fat folks and diving

[dub]

I'm not sure if i'm under the right heading but..... are there special safety concerns for people who are overweight. and if so, how fat is too fat.

I really never thought about it but I read somewhere that you need to be in shape. I guess i'm looking for more specifics of what that means or what you should do to get in shape or determine if you are in good enough health to go diving.

I'm a 30 yo overweight woman considering taking diving classes. I would say i live a pretty inactive life and am wondering if i need to shed some weight first.

dub

 

[Big-t-2538]

So long as you have good cadiovascular, this shouldn't be much of a problem. You do not have to be a iftness instructor to take a diving class, but you can't be a lump on a log either. The biggest thing is to not overtask yourself and feel comfortable with all the skills and contingency plans you know of for diving.

Look around on the board, and there are plenty of discussions about what should be entailed in the Basic Open Water course. The more complete courses are not taught in a weekend and spend anywhere from 12 to 20 hours in a pool learning basic skin-diving & Scuba diving skills.

If you aren't comfortable with the tasks you have to complete in the course, you probably should re-consider diving.

 

[detroit diver]

There are a lot of issues when dealing with being overweight and diving. BigT has touched on the cardiovascular aspect, and that is an important one. You will be carrying fairly heavy equipment and hauling yourself and your equipment up ladders and across parking lots/sandy beaches. You need to be in shape for this. Also, certain dive conditions can be strenuous. One of the most critical issues is CO2 buildup. If you are not in shape, this can be a huge issue.

Also, offgassing may be a bigger issue with overweight divers. Nitrogen does not perfuse as well from fatty tissues as it does from lean tissue.

You need to consider these issues before deciding if diving is for you. It goes beyond being able to pass an open water swim test.

Getting into shape will do a lot more for you than diving.

 

[dub]

grrrrr i hate being stupid (and fat too but that is another issue)


detroit-- besides feeling that you think ppl should be in shape to dive i didn't understand a thing!

co2 buildup? offgassing? the perfusion of nitrogen? huh? what?

What does all that mean and how will it actually affect me when i dive.

I get that the heavy equipment i carry may mean i fall to the ground out of breath before i even reach water but....beyond that what are we talking about?

Sorry but i'm just learning!

 

[Big-t-2538]

there is a lot going on with your body when you start breathing air at an increased pressure. For now, that's all I'm going to discuss, because there is no need to discuss more advanced mixtures of gas becuase you don't know the basics yet.

The human body has adapted to handling air at ambient atmospheric pressure, or 14.7 psi. Air is comprised mainly of Nitrogen and Oxygen. When you dive, as you descend, the pressure increases linearly with depth. Every 33 feet of salt water is another atmospheric pressure. At these pressures, your body begins to absorb(?...someone correct me if this is the wrong verbage there) Nitrogen into softer tissues. This happens at faster rate the deeper you go. As you surface from your dive, Nitrogen is off-gassed and if this is done too quickly, forms nitrogen bubbles in your blood stream.
<edit> I am going to mention here that this is one of the last things you ever want to have happen to you while diving, there a number of them, this one. <edit>

The rate at which all this occurs depends on your personal physiology, which is affected by many factors....I am no where near qualified to talk about that. What I mentioned is just the scratching of the surface to give you an idea of what is going on. I am not an expert, nor will I ever claim to be

 

[Ber Rabbit]

You're in the Dayton area, are you by any chance a YMCA member? If you want we can get together at the Englewood Y, I could use a motivational buddy to get me working out on a regular basis
Ber

 

[dub]

I'm not a member Ber but...... englewood is very close to me-- in fact i'm at the englewood library now (looks over her shoulder to see if ber is lurking around here) lol


I have been doing a 30 day trial thing at premier fitness eenter at the moment.

I'm not sure how much motivation i could be to you. I'm quite out of shape, but when i get home i will call and check on prices at the y and let you know if i can afford to join.

 

[detroit diver]

dub once bubbled...
grrrrr i hate being stupid (and fat too but that is another issue)


detroit-- besides feeling that you think ppl should be in shape to dive i didn't understand a thing!

co2 buildup? offgassing? the perfusion of nitrogen? huh? what?

What does all that mean and how will it actually affect me when i dive.

I get that the heavy equipment i carry may mean i fall to the ground out of breath before i even reach water but....beyond that what are we talking about?

Sorry but i'm just learning!

Dub,

You're not stupid. That was my error. I tend to speak to certified divers on this board and forgot that you had not gone thru the classes yet-altough it was obvious from the discussion.

BigT touched on the Nitrogen perfusing issue.

CO2- When your body uses the air that you inhale, you exhale carbon dioxide, or CO2 as a byproduct. Working (and breathing) harder produces higher levels of CO2. When you are out of shape, you must work harder to accomplish the same tasks as someone who is in good shape. This might occur during a strong current, or stressful situations. When you build up high levels of CO2, your risk of dizziness and passing out greatly increases. And that's not good while diving!

I hope that this made more sense than my last post. If not, let me know and I'll try a different way.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I'm not over your shoulder but I'm only a few miles away

I don't think the Y is all that expensive, I don't remember what we pay but over time it may beat any other fitness center. Don't get me to lying but I think you can even get access to a personal trainer for free. It's a really nice Y, the equipment is very modern.

You'd be fine as a motivator, doesn't matter if you're out of shape. It's a lot easier to work out when you've got someone to go with, my husband and I go once or twice a week but I need more than that. I'm more motivated when I have someone to answer to

Just let me know, we'll have fun!
Ber

 

[ladycute1]

Hi dub --

I'm a fat woman diver! Welcome to the club.

First, my disclaimer -- I am not a medical person, and this is not to be construed as medical advice.

There are primarily two issues that are special to fat folks (as has been discussed already) I may be repeating what was said, but perhaps I'll say it in a slightly different way.

The first issue is aerobic fitness / cardio vascular health. Diving is a sport, you do need to be able to demonstrate some physical stamina. Minimally, you'll need to be able to swim 200 yards without stopping. (no gear). One way of thinking about it that I have used with my friends is -- you'll need to be able to put on the gear and carry is around to do a beach entry. (now, technically, you could do only boat diving and could put your gear on in the water --) but, for reasonable-ness sake -- I usually say -- think about putting a 40 - 50 pound back pack on and walking a city block. That's a guideline that I use -- it's not a perfect test, but at least it gets you thinking. Of course, the better fit you are, the easier it will be to master the required skills, the more comfortable you will be in the water, and the better your air consumption will be.

OK, the second "biggy" is Decompression Sickness (DCS) or "the bends". This is what was referred to earlier regarding Nitrogen. The air that we breath is comprised of Nitrogen and Oxygen (and other stuff in smaller quantities) When we breath that air under water, it is compressed (under pressure) and some of the nitrogen is dissolved in our bodies. If that nitrogen comes out of solution in our bodies too quickly, bubbles are formed and that is what causes "the bends". We don't know exactly why some people get "bent" and others don't in the same situation, but we do know things that seem to increase the risks.....

Age -- older people seem to be at greater risk than younger
Gender -- women seem to be at greater risk than men
Fat - larger percentages of body fat seem to be at greater risk
Aerobic fitness - less fit people seem to be at greater risk
Alcohol consumption before or after the dive may increase the risk
People suffering from fatigue are at greater risk.
There are others, but that's what comes to mind.

OK, I am a 40 year old fat broad.... but, I'm not going to give up diving -- so what can I do to minimize my risks?

I want to be in the best possible fitness I can.
I want to stay as well hydrated as possible (dehydration is a risk)
I want to stay as well rested as possible.
I want to always dive conservatively -- that means that I watch the tables or my computer carefully -- always staying well within the 'no deco' limits (you'll learn about this in class) -- In fact, my computer has an adjustment, so that I am able to choose a more conservative algorithm.
I can make sure that I ascend slowly from every dive. (you'll learn about this too.)
And, I make sure I always take a safety stop, 5 minutes or longer.


For me, diving is a life affirming activity - I won't give it up... so I try to mitigate the risks... just like I try to look both ways when crossing the street, and always where my seat belt when I'm driving.

I'd love to chat with you privately -- pm me if you want.

Also, you might want to check out my website, where some of the other concerns for fat divers are discussed.

www.bigadventures.net

Liz