Women and diving

Why make a special chapter for women ? It is a guys opinion that women and man are the same.. We women know better, we know that we are very much different. We women are first thinkers and then doers, we are also the mothers, the ones with periods, heat flashes, but also the ones that make most of the decisions or at least influence them. So there are some different aspects and different questions to have a look at.

We all know diving is a bit of a male society, which does not have to be like this. Diving is something women can enjoy aswell. A lot of misunderstanding in diving, still scare women away from diving. Let's try to change this and make the under water world more women friendly !

If your questions have not been answered by this chapter, then please send me an email. This chapter is made up by commenly asked questions.

 

What do we offer especially for women:

* online theory sessions with Padi's Elearning, so you can do this in your own time, before you get here (if you have children, this makes it easier to devide your time)

 

 

* small groups , even individual sessions (incase you want to both do the course, but one of you needs to stay with the kids, or if you are realy not sure if you can do this and you might need a bit more help or a bit more time )

* environmental and intellectual input , so you will understand what to do and what not to do before we go deeper (we practise first in shallow water)

* a safe, responsible and fun time (100% supervised), in case you are not sure about carying your diving equipment or technical details, diving is not about deeper, faster and you do not need to be an expert to be able to do this. We expect you to have fun, look at fish and try to feel free and relaxed while being under water.

* choose the instructor you feel most comfortable with. You can choose a female instructor if you like that better.

 

Most asked questions:

Question: Do you have to do the Open Water Diver Course in 3 days ?

Answer: No, we can schedule the course around the days you will have available. If you want to do the course in 1 week, so with more practise, this is also possible. We might have to charge you a bit extra for extra days, but it is possible.

 

Question: Do you have to go to 18 meter depth for your Open Water Course ?

Answer: No, if you don't feel comfortable about going to 18 meter, please feel free to let our instructor know, so you will do a more shallow dive. You can still get certified, no problem.

 

Question: I am not sure I want to go under water at all. Is there any way I can try breathing under water ?

Answer: Yes, we offer try dives from the beach in very shallow water (you can stand up, with your head out of the water) for FREE. This way you can see yourself if this works for you.

 

 

Question: If I can not swim or if I am not very sporty, can I do diving then ?

Answer: Yes. It is easier if you feel comfortable in the water and you need to be able to float in the water.

 

Question: If I wear a tampax (have my period), can I dive ?

Answer: Yes, this is no problem.

 

Question: If I have silicone breast, can I dive, is this safe ?

Answer: Most of the time yes, but it would be best to check with a diving physician and your operation physician, to make sure all is checked.

 

 

Question: If I take any medication for hot flashes, is it possible to take those and dive ?

Answer: as with any medication, you need to check this with a diving physician.

 

Question: I took some Lariam (against malaria) for the North of Thailand, can I dive with this ?

Answer: the suggestion is against the combination diving and Lariam. Check with a diving physician, maybe you can stop the medication before you start..?

 

Question: Can I choose my own diving instructor / can I have a female diving instructor ?

Answer: Yes, whatever makes you feel more comfortable is what we are going to do. It is very important for your fun, understanding and safety, that you feel comfortable with your instructor.

 

 

Question: What if I start with the course and I don't like it ?

Answer: Then you can stop the course. You only pay for what you have done. We only ask you to try it, so that is your part. If you stop in the middle of the course, you will not get the diving license though. You might want to know that this rarely happens. Most people love diving and fish !

 

Question:Are there great whites or other dangerous fish in this area ?

Answer: Our waters are too warm for great whites, so we do not have them here. We do have other sharks here, but they are not aggressive and do not eat humans. There are some dangerous fish here, that have poison inside. It is however very difficult to get the poison inside of you. They don't come up to you, so if we stay a bit above the reef, we can easily avoid this.

 

There are so many beautiful corals and fish to see under water and although it is a challenge (because our brain does not think that we can breath under water), it is healthy, relaxing and a discovery of a new hobby and new world, the under water world !

Pregnancy and diving :

DAN: Diver Alert Network, advises against diving when you are pregnant or when you want to become pregnant. There is so far no proof against pregnancy and diving, due to the simple fact, that DAN and other agencies, can not send pregnant women out diving, to see what happens to their unborn child.

The expectation is that the pressure change inside the woom would not benefit the child. Furthermore the nitrogen bubbles in the mothers blood, could be causing the unborn child to get decompression sickness and all in all diving under pressure will add an extra danger towards the unborn child, which we consider not neccesary.

Even if you are trying to get pregnant, you should check you are not pregnant before going diving or refrain from diving. In the first 3 month of pregnancy you and your child have a far greater chance of complications. We do not feel we have to add to the already existing risk.

 

 

What about snorkeling then ? Yes, snorkeling is safe for baby and mother, within reasonable limits. Try not to over do on excersizes, take it easy,relax and look at the fish. Try to avoid speedboat trips (or other bumpy trips, like high waves), go snorkeling with someone (rather then alone), wear a life jacket and good sun protection, stay away from surge, waves, cliffs and rocks. When you are tired, go back to the boat. Refrain from diving under water, as this is strenuous exercise.

Excellent courses for pregnant women are:

* Digital Photography while snorkeling

* Snorkeling with sharks (this is very relaxing, don't worry)

* Emergency First Response Courses (on land: how to give CPR, Rescue Breathing and do First Aid)

* Child Care (you can learn what to do, if your child gets into health related problems)

* AWARE Coral Reef Conservation (include into the snorkeling programs)

 

If you need any additional information about the above mentioned courses, please check out our non divers page or click on the link in the picture

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