I would like to hear from overweight female divers...

[justleesa]

Remember, people will talk about the skinny ones where the bones stick out, about the just right ones having the wrong nose or a bad hair cut, about the pretty ones being with an ugly guy...People will talk - it's up to you to ignore it

So just enjoy, turn everything off but the fun you are going to have

 

[Brown Mermaid]

From what I understand most of America is grossly overweight. So anyone with a comment other than "let's dive!!!" is totally wrong for any comments on size, figure or how much you weight. I have never heard any comments like that. I have dove with people of various weights and shapes and we all had a lot of fun. So I say just jump off the boat and enjoy yourself to the utmost. It is all about your technique not your weight. And remember Jim Fix, an olympic marthon runner and on the Kellogg cereal box, thin as a rail, dropped dead from a heart attack.

Michele

Hi,
I hope that I do not regret posting this. I just recently posted something that I wish I could pull, so please do not comment if you have nothing nice to say. I am 5'2" and I am overweight. I am a size 16 to be exact.I am not in good shape. However, I loooove diving. It is the only sport I have ever done, and it has boosted my self confidence so much. I know that being overweight raises my risk of DCS...but I already know that and don't need comments on it. I am working on getting myself into shape. I really would like to hear from the overweight females on this board about how they deal with their self image while diving. I am going to Cozumel in 3 weeks, and the thought of me in my wetsuit on a diveboat makes me nervous. I am mostly nervous about the fact that someone will be rude and tell me that I have no place diving, in my shape. I worry about this especially from the male hard core divers that I have encountered on this board. Once, when I mentioned how much lead I had to carry someone told me that I needed to lose weight and that I shouldn't be diving in my condition. So how do you handle it? Do you feel proud of yourself and who cares about what others think? Gosh, I wish I could be like that. Any pointers would be great! Both my husband and myself are overweight, and while he is a little self conscious about his tummy, he doesn't worry about it. Thank you for your time. Again, I would prefer that the comments are kept nice, as I know that I need to lose this weight in order to be a safer diver.

 

[sailingangel70]

Hi, I am new to this forum but had to respond. I am 5'9 and wear a size 14. I had a couple of bad moments the first time I saw a picture of me in a wetsuit, as I was looking at my body, then I looked up and saw how terrible I looked with my hair all ratted and wet and I realized that if you can look great exiting the water, then you didn't have such a great time down there. Also, we hear talk about the*overwieght* women divers, but I can tell you that most of the men I have run into often run a bit "large" and no one ever comments about them. Its all ridiculous. Once, on a dive trip there was a blind man diving with his wife -- now that seemed wierder to me then being fat. What was he going to do down there since its all about seeing to me. I thought -- more power to him if he wants to dive and I think that is usually the attitude on the boat, with a few exceptions and those types are not worth our time or care. Being a woman diver is awesome, no matter what size you are, lets face it, most of the divemasters are men and they always take a little extra time to make sure I see special things, lucky for my boyfriend, I drag him along. On my last dive in Costa Rica, I told the divemaster that I hadn't seen an octopus or a seahorse and he found both for me. Its good to be a woman!

I did buy my own wetsuit -- a Henderson Hyperstretch -- and whats good for the ego is that they run big, so I had to buy one two sizes smaller then my regular size! It fits me when I lose some wieght and expands when I et too much on vacation, I highly recomend that!!

ALso, diving burns mega calories. . .makes me wish I lived in a warm weather state where I could dive regulalary.

Enjoy your vacation! Once you are in the water, its all relative.

 

[scubandrea]

Why is taking birth control pills bad if you're a diver???

If anyone makes a rude comment (which they shouldn't), point out one of the things they have that isn't good for their diving-- overweight themselves, smoking, drinking, taking birth control pills, pushing the deco limits, blind reliance on their dive computers, not having a trim dive profile, ascending too quickly, messing with marine life, etc etc etc. There is no perfect diver.

Ishie

 

[RonFrank]

A couple of the instructors at the shop I certified at were very overweight. Both seem to be strong swimmers.

Not only do these individuals dive, they have made diving a profession. I do not know their history, so can not say if they were always heavy....

I did not take classes from either of these individuals, but they seemed to be well respected by the staff and other instructors.

Water activities are very good excercise. If diving motovates you to excercise more, and helps you lead a more active lifestyle, than that is all good.

Ron

 

[RonFrank]

[and bring something to cover up your suit when you are not diving or swimming it could be a see through cover up or even a t shirt. Good luck and stop worrying there are lots of overweight people diving out there.

Kathy in texas

Cover up when in the sun.. even if you have the body to show off!! Unless you spend a good amount of time in the sun, YOU WILL BURN!!

Getting into a rented suit is going to be TEN TIMES as hard if you get burnt!!!

Ron

 

[RonFrank]

From what I understand most of America is grossly overweight.
Michele

The numbers are about 20% of the US population fall into the *obese* catagory based on the BMI. So hardly MOST or Grossly.

However one has to take a HARD look at how the BMI defines Obese...

I'm 5'8" and weigh 190lbs. I could definately loose some weight, however, they define "normal" weight for someone my height at:

122-165lbs... 122lbs is normal???

Maybe for a female, and that is the major problem with this index, they don't even bother to define specs for male vs. female, much less anything else.

My best weight was 165 (the BMI Limit), and I had about 6% body fat which was awesome. I am stocky, and always have been. When I was in the best shape of my life, I ranged between 165-170, with a 29" waist!!

Those days are long gone :11:

So the BMI rating IMO is rather flawed. They really need to take a LOT more into consideration before just saying someone is obese. By these definitions, most every running back in the NFL would be at LEAST overweight, and many obese!!

Ron

 

[Ann Marie]

You go and have a great time. I have found that the people that say the most hurtful things do so because something in thier life is lacking. It is them that I feel for. Have a great time and believe that what comes around, goes around. You are blessed to be on a vacation doing something that you love doing and being with someone that loves you!!

Have a great time!

Ann Marie

And, if someone does happen to say something, just swim by them and turn off their air at about 100 feet.

 

[Ishie]

Why is taking birth control pills bad if you're a diver???

No worries; I take them, myself. From what I've read, there is a SLIGHT increase in DCS risk for women who are on the pill. It's not enough to make me lose sleep, but if people are rudely pointing fingers about minimally increasing diving risks (like by being overweight), it's relevant to point out that there are almost no divers who have completely eliminated all lifestyle risks.

Ishie

 

[luvspoodles]

No worries; I take them, myself. From what I've read, there is a SLIGHT increase in DCS risk for women who are on the pill. It's not enough to make me lose sleep, but if people are rudely pointing fingers about minimally increasing diving risks (like by being overweight), it's relevant to point out that there are almost no divers who have completely eliminated all lifestyle risks.

Ishie

You have an exellent point here.