Freedom Clear Male External CatheterIf you are an experienced SCUBA diver, and have any information you can add to this post please feel free to leave your comments so that others may gain from your knowledge.

Male External Catheters are used everyday for men to help manage their incontinence.  But there are other uses that surprise us that we never think of.  One of them is the use by SCUBA divers.  When a diver is under water for an extended period of time it is only a matter of time before they find themselves needing to urinate, and most men do not want to go inside their dry suit.  Besides returning to the surface to remove their suit, or wearing an absorbent pad in their suit the other option is to use an external catheter.

External catheters come in different sizes and styles.  When most people think of an external catheter they think of a Texas Catheter, or a Gizmo Catheter. It is a latex catheter that is rolled on and than a piece of adhesive tape is wrapped around it.  The best catheter for a SCUBA diver to use would be an MEC made of silicone.  These are latex free, and allow the skin to breath.  Coloplast has 2 styles that are 100% Silicone.  The Freedom Clear male external catheter, and the Clear Advantage.  Both have kink-resistant nozzles designed to eliminate catheter blow-offs.  The Clear Advantage is a premium brand designed for maximum wear time.  These also have Aloe incorporated in the adhesive so it is better for the skin.

Most dry suits have what is called a P-valve on them.  This is connected to the dry suit located on the thigh it is a one way valve that allows liquid to pass through it.   The external catheter is connected to the P-Valve allowing the diver to pass the urine out of the dry suit keeping them dry.

 

We welcome your comments to expand on the advantages of using catheters for SCUBA diving.