did my first dive with it, there was so much weight on my back (and not lower on my hips) that I was literally being faceplanted into the sand. The instructor helped me figure out a weigh setup to help me with proper trim (using the weight pockets and ankle weights). It's a lot better, but there is still a lot of weight high up on my back/shoulders, I can still feel that I am being pushed face down in shallow water. Luckily it's only slight and I can "fight it" by arching my back. When I get into deeper water, luckily it's not a problem as my wetsuit is compressed, so I can relax a little.

I am actually hoping if I lose a little fat around my hips, butt and thighs, that will be less of an issue. I need to lose about 15 pounds and I pretty most of that extra fat below the waist. My upper body is much more lean.

I had a hard time with the Scubapro fins too, but I was wearing an XL (they were borrowed as my split fins wouldn't allow me to do some of the finning techniques they taught. Like someone else mentioned, I could move my booted foot all around the pocket and kicked my fins off a few times. But at least I can try a smaller size--just can't find them in any stores so I have to order them and hope I get ones that fit. I really want to try them on).

For what it's worth, I actually got that backplate and wing in pink (just a little pink trim on the wing and on the straps). The only other color was blue and with the exact same setup and all, it was hard to tell rigs apart. I figure with a touch of pink, mine will stand out and no one will mistake it for their own. How many tech divers wear pink I figured? Probably almost none of the men and there are a lot of women who hate pink. Funny thing is, I really don't like pink either--but it works as a tool for an easy ID.

Oh, for what it's worth, weighting issues aside... that backplate is the most comfortable thing I've worn. No bust issues at all either (34DD here). I love it.

 

[Wingy]

Sizing of wetsuits....I dive in a teenage boys wetsuit because its the most comfortable ive found yet and I would love someone to make a front zip very small female wetsuit with provision for boobs. I like the Henderson but dont like the pink. I have nothing against pink other than in dive gear it screams fashionably attired (I am one of those terrible people you call vacation divers..although in reality I see it as I travel to dive, not dive because im travelling..big difference!). Lavacore need to make provisions for the female shape in their vests and hoods..while I love my lavacore ive resorted to giving it the odd snip here and there to stop the squish and be able to breath.
Dive hair annoys me, It would be so much easier if I had none but I have so have been using the tahitian product manoi oil. I spread a bit on my palms, run it thru my hair then tie my hair back and pop on a hood if I am using one and no oily residue. Good stuff.