Scuba Story

[insearchofme]

I read in another post that Frankie is a diver also and since some of us enjoy the sport I though you'd appreciate this story. My brother has taken up diving ( he is not a CD though) and a couple of weeks ago we planned to go diving together for the first time. It was going to be his first dive in the ocean since he has had only fresh water experience.

I told him about a tip I learned years ago about getting into and out of a wet suit. Wear panty hose, it really helps getting out of the wet suit. He wasn't real excited about it but said ok. We were grocery shopping with our wives the night before the dive and I said lets go and get the panty hose. He was a bit uncomfortable but went along. I am taller than he is and we spent some time deciding on the size that would fit both of us since it is usually a onetime wear. We discussed it it the isle and were focused in on the sizing guides. We got a pack of 3 and were walking away when I said I didn't think the size was right so we went back and got another size.

When all 4 of us were walking back to the car he asked if I saw the woman watching us in the store. I hadn't, he said she was looking at us with a frown on her face and when we went back the second time she just shook her head and hustled away. I can imagine she was really taken aback by seeing two older, ,muscular guys standing in the open discussing panty hose sizes. He thought it was pretty funny and so did our wives. If they only knew...

We did have a good dive and I have converted another guy to the joys of wearing panty hose, if only when he scuba dives.

[Karren H]

That's too funny Dana!! Hehe. Did you see those flipper heels in the Clothing forum!! Bet they would look sweet with pantyhose under water!!

Karren

[kmorgan]

Pantyhose are also great for cold weather as a substitute for long underwear. Now you have to go get 10 bikers to try them.

[JoAnnDallas]

I don't scuba, but being in the medical field, I cam across something that all of you that scuba should be arware of.

It is not a good idea to scuba in the morning and then take a airline flight home that afternoon or evening. It is a fact that all scuba dives, even in shallow water will force a little N2 into the bloodstream. Normally this is not a problem unless you dive deep. A tiny bit of N2 in the bloodstream is not harmful unless you go up in a airplane soon after the dive. Airlines are pressurized at about the 5000 ft level. This can cause the tiny bit of N2 in the bloodstream to try and enter the surrounding tissue. It will sometimes cause very mild bends. You will notice it as a stomack ache or your mussles feel achy or sometimes as a bad headache. So just beware.

[insearchofme]

Good tip about not flying too soon after diving. The rule of thumb which all divers are taught is to wait at lest 12 hours before flying. I was certified over 20 years ago and then they taught 24 hours, a number which I still go by. Better to be safe than sorry!

[Frankie-Dear]

I still go by the 24-hour rule, although I dive with a dive computer, now. Usually, that 24-hour surface interval gives me the chance to hang out, relax, drink, let my gear dry somewhat, and do some shopping if I happen to be in Cozumel, or Key Largo.

I've never tried the pantyhose trick. Walmart bags work good. Put one over your hand or foot and then slip it through the wetsuit, and then pull it off. Better yet, buy a properly fitted wetsuit.

Here's a pic from my last trip to Cozumel:

[shedives1986]

Yep, 24 hours. My SO flies for Southwest and dives with me, I remember we got done the first time and he says that we couldn't go home until 3pm the next day because of an FAA rule that says you can't fly for 24 hours after diving. And since the FAA is interested in people not dying I'm going to assume they know what they're talking about.

--Erica

[Lilith Moon]

All this talk of wetsuits...you people obviously haven't dived in cold UK waters. Drysuits for me thank you very much

[joann07]

Gosh! I haven't gone diving in almost 20 years. I'll need to take a refresher course if do go out again because its been a looooong time.
But, I do remember my diving class instructor mentioning about wearing pantyhose when putting on a wetsuit and flipper boots.
I would've loved to have tried it, after he said that, but I was taking class with friends at the time.

[Wendy me]

All this talk of wetsuits...you people obviously haven't dived in cold UK waters. Drysuits for me thank you very much

lol we ice dive ..... through the ice in the winter...... burrrrrrr in a wet suit ....

[Frankie-Dear]

Dry suit diving is... miserable. Yuck. Give me the 81F waters of the Caribbean, any day!!

Although if dry suit diving were all that was available, I would own at least two. As it is, I have to use a tri-laminate dry suit for certain activities, anyway.

[Phyliss]

All this talk of wearing rubber suits is getting me,......well,....you know.

[Frankie-Dear]

Sowwy....

[Mary L]

What I want to know is whether the pantyhose were worn under the wetsuit along with a bikini or tanksuit. Another diver here, too.
Mary

[JoAnnDallas]

I had to work on a North Shore rig one time. Before I could do so, I had to take a course on how to put on and wear the dry suit, how to exit a helo that had to ditch, and etc. The dry suits were one peice items, similar to a high alituted suit. LOL

[Frankie-Dear]

Two problems with the dry suit:

1. Getting feet in and out of them. Good lord.... That's awful!

2. Suit squeeze... Definitely NOT fun!

[Lilith Moon]

Two problems with the dry suit:

1. Getting feet in and out of them. Good lord.... That's awful!

2. Suit squeeze... Definitely NOT fun!

Suit squeeze isn't a problem if you have a separate air supply to the suit. Of course, maintaining drysuit buoyancy with depth changes is an extra chore.

[Frankie-Dear]

Well, I have an extra LP hose that fastens to the chest-valve, but it's all too easy, if I'm out of practice, to forget to put a little air into the suit, especially after burping it before entering the water. At around 45', it gets damn hard to breathe! LOL

"C'mon, foot!! GET! grph... IN!! MRARGH!!! THERE!!!"

[Joy Carter]

Ohhh OK. I can see the need forp PH while putting on a wet suit.
But maybe you could double your fun by using FISH NETS.
Do F N even come in P N ?

[trannie T]

You perverts only want to dress up in rubber suits.

[Heather Daniels]

I didnt know there were this many divers here. Count me in as a diver gurl too. Maybe we should all meet in Key Largo sometime?

[insearchofme]

I've never worn a dry suit and have gone ice diving in a wet suit. It really isn't so bad.

I forgot to mention that while we were under we saw what we thought was a mermaid, it was really a mer-CD. His hands gave him away, LOL !!!

[JoAnne A]

If I could only keep the figure (Size) that I have @ 120' !

[Cristi]

Pantyhose are also great for cold weather as a substitute for long underwear. Now you have to go get 10 bikers to try them.

I don't think PH make enough of a difference in cold weather biking... but opaque tights, which are denser, do.

Usually, bikers wear tights in cold weather (not what we think of as tights... think more like ankle lenght lycra bike shorts) but sometimes these just aren't warm enough if you bike all Winter long in the Northeast like I do. A nice pair of opaque tights as a 2nd layer goes a LONG way toward helping me stay warm. The only downside is that they aren't really made for that kind of activity, so don't wick away the moisture like clothing made for athletes will.

BTW: I used to dive as well. I never tried the pantyhose 'trick', but do remember the mess that baby powder makes if you try to use it to ease the entry into the wetsuit.

[SandyR]

I am thinking thigh highs and flippers......Great post! I love it!

Hugs.

SandyR