Self control.

[Scottri]

I have helped train hundereds of divers. Some of them obese, some of them rail thin.
The bottom line is it is an individual thing. Some of the larger divers were some of the best. Maybe they were not the most limber, graceful or agile but underwater they were great. Others were not. I have seen SCUBA change peoples lives. One woman was very overwieght when she started. It took her 2 times through basic OW. She got certified, loved it so much she started a fitness program. I did some dives with her last week and she looks great. Still not "ideal body weight" but it much better shape. She will never be thin. So what. I trusted my life to her as a buddy and didn't think twice about it. Her friend is just as big and is not half the diver her friend is. It's about individuals.

One of the best divers on air consumption I have seen was a guy that was about 5'10 and over 350 pounds. He wasn't very skilled but I'll bet he will be if he sticks with it.

The bottom line is size is not a factor when I choose a dive buddy. Skill is. I've seen people in perfect physical condition that were horrible underwater.

I will admit, when working with classes I pay extra attention to obese people more for symptoms of physical stress than any other reason but I don't dismiss them as potential buddies.


Scott

 

[MASS-Diver]

I really don't care if somone is "fat," whatever that means. But, what I do care about is if someone is out of shape - the two being overweigth and being out shape - are not as closely linked as it might seem.

If someone is not dedicated enough to get out to run a few times a week, that is a problem and ,IMO, when they get in trouble UW they will learn the hard way why it pays (despite what PADI tells us) to be a very stronger swimmer and in good shape. But, as long as they are not my buddy, I could care less.


The bottom line for me: being in top shape doesn't make you a great diver, but, being out of shape will result in one not being as safe diver as they could if his or her fitness level were higher.

In fact, I've dove with some pretty darn good divers that would enjoy a smoke in between dives. The fact they smoked and I did not, didn't make me a better diver than them, it just made them worse off then if they wised up and quite smoking.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Tyler Durden once bubbled...


diveshop monkey...

Far from a "monkey"...

Yes, I do work in a dive shop, and I probably know more about diving, and diving equipment than you ever dreamed of knowing about...

 

[Rick Inman]

Please see: http://www.scubaboard.com/t27189/s.html

 

[budgy]

Most of us have buddy dived with people we didn't enjoy diving with. They probably realise it and the feeling is mutual. Fat is not necessarily unfit and as for pushing 50 and difficulty reading gauges, do we know each other?

 

[Rick Inman]

budgy once bubbled...
Most of us have buddy dived with people we didn't enjoy diving with. They probably realise it and the feeling is mutual. Fat is not necessarily unfit and as for pushing 50 and difficulty reading gauges, do we know each other?

Ahm sorry....agh... whadja' say, sonny? Ahm alittle durf in dat ear...

 

[landlocked]

WreckWriter once bubbled...

...I think you took Rick a bit out of context or at least bought more than he was trying to sell.

There's a big difference between being a few pounds overweight and being fat. .....

....I dived with quite a few "fat people", I've met exactly ONE who was a good and safe diver in my opinion. And yes, my experience has shown me that a very large percentage of fat people do not have glandular problems, they just eat too much.

Flame away, you're just pissing yourself off.

WW

I seem to find myself agreeing with WW alot lately. By way of introduction, I am 50 years old, 40 pounds overweight and out of "shape." Were I doing the kind of dives that WW does, I would not want me as a dive partner, skilled or not. I accept certain limitations in my diving because of my physical sloth. I don't dive below 100 feet, avoid long surface swims, and breath Nitrox whenever I can. That's ok for me because I dive for pleasure not adventure.

I also think that Rick's point is being taken out of context. I think the point he was after was; will someone panic or can they control their fear. I do seem to be very good at this. It comes from years of taking long walks at night, through Grizzly Bear infested forests. You learn to deal with your fear.

I don't think that overweight and dealing with fear are related.

 

[WreckWriter]

landlocked once bubbled...
I seem to find myself agreeing with WW alot lately.

Scary, huh

I don't think that overweight and dealing with fear are related.

We agree again, nor do I think they are related.

WW

 

[ivansie]

I have read all this thread and I think some comments were out of context based on the poor choice of words by Inman who initiated the thread (he later clarified this in another one...) Anyhow, this is my opinion, and its just that my personal opinion... you can agree, disagree, dont give a **** or think it over.

Lets start by agreeing that diving is physical activity that requires a certain level of fitness because you are moving a lot, carrying heavy equipment, swimming under the water and maybe on the surface, etc. For clarification purposes I am 5'10" and weight 195 so I have a couple of pounds on my although its not very noticeable because I have broad shoulders and thicker than average legs/arms but I could probably lose 10-15 pounds.

A person who is overweight, and I will say that the measure for that depends a lot on the body type and bone structure of the person, will not be ideally fit for many sport/athletic activities for example running, playing soccer, basketball, swimming or even walking the local golf course. This could be the result of self control or also a medical problem but the end result is that the person is not in optimal shape. I do think that such type of person as well as somebody suffering from asthma, hypertension or any other diminishing illness will represent a greater risk than somebody in good physical shape. They might have all the good intentions, knowledge and experience but unfortunately their frame is too much for the engine.... like entering a F1 driver into a Grand Prix driving a Ford F150 (not that I have anything against Ford...) I dont think diving is different from any other sport requiring a certain level of physical form, if I was playing soccer or basketball competitevely I wouldnt want the 5'6" 255 pounder in my team, he might be the next Pele but after 15 minutes probably will be nowhere to be found.

Conclusion, I dont think the self control claim is the reason why these type of divers are unsafe but mainly their physical form.

bye
ivan

 

[landlocked]

ivansie once bubbled...
.... if I was playing soccer or basketball competitevely I wouldnt want the 5'6" 255 pounder in my team, he might be the next Pele but after 15 minutes probably will be nowhere to be found.

Conclusion, I dont think the self control claim is the reason why these type of divers are unsafe but mainly their physical form.

bye
ivan

..... so is diving a competitive sport for you?