Do you feel diving has given you better health?

[Z Gear]

Better health??? Since I have started diving, I have put on almost 100 lbs, most all my hair has fallen out, my vision has gone to hell, my hearing is now terrible and I have tinnitus, my low back is a mess, my thoracic spine ain't great and my neck is not good, I have arthritis in my hands, knees and probably elsewhere, I've had cancer cut off my face (most likely from excess sun exposure) and my endurance is nothing compared to what it was when I started diving.

I am not sure but some of the others approach to the indirect benefit of diving seems to have worked for them. I guess its never to late to reevaluate and possibly try something that could help. Just want to leave room for a positive side to what you are experiencing in regards to physical health. As far as metal well being I would guess you you probably agree that it probably provides you with two things:a good mental relaxation session, and can at least keep your mind sharp and alert, possibly encouraging good mental development as we age.

 

[FinnMom]

Better health??? Since I have started diving, I have put on almost 100 lbs, most all my hair has fallen out, my vision has gone to hell, my hearing is now terrible and I have tinnitus, my low back is a mess, my thoracic spine ain't great and my neck is not good, I have arthritis in my hands, knees and probably elsewhere, I've had cancer cut off my face (most likely from excess sun exposure) and my endurance is nothing compared to what it was when I started diving.

Wow, you should really write a strong letter of complaint to your certifying agency

Or the Cousteau Society if your original cert. agency no longer exists!

 

[FiddlerOnTheRoof]

+1 for mental health, -1 for physical health... diving is the opposite of good cardio, and it eats into the time I used to dedicate to the latter. Doing both is not impossible, just takes more deliberate mental effort to force oneself... or maybe I should just pick sites that require a really long surface swim...

-1 for physical health? You must have someone load/unload your gear and carry it on to the water?? Just loading and unloading my two steel 100's and taking them to and from the water on a shore dive is a workout! But then again I dive a lot in areas where we never park near the water!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Wow, you should really write a strong letter of complaint to your certifying agency

Or the Cousteau Society if your original cert. agency no longer exists!

I'm writing to these guys! 41 years of playing hard has taken it's toll:

Improving the Lives of Older Americans

 

[TMHeimer]

Diving isn't such a big deal for losing weight. Who thinks it is? So, I loose 5 pounds after a day of diving-- big deal. I'ts NOT a SPORT. I think I lose more weight gearing up than I do diving (unless I have a "torpedo"-like dive plan).

 

[Z Gear]

Better health??? Since I have started diving, I have put on almost 100 lbs, most all my hair has fallen out, my vision has gone to hell, my hearing is now terrible and I have tinnitus, my low back is a mess, my thoracic spine ain't great and my neck is not good, I have arthritis in my hands, knees and probably elsewhere, I've had cancer cut off my face (most likely from excess sun exposure) and my endurance is nothing compared to what it was when I started diving.

I might seem a little far out to some on this, but I took second look at this post since it was so different than the rest and noticed something very important. While it seems to emphasize how diving has not helped in his case. I saw something that resonates a lot more than a mere complaint. That fact that he decided to continue to dive despite those hardships is an uncommon determination in my view. He had managed to ignore the pains and discomforts and not sit on the side lines (so to speak) but rather be in the game, even if that meant dealing with the pain. There are probably many that would only dive if they are 100% or do not have such ailments.

I hope this can inspire those who are facing some health issues or pains to not to give up diving. Perhaps you will face some type of limitations, that is understandable, but use this example of how to keep moving forward don't spend time nursing your wounds instead do like dumpster diver and get back into the game!

 

[TMHeimer]

Oh, on mental health--uhhhhhh, I dunno.

 

[drbill]

I've been diving now for 52 years. I find it relaxes me tremendously, seems to reduce my blood pressure (it's fairly low) and gives me great joy... all positive for better health. Almost no one believes I'll be 68 soon. Perhaps the best thing I've done for my health though was to quit smoking 40 years ago. I probably wouldn't be diving today if I hadn't. And, as a marine biologist, diving is part of my work. If I couldn't die, I'd probably be stuck somewhere in an office cubicle and my health would decline.

 

[kr2y5]

I might seem a little far out to some on this, but I took second look at this post since it was so different than the rest and noticed something very important. While it seems to emphasize how diving has not helped in his case. I saw something that resonates a lot more than a mere complaint. That fact that he decided to continue to dive despite those hardships is an uncommon determination in my view. He had managed to ignore the pains and discomforts and not sit on the side lines (so to speak) but rather be in the game, even if that meant dealing with the pain. There are probably many that would only dive if they are 100% or do not have such ailments.

I hope this can inspire those who are facing some health issues or pains to not to give up diving. Perhaps you will face some type of limitations, that is understandable, but use this example of how to keep moving forward don't spend time nursing your wounds instead do like dumpster diver and get back into the game!

...this being said, I think dumpsterDiver was just joking tongue-in-cheek that over those 30 years he got older, and all the usual effects of aging must be due to scuba

 

[Crowley]

For me, overall, most definitely - but also I feel a need to differentiate between "fitness" and health - there are degrees. Also, I worked full time as a dive pro which is a *lot* more active than just diving but in terms of physical fitness - well it's not exactly a CV workout but certainly the muscle strength in my legs was enhanced - although that didn't turn me into a marathon runner, because - well - it's not a CV workout, it's no-impact and uses a different set of muscles but yeah - put a pair of fins on me and I'll go forever!

But - especially when I was in Egypt - three dives per day, every day, for days on end in temperatures that vary from blisteringly hot to pretty cold, actually, plus associated hauling of tanks and gear and whatnot, yes, I was much fitter than I would have been sat in an office all day. This was especially well demonstrated in the 3 month hiatus I had between Egypt and Bali - I was back in the UK consuming a lot of fine English beer and wonderful pies, piled on over 10kgs of weight and I had sweated it all back off within a month of arriving in Indonesia. So from that perspective - yup, definite health and fitness benefits.

And as others have mentioned - the mental well-being I found underwater is the only thing I have ever found that has ever really brought me peace. I have a very busy mind and we don't always get on so well, but underwater everything was just sublime. Apart from when muppet divers did muppety things and I would get a bit cheesed off with them.... Being a dive pro not only gave me the chance to get in the water on a daily basis to clear my mind but it improved my confidence, reduced my stress levels and has given me a much calmer outlook on life - partly due to the diving, partly due to the lifestyle and experience. Unfortunately certain non-diving things got in the way and I'm stuck on dry land for the time being and having difficulty maintaining that level of health and well-being...

Damn. I need to get back in the water!!!!