Need some info from the ladies out thier

[neocycle]

My wife and I are new to diving and my wife is less then comfortable diving at this point. We just got back from a dive out in Monterey and my wife was over weighted, could barely breath and all in all had a horrible time. We have taken the next step and puchased the Oceanic Hera BC for her in hopes that the females bc will aid in the reduction of breathing issues. Has anyone else encountered this type of problem and if so how can we remedy this as well as get her to be more comfortable in the water? We were using rental 7mm farmer jons with vest inflate bc's and they had her weighted heavily, about 26lbs and she only weighs 130lbs. Thanx in advance.

[somewhereinla]

Cold water diving is more difficult than warm water diving. It is very easy to get a claustrophobic feeling when wearing over 7mm of neopren covering your entire body and having to breath underwater. It's not for everybody...
Not sure who decided to put 26lbs on your wife, but it seems way too much. I am 220 lbs and use 16lbs with my 7mm suit. seems that 6-10lbs should be about right for her (most of my female diver friends use 6lbs with a 7mil.).
I doubt that the BC was the problem, it might be the suit. She might want to try a one piece 7mil suit instead, if she is afraid to be cold, then a semi dry would be perfect. I use a Mares Isotherm semi-dry in low 50's water and have yet to get cold or wet. I would stay away from the farmer jons. they are ususally the most uncomfortable suit and not the warmest either...

[YellowfinKunkfish]

Not sure I can be of much help, but I did have a similar situation happen to me. We went diving in Oronogo, Missouri. I hadn't dove in cold water yet, and had only been certified for three weeks. I was wearing a 6.5 mm farmer John, and had 20 pounds of weight. I was very overweighted, and we knew it, but if we took weight out, then I couldn't get down. As I was descending I would get to about 20-25 feet, and then all of sudden start really sinking, and I had a horrible time trying to fin back up. Which was also bad for my ears, for some reason I was having trouble clearing them. I don't know if it was because of the cold water or the hood. All in all, it was a horrible dive experience. It's very deep there, and very cold. I couldn't get my bouyancy under control, no matter what I did, and was constantly worried I would just sink down into oblivion....

Ultimately, we finally called the dive. We tried a second time, and had better luck going down on the rope, but I called the dive after the vis went to about 1-2 feet, and couldn't stay horizontal anyway. I was very disappointed, but the bottom line was I didn't have enough experience to deal with the conditions I was diving in. We decided I need a lot more practice in warm water, then someday when I have a handle on my bouyancy we will try cold water again. If all you have to dive there is cold water, then maybe you could get her weighting figured out in a pool with the 7 mm on. That might help some.

I have also heard it's better to go with a full suit, rather than a farmer John, so I will be getting a full 6.5, or a semi-dry pretty soon.

[quarkuud]

6 lbs seems awfully little, though. I dive in a 7 mil wetsuit plus a 2 mil vest and need 18 lbs in AL80s and 15 lbs in a steel tank in salt water. (And I'm about 140 lbs) I hope as I get better to drop weight, but if your wife is a new diver I wouldn't expect 6 lbs to be enough to get her under. Maybe have her try about 15 and see if that's enough.

I'm going to bet on the farmer john at least contributing to the problem. That is a lot of neoprene around right where you are trying to breathe. If she can get by with just a 7 mil jumpsuit, that would likely help. Also, making sure it fits properly and isn't too tight at the neck might help.

[Kokomo]

This suggestion might be way out there but if she is new to diving I would suggest a warm water diving vacation.You can really rack up the dives that way and it will take at least 20 dives before you begin to get comfortable. And the more relaxed you are the less weight you will need etc. Getting comfortable under easier conditions is the way to go if possible and then the cold water stuff will come alot easier.

[Subaqua]

I can relate to that. I did my certification in cold water, low visibility, rented wetsuit that was too big and sooooo overweighted and it was the first time I did a dive from a boat. All of these made me uncomfortable, but I did my certification and after I bought a wetsuit that fit well (I use a 5mm Bare velocity + 5mm vest in cold water. For me the two 7mm felt too bulky. Then I drop weight, and that helped me to have a better control. When I was not too sure, I used to close my eyes for a few seconds, take deep breath and relax. That also helped me.
Maybe doing some exercices in a pool will help her gain confidence. Or diving from the coast instead of from a charter. Of course, if you can spend a vacation in clear warm water, that would be great.

Good luck!

[caroln]

A good fitting wet suit could help your wife as much if not more then a good fitting bc, because a bad fitting wet suit will make you uncomfortable, claustrophobic, and not to mention cold! If you can, I'd invest in a wetsuit that fits your wife well along with that new bcd. Taking her to the caribbean or another warm water spot is also an excellent idea. If she's at all into diving, that will get her hooked for life for sure.

[ScubaGir1]

When I wear my 7mm wet suit, my hooded vest, boots and gloves I have to use 14lbs of weight. But when I'm diving in warm water, I was wearing 8lbs.

But another thing my boyfriend and I noticed, was that he wore a lot more weight in the beginning and as he got more comfortable he started dropping a lot of weight.

I'm sure having a good fitting wetsuit and a female BC would make her much more comfortable! My mom has a horrible time diving in cold water gear, but she did much better in warm water gear. I think it takes a different amount of time for people to get use to diving. Good luck!!

[Zenagirl]

Great advice about the wetsuit...when I got certified I was in a very poor fitting farmer jane and couldn't catch my breath due to the squeeze of the suit. It really set me up to be nervous about diving for awhile because I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get a full breath, but getting my own gear really helped with that.

The other thing I would suggest you consider is to hire a DM next time you dive. Ask them to help you with a weight check and take as much time as you need to get both of you properly weighted. Having a professional in the water with you may help your wife feel more confident and relax, giving her a better dive experience.

[Charlotte Smith]

My suit is a 5-4-3 and if I get cold ...I put a skin on underneath...it is a excel ultra-stretch and it doesn't "squeeze" me like my henderson does....but thats just me....I don't get cold that easy.