In Reply to: Gear Thoughts... posted by Walt on August 23, 2006 at 12:07:53:

I attended a lecture by Ella Morgan who co-wrote "Women in Diving" written a long time ago, but at least it was actually researched and they are in support of women wearing ankle weights. What their findings show is that women have a specific distribution of bouyancy that is different from men for child bearing reasons. Women have fat deposits to protect and feed their young no matter how skinny they are. Some of these are located in thighs and hips and it causes women to have back problems when they dive. It includes headaches, neck aches, etc. and is a biological not a training issue. I just found that some new studies of women in diving are being done in the U.K. and hope to find out more about this and other issues that afftect all women divers.If anyone has any links or ideas on where information on women's concerns are - let me know.