All the single ladies...

[Majickyl]

Okay, kind of a silly thing here, but just wondering what other's take is on this...

I haven't been diving for very long, but in the little diving that I have done I've noticed a particular demographic all but missing from the dive community... The female dive team.

There are plenty of female divers, but it seems that most women dive with their spouses, while men dive either with their spouses or other men.

Why is it so rare that the ladies get together and dive?  

Are there too few women divers?
Are we too afraid?
Is it just our locale? (spring and cavern diving in north florida for the most part)

I personally love diving with my usual buddy, who's also female.  Her significant other isn't really interested in diving, and we make a great team.  We just wonder why there aren't more teams like us!

Any thoughts?

 

[SoccerJeni]

I have done all my diving with friends that are female, or alone getting a dive buddy at the shop. It is weird there aren't a lot of women diving...however I kind of like it

Do you think it's more of a "sport" kind of activity? I absolutely love it, however, I'm very much a "sporty" or active type of woman.

 

[capt. dave]

That is very interesting. I am on my boat usually from Thursday to Sunday night with kids and dogs etc. Diving for me on the weekends is difficult, but not impossible. I like to take off of work and/or leave early to dive during the week. I see many more females diving during the week than I have seen on weekends. They indicated everything from kids are in school, husband is working, less testosterone (imagine that) than on the weekends, more time during the week than weekends and other obligations that take place during the weekend than during the week. Oh, and by the way, based on the female divers I spoke with or observed, they can have my back any day.

 

[Majickyl]

That makes sense that ladies might dive during the week, especially with kids to chauffeur on the weekends. I agree though, that female divers have your back. I think we bring our nurturing nature into diving - we stay aware of our buddy the same way we stay aware of our children - we practice similar situational awareness all day long!

I understand the testosterone thing too... It's more relaxing when there's not *that* group of competitive men around. Not to say we can't get competitive ... It's time to hit the pool and get my sac rate down, I'm not gonna stay the dive-limiting buddy for long!

 

[Majickyl]

I definitely think of scuba as a sport, and so does my buddy. While the boys are playing football or surfing, we're diving. I bet that's a big part of it actually. I think most women divers view diving as purely recreational, something they do on vacation, which is usually with family (ie, the men in their lives). Many men view it as a sport (hence the testosterone!), but "sporty" women divers like us are perhaps a bit more rare... and pretty awesome, I think!

 

[TSandM]

I know quite a few women who dive, and who tech dive and cave dive. I dive with some of them -- and in fact, we're doing a four-woman cave diving trip this coming spring. But somehow, at home, it's never seemed that schedules have worked out well for me to dive with the women I know. I do it occasionally, but my "team" has been me and my husband and my favorite dive buddy.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I am always either leading a dive, or conducting a class. If I am on the boat for fun, I usually get asked to be someone's buddy.... Our boats are primarily men, and while I don't mind being the only woman, it is nice when other women do show.
On a side note, in the past year and 1/2, I have gotten to fun dive with my hubby only once. I usually end up with the least experienced diver so they have someone to watch over them.....

 

[knowone]

There is nothing like having a couple of women on a boat to keep it on even kilter at the right speed.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

There is nothing like having a couple of women on a boat to keep it on even kilter at the right speed.

Oh, I don't know, my Animal House boats are lots and lots of fun........

 

[knowone]

A couple of women.
Get a boatload and you may as well have a different kind of men.

Who invented men being intimidated by women.