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I have several female dive friends. Their typically as good as your average male diver. I know one that got certified when I did and it’s fun to talk about the good old days with no Zebra mussels.
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In the dive club I belong to, I have yet to see anybody be a total jackwagon towards anybody else on purpose. My club has them, like most clubs and from what I have seen its mostly swagger. At the Pennyroyal and Merment Springs what I see is everybody bending over backwaards to help one another. Since I am wanting a female dive buddy or two becaause my wife hates the water and anything to do with water other than showering, I find myself being overly helpful.
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Within my Dive Group and on charters I’ve been on, I actually see just the opposite. Because of the heavy equipment and rocking boats, I see the women get treated a little extra nice when they are around. And, I don’t think it’s because they aren’t expected to be able to handle the equipment, there are just some that were born with manners and try to help and the males will normally lend a hand to a female quicker, if given the choice. (Or, at least that’s the way it is in my world) Never in my group has anyone treated anyone esle, male or female, with anything other than total respect. And, I would hope that’s the way it will always be. Personally, I like female dive buddies because I get longer bottom times with them as opposed to the air hogs I normally get insta-buddied with on Cattleboats..
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I keep hearing mostly men in the sport but on trips it’s 50/50 and most of my buddies are female because we breath the same.
On some trips I’ve been asked to play the husband to keep the locals at bay, not from the other men on the trip!
One woman misunderstood when I told her she had to much weight on, she then started sheading a pound each dive and thanked me later.
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I feel that when your overly nice to women in general they think your hitting in them or some kind of perv, so I just try to treat them like one of the guys. I don’t think they want any special attention any ways. Seem like they try to prove them selves more when around a group of guys especially in scuba.
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Greg - 8/21/2014 2:18 PM 
Thanks guys. I agree that most divers will go out of their way to be extra nice to female divers.
Any ladies out there wanna contribute their ideas and experiences on this subject?
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Since most of my mere 141 dives to date, have been with men (I have 2 regular female buddies, but have dove with a total of 4 females), I can honestly attest to men being perfectly neutral regarding my gender. None have treated me with kid gloves, nor have any been arrogant (aside from one young diver of recent who opted to carve initials into the wall of one of the springs, and came unglued when I gave him a gentle rebuke for his actions).
Maybe it’s because I use to be a professional jockey in a male dominated sport, grew up with brothers, and am most comfortable with guys, I don’t know. However, I’ve never noticed any gender issues at all, aside from some who dive with Alum 80’s, who have opted to carry a tank or two for me on occasion, saying that my tanks are heavy (steel 77). ;-)
Meanwhile, what I have noticed about a dozen women divers that I have also been in contact with as I orchestrate dives weekly, is that aside from my 2 regulars female buddies, all the others just talk about diving, say they are going to attend, but always cancel out on actually diving at the last minute. Hum...I think therein lies the problem, which Greg addresses in his initial question, "Is the lack of female divers associated with risk taking"?
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I have been diving with many women, including my wife and daughter, over the years. My opinion is they went through the same training as I did and they are a Certified SCUBA Diver and no gender basis involved. If they are a safe diver, as far as I am concerned, I will dive with them!
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This is how SOME men see THEMSELVES and woman it just so happens there are some on this forum.
I enjoy diving with good divers, OK so sneak a peep at a good looking female diver and move on. If you pissed her off you may find "SHE’S" the only one with enough air left to get you to the service!
No wonder it’s so easy to kill a buck in the rut!
Let’s try to look a lady divers the same way we look at out wives and adult daughters.
OK I’m off the soap box. LET"S DIVE!
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I dont care what gender a person is. I treat them exactly how i would want to be treated period. I am not in this hobby to find a wife/girlfriend or whatever to me scuba is an escape from the normal hustle and bustle in life. If your a lady diving as i am male your not going to get anything other then what we are there for diving :D Well the buddy checks and help donning gear is in there as well. Honestly the only way a female diver is going to get a second look from me is if she is diving nude and a looker, or if she is screaming she is OOA.
But yeah always treat someone how you want to be treated and you might get a WHOLE lot further then you would if you treat someone crappy.
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As a female, my diving experiences have been really great. The men I dive with have either treated me as an equal or have gone out of their way to be gentlemanly and carry my tanks and help me into my gear (even if they’ve been my buddy several times and know I’m totally capable). Over 15 years, I encountered a couple of jerks but everyone who has been diving that long probably has - whether they are male or female. But if they behave that way before we dive, I know that I need to choose another buddy.
Most guys are really supportive and enjoy having lady dive buddies. Not only are we good company but we tend to use less air so you get a buddy and a "pony bottle" in one.
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As a female diver, luckily up to now I haven’t come across any real jerks. And if I do, I won’t have a problem putting them in their place either. Diving should be about the sport not the gender and if woman are good divers then it shouldn’t matter.
I have a few regular male dive buddies and they treat me the same as any of the guys. At least I think they do. I carry my gear including tanks and don’t ask for help but if help is offered I don’t usually turn it down either.
My dive buddies usually have a little bit of a challenge keeping up with me and my air consumption. Some have even purchased larger tanks....I think the important fact anyone should consider with a dive buddy is not the gender but the experience of the diver and whether the diver will be able to handle emergency situations in a calm and effective manner.
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Regardless of who my buddy is or what country I have been in....I have yet to come across a male in the dive industry that has been unprofessional. (Or a male on a trip diving for that matter) If anything, they have been more helpful to the females with hauling or hooking up gear.
I also helped a dive shop out in Cozumel with a very large group coming in. I worked right along side the guys hauling tanks, loading and unloading the boat. They respected my work ethic and appreciated the help but absolutely did not expect it!
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As a single female technical diver, I only expect to be treated as any other diver, for the level I’m diving. I am the only female technical diver in the area right now, so my options are rather limited. When I am on a dive trip, I am there to dive,... not for any hanky panky. I am not a prude, but neither am I out to cause any trouble. When I dive with male divers (most married), I maintain a professional demeanor & reasonable modesty. The gents & their SO’s appreciate it. They trust me around their husbands & I honor that trust. In fact, I’ve sort of been adopted as "one of the guys". I do not expect them to do anything for me (I am quite capable of handling my doubles by myself), but if they offer,... I never turn down help. I will also help them with their gear when they need it,... it’s part of being a dive team.
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Well put Tamara. I have some friends in KY, who are now beginning their certification as OW divers. Until they get up and running, don’t be a stranger to the FL springs. When you are here, I will gladly photograph you in some of the overhead environments, to establish more of a profile. :-) Of course, I haven’t been to your website yet, so you may well have a zillion photos of yourself, that I am not aware of.
As for your diving ethics, I concur. As a former professional female thoroughbred jockey, who was among those fighting for women’s racing rights, it was imperative to be all work, and to project the right image. I have no regard for women in any walk of life, who use their God given assets to one up anybody else, in a profession. If you don’t have the knowledge and expertise as a professional "whatever" then study and apply yourself more!!!
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My four cents to the conversation. In life , diving, and in general: I treat those who are kind with kindness and those who are un-kind with kindness. I see no difference in difference in women or men when diving. IMHO, It’s all a matter of being safe, having fun, and maintaining your control during the dive. At the surface it’s all about sharing a common passion for why we do this thing called diving. Let’s face it when it comes down to someone assisting you during a dive: I see a mask and a fellow diver.
And yes there are the occasional divers who are rude and obnoxious at the surface and in the water. But they are not worth defending in this conversation.
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From SantaFeSandy: SantaFeSandy - 4 days 22 hours ago.
Well put Tamara. I have some friends in KY, who are now beginning their certification as OW divers. Until they get up and running, don’t be a stranger to the FL springs. When you are here, I will gladly photograph you in some of the overhead environments, to establish more of a profile. :-) Of course, I haven’t been to your website yet, so you may well have a zillion photos of yourself, that I am not aware of.
As for your diving ethics, I concur. As a former professional female thoroughbred jockey, who was among those fighting for women’s racing rights, it was imperative to be all work, and to project the right image. I have no regard for women in any walk of life, who use their God given assets to one up anybody else, in a profession. If you don’t have the knowledge and expertise as a professional "whatever" then study and apply yourself more!!!
If all goes to plan, I will be visiting No. FL at the end of Oct. for some cave diving. I don’t have a lot of photos here,... I haven’t figured out how to download them.
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Generally speaking, the men I went diving with are great. They watch out for me but they also watch out for everybody else. That’s how it’s supposed to be anyway right? I find that when we meet up outside dive envi, they’re still very attentive and considerate. It may be a culture.
But I did have one incident where a guy was overly attentive. He was constantly checking my gear underwater and he wasn’t my buddy. I would give him the ok sign and be polite. HOWEVER at one point he went to check on me, as I grabbed on the line before ascending. He took a look at my air and I was reassuring him I was okay, he turned around and I KNOW he intentionally knocked my reg out. He turned around quickly to ’rescue’ me but I held my arm out towards him, retrieved my reg and he went closer to purge it for me...I pushed his hand aside gently and purged it myself.
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From Gorabella: He turned around quickly to ’rescue’ me but I held my arm out towards him, retrieved my reg and he went closer to purge it for me...I pushed his hand aside gently and purged it myself.
Maybe you should have cut his air hose to see if he could rescue himself!!! (((SHEEESH))
I’m sure you could figure a way to drown yourself without all his help.
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If I wanted to yeah, but why? Lifes too good when you dive =)
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At 76 my overweight spouse no longer dives, and has not done so for the last 7 years. I have found, as a not-quite-so single female, that it was difficult for me to get dive buddies since in 2007 there were mostly young, single females and males that had undertones of dating as well as diving. No one was interested in buddying up with a middle-aged not-single female. Since I am not in the market for a date, and with the recession and an elderly mom to need to attend to, I gave up diving until this last year. I’m still quite young and healthy at 58, watch my diet and exercise, and I crave having other people around who are interested in their health, keeping active, cooking to do so, and moderate their alcohol. In the meantime, I am finding my way around my equipment again, and enjoy going to sites like Blue Heron Bridge, or even closer to me, there is some awesome snorkeling at Sebastian State Park (not on this site). If you are an older diver, male or female, enjoy low-calorie foods and keeping in shape, and would like to make a new friend, send me a note. :)
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From MJ_Kiss: I’m still quite young and healthy at 58, watch my diet and exercise, and I crave having other people around who are interested in their health, keeping active, cooking to do so, and moderate their alcohol.
Proof that in many cases "age is only a number" DIVE ON!!!!!!!
CONGRATS!
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Thanks, John. So many of the men I meet on dives are incredibly helpful, and this is a good time to thank them. It is true that as these male divers get older, they get more observant and considerate. :)
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