Women and Diving
By KaylinQ. Friday, 24. March 2006, 16:46:29
When scuba diving first became popular there were very few women divers (Jacques Cousteau's wife Simone was probably the very first in the 1940's). Now, about about one-third of newly-certified divers are women. We are diving the world and lovin' it! There's no other sport that can offer us more in terms of beauty, exercise, and companionship than scuba.
Cheryl Lurie, Contributor
Women make up about 40% of new divers today – and have been diving for over 40 of scuba’s 50 years. So why can’t we find equipment that fits?! Scuba diving faces an explosion of popularity as a recreational sport for the whole family. But the industry still has a few kinks to work out. To understand its evolution from the primordial soup of machismo and danger to the current family recreation – let’s look at some “history.”
Many of you are familiar with women dive pioneers like Dottie Frazier, Evelyn Dudas, and Eugenie Clark. These hale-and-hearty women survived the rigors of demanding physical training, uncomfortable and ill-fitting equipment, and less-than supportive instructors. They took the plunge – literally, so we could swim in their wake and enjoy what is called “recreational” diving.
BARBARA ALLEN
One of the first women instructors in the US – taught in Hawaii. Also backpacked throughout the Pacific Islands back in 1950.
MARJORIE BANKS
Underwater filmmaker, conservationist, and photographer for a National Aquarium beluga whale expedition, as well as a six-gill shark photographer. Also filmed great white sharks at depths of 3,000 feet for the Audubon Society.
EUGENIE CLARK
Also known as “The Shark Lady,” famous for TV specials, film, and submersible dives down to 12,000 feet. Founded the Mote Marine Laboratory and helped turn the Red Sea into a national park. Currently teaches at the University of Maryland Zoology Department.
EVELYN DUDAS
Pioneer wreck diver, the first woman to dive the Andrea Doria at 240 feet, just off the coast of Long Island. Currently owns and operates a Pennsylvania dive centre.
(Publisher's Note 3/18/99: This article incorrectly stated that Evelyn Dudas' husband was killed while diving the Andrea Doria. J Scuba sincerely apologizes for this error.)
SYLVIA EARLE
Set the record for solo diving in a submersible – 3,280 feet in 1985. Marine scientist and author. Lead the Tektite Project underwater habitat with the first team of women aquanauts in 1970. Previously served as Chief Scientist of NOAA, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Currently chair of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research.
DOTTIE FRAZIER
Became the first woman diving instructor in 1955. Was an avid freediver in the late 1920s as a young woman. Bought the Penguin dive shop and manufactured wet suits. Currently lectures on marine life and still free dives.
JULIE JORDAN
Since 1988, she has been captain of the Aggressor Fleet live-aboard dive boats in the Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands.
CONSTANCE MUELLER
Began diving in the 1940s before the invention of scuba gear, using “hard-hat gear.” Exposed the world to diving through lectures using underwater 16mm film she and her husband shot.
ZALE PARRY NEUMAN
Most famous as an underwater actress and stuntwoman who played the “damsel in distress” in the Sea Hunt series with Lloyd Bridges. Set the world depth record for women using scuba at 307 feet. Graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
NORINE ROUSE
The first woman scuba instructor at the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) Bahamas. Also know as “The Turtle Lady” for studying turtles. Founded Scuba Club of the Palm Beaches in 1971.
ANDREA ZAFERES
Foremost rescue instructor for Lifeguard Systems, Inc. Previously developed and studied mollusk habitats at New York’s Museum of Natural History where she used her talents as a comparative psychologist specializing in animal behavior.
Only two decades ago, women comprised less than ten percent of all scuba students. Today, over 40% of newly certified divers are women – that’s about 134,000 by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) numbers. Why the sudden tidal wave? “Women are more athletic now, have disposable income, and are interested in adventure in exotic locations,” says Jennifer King, President of the Women’s Scuba Association. Contributing to the popularity of diving for women is society’s acceptance of females participating in sports, better equipment, increased interest in environment conservation, and more approachable training techniques. This surge of women divers has raised many new issues in a previously male-dominated sport: equipment needs, health concerns, and training methods – what I like to call “gear, sneer, and fear” issues.
GEAR
Though manufacturers recognized the growing population of women divers in the early 1980s, the equipment was either cost prohibitive (i.e. custom cut wetsuits), or followed the “SAP principle” meaning “small and pink,” coined by the Women’s Scuba Association. Manufacturers just downsized men’s gear and added bright colors. Fed up with the “I’m-pink-therefore-I-dive” principle, WSA delivered the results of a what-women-divers-want survey to manufacturers in 1993 and developed the Women’s Equipment Test Team (WETT) to test gear in production. Many companies used the free evaluation service and surveys of experienced divers to create the comfortable and useable products we have today. Some of the main equipment problems are buoyancy control devices (BCD), wetsuits, and fins.
BCs: There are currently three BCs designed for women: Forte’s Sirene, Sea Quest’s Diva, and U.S. Divers’ Elan. These new styles have lycra front panels without restrictive straps, thinner cummerbunds for shorter wastes, and larger arm holes for mobility.
Wetsuits: Neoprene wetsuits (¼”), though “downsized” for women, rarely fit the less-than-Baywatch physique. They bag or constrict waist and chest areas or are too short in the legs. One source for “real” women sized suits is US Divers, which uses dress sizes instead of the usual “S, M, L.”
Fins: Most manufacturers are still using the “SAP” principle – an example: the pink floppy fins for easy kicking underwater for the “weaker sex.” However, these blades are totally useless in any current. Others are of the “SEAL Team macho black rubber” variety -- labeled as such by the Women’s Equipment Test Team -- which are often difficult to use for a petite woman or one with weaker legs. Some fins now have smaller foot pockets and stiffer blades for maximum power and minimum rubbing.
The other necessities are easier to find: masks and snorkels are available in a variety of sizes for adults – no more “making due” with a child’s mask for a smaller face. Snorkels and regulators can be fitted with smaller mouthpieces to eliminate that aching jaw, and soft or padded weights cut down on bruising – for both sexes.
SNEER
Maybe it’s a harsh word, but women divers have concerns about their physical differences from men – often afraid that they will not be seen as equals to their adventuresome male counterparts. The water chill, menstruation, buoyancy, strength, and pregnancy are a few of the most common issues that physiologists have studied.
Chill: A common complaint is feeling cold way before our masculine buddy – we may feel a chill earlier, but women are not at a higher risk of hypothermia than men. Au contraire! While women may have a lower capacity to produce heat than men, O’Neill and Morgan in their book When Women Dive state that women “tend to conserve heat better, and may therefore be less susceptible to hypothermia than men.” Factors that contribute to feeling cold are more likely a result of physical condition, age, and hydration, not gender.
Decompression Sickness: Another misconception is that women are more susceptible to DCS than men. This conclusion was the result of two flawed studies conducted a while back (one by the Air Force) that compared unequal physical fitness levels between the sexes. No current research showed the same results. The Divers Alert Network (DAN) supports the notion that there is no “significant difference between men and women ” when it comes to diving impact.
Strength: We mermaids may win out in the underwater game – what we lack in sheer strength, we make up in stamina. Not to mention, women usually have better air consumption than men. Now, that’s something to think about when you are in an underwater jam.
Menstruation: The big fear is over – just because you have your period does not mean you will be the main attraction on a shark dive.
Buoyancy: Those old salty dogs and ancient mariners got a little carried away when christening a garden-variety life vest as a “Mae West.” It was wishful thinking -- large breasts will not keep you afloat or impede neutral buoyancy, nor will implants expand or explode. Good ol’ Mae would have to change her tune as a diver – “Come down and see me sometime…”
Pregnancy: This issue has not been studied yet, but the medical community agrees on no diving if you are pregnant, or think you are. Since a fetus does not breath with lungs, it gets oxygen from the mother’s blood supply. If a pregnant woman gets the bends, the bubbles in her blood can become air embolisms in the fetus’ brain. And according to a 1986 symposium on women divers by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), incidents of still births are higher for women commercial divers than that of the general population.
FEAR
In the men-only days of diving, training was harsh and demanding – often done by ex-military divers with homemade, low-end equipment. Instructors taught by fear and intimidation to “season” students for the difficult and life-threatening conditions that awaited them at the bottom of the sea. Some brave women pioneers jumped in, refusing to be discouraged by the macho, aggressive teaching methods of the time. With advanced equipment, the sport has evolved to a relaxing recreation. Instructors – now both male and female – usually create an atmosphere of support and information, rather than intimidation. Dive Training magazine sites that these new training methods, as well as evolutions in equipment, have made diving more accessible to women – and men!
Medical Problems
Scuba Women WebRing
Women Divers Hall Of Fame
SheGear
Cheryl Lurie, Contributor
Women make up about 40% of new divers today – and have been diving for over 40 of scuba’s 50 years. So why can’t we find equipment that fits?! Scuba diving faces an explosion of popularity as a recreational sport for the whole family. But the industry still has a few kinks to work out. To understand its evolution from the primordial soup of machismo and danger to the current family recreation – let’s look at some “history.”
Many of you are familiar with women dive pioneers like Dottie Frazier, Evelyn Dudas, and Eugenie Clark. These hale-and-hearty women survived the rigors of demanding physical training, uncomfortable and ill-fitting equipment, and less-than supportive instructors. They took the plunge – literally, so we could swim in their wake and enjoy what is called “recreational” diving.
BARBARA ALLEN
One of the first women instructors in the US – taught in Hawaii. Also backpacked throughout the Pacific Islands back in 1950.
MARJORIE BANKS
Underwater filmmaker, conservationist, and photographer for a National Aquarium beluga whale expedition, as well as a six-gill shark photographer. Also filmed great white sharks at depths of 3,000 feet for the Audubon Society.
EUGENIE CLARK
Also known as “The Shark Lady,” famous for TV specials, film, and submersible dives down to 12,000 feet. Founded the Mote Marine Laboratory and helped turn the Red Sea into a national park. Currently teaches at the University of Maryland Zoology Department.
EVELYN DUDAS
Pioneer wreck diver, the first woman to dive the Andrea Doria at 240 feet, just off the coast of Long Island. Currently owns and operates a Pennsylvania dive centre.
(Publisher's Note 3/18/99: This article incorrectly stated that Evelyn Dudas' husband was killed while diving the Andrea Doria. J Scuba sincerely apologizes for this error.)
SYLVIA EARLE
Set the record for solo diving in a submersible – 3,280 feet in 1985. Marine scientist and author. Lead the Tektite Project underwater habitat with the first team of women aquanauts in 1970. Previously served as Chief Scientist of NOAA, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Currently chair of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research.
DOTTIE FRAZIER
Became the first woman diving instructor in 1955. Was an avid freediver in the late 1920s as a young woman. Bought the Penguin dive shop and manufactured wet suits. Currently lectures on marine life and still free dives.
JULIE JORDAN
Since 1988, she has been captain of the Aggressor Fleet live-aboard dive boats in the Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands.
CONSTANCE MUELLER
Began diving in the 1940s before the invention of scuba gear, using “hard-hat gear.” Exposed the world to diving through lectures using underwater 16mm film she and her husband shot.
ZALE PARRY NEUMAN
Most famous as an underwater actress and stuntwoman who played the “damsel in distress” in the Sea Hunt series with Lloyd Bridges. Set the world depth record for women using scuba at 307 feet. Graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
NORINE ROUSE
The first woman scuba instructor at the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) Bahamas. Also know as “The Turtle Lady” for studying turtles. Founded Scuba Club of the Palm Beaches in 1971.
ANDREA ZAFERES
Foremost rescue instructor for Lifeguard Systems, Inc. Previously developed and studied mollusk habitats at New York’s Museum of Natural History where she used her talents as a comparative psychologist specializing in animal behavior.
Only two decades ago, women comprised less than ten percent of all scuba students. Today, over 40% of newly certified divers are women – that’s about 134,000 by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) numbers. Why the sudden tidal wave? “Women are more athletic now, have disposable income, and are interested in adventure in exotic locations,” says Jennifer King, President of the Women’s Scuba Association. Contributing to the popularity of diving for women is society’s acceptance of females participating in sports, better equipment, increased interest in environment conservation, and more approachable training techniques. This surge of women divers has raised many new issues in a previously male-dominated sport: equipment needs, health concerns, and training methods – what I like to call “gear, sneer, and fear” issues.
GEAR
Though manufacturers recognized the growing population of women divers in the early 1980s, the equipment was either cost prohibitive (i.e. custom cut wetsuits), or followed the “SAP principle” meaning “small and pink,” coined by the Women’s Scuba Association. Manufacturers just downsized men’s gear and added bright colors. Fed up with the “I’m-pink-therefore-I-dive” principle, WSA delivered the results of a what-women-divers-want survey to manufacturers in 1993 and developed the Women’s Equipment Test Team (WETT) to test gear in production. Many companies used the free evaluation service and surveys of experienced divers to create the comfortable and useable products we have today. Some of the main equipment problems are buoyancy control devices (BCD), wetsuits, and fins.
BCs: There are currently three BCs designed for women: Forte’s Sirene, Sea Quest’s Diva, and U.S. Divers’ Elan. These new styles have lycra front panels without restrictive straps, thinner cummerbunds for shorter wastes, and larger arm holes for mobility.
Wetsuits: Neoprene wetsuits (¼”), though “downsized” for women, rarely fit the less-than-Baywatch physique. They bag or constrict waist and chest areas or are too short in the legs. One source for “real” women sized suits is US Divers, which uses dress sizes instead of the usual “S, M, L.”
Fins: Most manufacturers are still using the “SAP” principle – an example: the pink floppy fins for easy kicking underwater for the “weaker sex.” However, these blades are totally useless in any current. Others are of the “SEAL Team macho black rubber” variety -- labeled as such by the Women’s Equipment Test Team -- which are often difficult to use for a petite woman or one with weaker legs. Some fins now have smaller foot pockets and stiffer blades for maximum power and minimum rubbing.
The other necessities are easier to find: masks and snorkels are available in a variety of sizes for adults – no more “making due” with a child’s mask for a smaller face. Snorkels and regulators can be fitted with smaller mouthpieces to eliminate that aching jaw, and soft or padded weights cut down on bruising – for both sexes.
SNEER
Maybe it’s a harsh word, but women divers have concerns about their physical differences from men – often afraid that they will not be seen as equals to their adventuresome male counterparts. The water chill, menstruation, buoyancy, strength, and pregnancy are a few of the most common issues that physiologists have studied.
Chill: A common complaint is feeling cold way before our masculine buddy – we may feel a chill earlier, but women are not at a higher risk of hypothermia than men. Au contraire! While women may have a lower capacity to produce heat than men, O’Neill and Morgan in their book When Women Dive state that women “tend to conserve heat better, and may therefore be less susceptible to hypothermia than men.” Factors that contribute to feeling cold are more likely a result of physical condition, age, and hydration, not gender.
Decompression Sickness: Another misconception is that women are more susceptible to DCS than men. This conclusion was the result of two flawed studies conducted a while back (one by the Air Force) that compared unequal physical fitness levels between the sexes. No current research showed the same results. The Divers Alert Network (DAN) supports the notion that there is no “significant difference between men and women ” when it comes to diving impact.
Strength: We mermaids may win out in the underwater game – what we lack in sheer strength, we make up in stamina. Not to mention, women usually have better air consumption than men. Now, that’s something to think about when you are in an underwater jam.
Menstruation: The big fear is over – just because you have your period does not mean you will be the main attraction on a shark dive.
Buoyancy: Those old salty dogs and ancient mariners got a little carried away when christening a garden-variety life vest as a “Mae West.” It was wishful thinking -- large breasts will not keep you afloat or impede neutral buoyancy, nor will implants expand or explode. Good ol’ Mae would have to change her tune as a diver – “Come down and see me sometime…”
Pregnancy: This issue has not been studied yet, but the medical community agrees on no diving if you are pregnant, or think you are. Since a fetus does not breath with lungs, it gets oxygen from the mother’s blood supply. If a pregnant woman gets the bends, the bubbles in her blood can become air embolisms in the fetus’ brain. And according to a 1986 symposium on women divers by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), incidents of still births are higher for women commercial divers than that of the general population.
FEAR
In the men-only days of diving, training was harsh and demanding – often done by ex-military divers with homemade, low-end equipment. Instructors taught by fear and intimidation to “season” students for the difficult and life-threatening conditions that awaited them at the bottom of the sea. Some brave women pioneers jumped in, refusing to be discouraged by the macho, aggressive teaching methods of the time. With advanced equipment, the sport has evolved to a relaxing recreation. Instructors – now both male and female – usually create an atmosphere of support and information, rather than intimidation. Dive Training magazine sites that these new training methods, as well as evolutions in equipment, have made diving more accessible to women – and men!
Medical Problems
Scuba Women WebRing
Women Divers Hall Of Fame
SheGear
WIDGETIZE