How many calories does diving burn?

[Papa_Bear]

If you move your arms around a lot during your dive you will burn more of everything!:mooner:

 

[jimdiverman]

Look at Calorie Burning

"Caloric expenditure can be measured directly, which requires the measurement of the heat released by the body, or indirectly be measuring ventilation and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide by the body. These methods are termed direct calorimetry and indirect calorimetry, respectively, and the research and validation of these methods date back to the late 1890's (Lusk, 1928). For numerous methodological reasons, the method of indirect calorimetry is the most suitable and accurate to evaluate caloric expenditure during exercise."

It goes on to explain that you need CO2 expiration rates to be accurate, because O2 rate will be different for fat vs. carbohydrate calories, but the difference looks to be about 7%, and so O2 consumption by itself ought to be a pretty good first-order approximation of calories burned.

Now to see if O2 consumption can be reasonably calculated from O2 inhaled ...

With that said, does that mean that someone could design a CCR (using expired CO2) to calculate caloric expenditure during a dive? I wouldn't want this information on a heads up display during the dive, but it may be a nice to have piece of information if I am trying to determine gas consumption or physical expenditure required to fight a current between two points or perform some type of underwater activity or work.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Most air integrated computers will display your SAC rate based on the speed of your gas use and give you Gas time left based on current use rate!

 

[LI Diver]

Even not feeling cold the body will generally burn calories to keep its core up which you may not even notice.

Don't underestimate the work done on land such as kitting up, carrying gear and so on as well.

I believe string has hit it on the head as far as diving wet goes.
Just being submerged even in balmy water will draw the body heat right out of you thus the body burning calories to try to keep up. I think this phonomenon is also related to swimmers not achieving as low a body fat % as their dry counterparts. Or maybe it's the bouyancy thing causing the body to hold on to the fat??? Anyways theres two of my theories. Keep in mind with my total work experience being as far from anything related to this I really have no freakin clue and am probably talking out of my :mooner:

 

[Billusmaxis]

You burn way more in a days worth of walking around doing your normal routine than you do in like an hour on the treadmill, so getting to were you need to go, moveing your tanks and getting ready will burn some but as long as you are haveing fun is is at least a mild workout that you enjoy, so thats all that matters.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Past studies on weight loss due aerobic activity have shown swimming to not be as good at loosing weight as running. Fitness swimming works more muscles and may increase aerobic fitness more efficiently, but the cooling of the water leads to a different calorie burned. When running, your body heats up and sweats more, and you burn more fat. If you are cool/cold, you don't burn calories, you just use them.

 

[dpbishop]

According to Caloriesperhour.com
Calories Burned, BMI, BMR & RMR Calculator | CaloriesPerHour.com

A person my weight would burn 651 calories per hour for general scuba diving & 1116 calories per hour for diving as a Navy Seal. Of course, they don't define those activities.

 

[Web Monkey]

I was wondering, along with a lot of other people in our boat today...

Does anyone know how many calories, on average, diving burns? Obviously it varies from diver to diver and per environment but someone had to done some research on this?

If you have a decent SAC rate, the answer is "Not many".

Each molecule of sugar that you burn requires oxygen, which comes from your tank, so burning more calories means using air faster, which means you get a shorter dive.

Terry

 

[bleeb]

Each molecule of sugar that you burn requires oxygen, which comes from your tank, so burning more calories means using air faster, which means you get a shorter dive.

Anyone know how anaerobic metabolism fits in this? As others have commented, diving isn't suppose to be continuous exertion. For brief spurts of power, more of the muscle energy should be coming from anaerobic processes, but does anyone know how much oxygen is needed to replenish this?

 

[shotthebreeze]

You probably burn more calories getting your kit set up and putting your weights in than on the actual dive, unless you're fighting against a current. All I can tell you is that if you shore dive like I do, carrying all your gear up and down a hill can burn a few...