Dehydration & Diving

[FreediveWI]

There's always Depends.

Those always leaked around the leg seals when I used them. :'(

Condoms are sticky and it's best to commit to a whole day's use when wearing one- as the removal process isn't that much fun. :-[

Jon

[Deep Blue]

Pee valves are GREAT, once you get used to using them. I strongly recommend them for anyone that is doing any kind of decompression diving, since they dramatically reduce the stress level of having to go when you have a 30 minute deco ahead of you. You also don't have to worry about taking in LOTS of fluids before the dives, as there is nothing that you can do to improve your odds against DCS than drink lots of decaffinated beverages so you stay hydrated.

There are several issues you need to address before relying on one though, including:

1. Which size catheter condom you need, (sorry guys, unlike the other kind, there ARE sizes for these).

2. You need to PRACTICE using it several times before you use one in your suit, (I talk from experience on this one) You don't want to blow the catheter off inside your suit. For one, you will never live it down, for 2, it is a mess to clean up. This practice takes place in the bathroom at home to see how the condom behaves when you pressurize it. Nuff said, if you want details, drop me an email.

3. You need to get the hose routing down, so there are no kinks in the hose to prevent you from using the valve. Again, practice on dives where you don't really need it is critical so that you eliminate the apprehension that you may or may not be able to use it when you really need it.

Finally, sorry ladies, they still haven't developed one for women, you guys are stuck with Depends.