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

[NYCNaiad]

I'm a teenager and I want to use diving as a way to get more fit, i'm also plus size, 6'1 and about 300lbs and i just feel like I wouldn't be welcome into even a diving class because of how I look and everything. I have to admit its pretty disheartening. Anyone have advice? I know this is an old thread but it's the only thing i've found that doesn't basically tell me to just not do it.

Hi Ariana, I think it's awesome you found something that motivates you! Any exercise can help you in your quest to get more fit & that includes diving. Diving burns calories, but diving alone won't help you become fit by itself.

You can dive while overweight, but you need to have a good level of fitness. Being many lbs overweight is not as problematic if your overall fitness is good. For instance, can you swim laps or walk up stairs without getting out of breath? I've seen skinny people with poor fitness & overweight people with fantastic fitness. I'd choose the latter in a dive partner every time.

I think using diving as a motivator to get into better fitness could be great for you. It certainly is for me. Regardless of how much I weigh (& yes, there are times when I weigh a helluva lot more than I'd like), I won't dive unless I'm dive fit. Knowing that pushes me to up my fitness game & hopefully, it could do the same for you.

I've found that most divers are accepting of different body types. None of us looks sexy in a wetsuit aside from the models who usually aren't divers & whose pictures are Photoshopped.

With all of this said, if I were you, here's what I'd do:

1. Review the diving medical form yourself & with a doctor. See if there are any issues. (Here's the PADI one.) If all's well, proceed to #2.
2. Talk to your local dive shop. You could even email them with questions noting that you are overweight, but have a medical release. If you feel self conscious, you could also look into a one-on-one class with an instructor that you feel comfortable with...though this can get pricey. (Scubaboard could perhaps even recommend a good dive shop if you post in the Canada forum asking for a recommendation.)
3. Start working on your fitness now so you can become a strong diver. Walking, swimming, the elliptical, hiking, taking aerobic class. Every bit helps. Doing this ahead of time & then continuing it in tandem while learning to dive would be fun & great motivation!

If I can answer any other questions, you're welcome to reply here or PM me. I'm always happy to help.

Happy diving!

 

[Zabnee]

I'm a teenager and I want to use diving as a way to get more fit, i'm also plus size, 6'1 and about 300lbs and i just feel like I wouldn't be welcome into even a diving class because of how I look and everything. I have to admit its pretty disheartening. Anyone have advice? I know this is an old thread but it's the only thing i've found that doesn't basically tell me to just not do it.

Ariana,

I'm glad I saw this thread, and your post. I'm VERY new to the diving club.. just did my in class/pool portion last week. I'm also 5'8", and 260lbs. Not once did I receive a sideways glance in my course, and our LDS owners have been awesome. Yes, I needed a little more weight in the pool. Yes, the BCD I used for the course could have had a shorter torso to stop from floating up to my ears at the surface. but those are all workable things. our instructor made it very clear, that diving is an adaptable sport. As long as the major skills can be done, entrances and exits can often be modified to meet your needs. Just as others have said, when it comes to OW diving, make sure you are aware of how you are going to get back on the boat/dock before you get into the water, to be sure you can get out again.

Best wishes, and have fun!

 

[lunula]

The diving community is generally very accepting of different body shapes and sizes, so that should not be a big issue (though dive instructors at tropical locales do often have that surfer dude look/physique, their pupils don't). And diving is a very fun sport. Check with your family physician to see if he/she sees any reason not to go diving, and then have fun!

Having said that, I don't think it's a particularly good way to get in shape or lose weight. Getting a little bit more in shape first can help. The suiting up, getting in and out of the water with protective gear and the additional weight you will need to balance out properly can be a strain on the body (back in particularly). Other than that, diving is not a particularly strenuous sport.

I was going to respond in much the same manner. I started diving back in 2012 at my "ideal" body weight, but after knee replacement surgery and many, many rounds of steroids to combat problems I've had with inflammation, I've gained 30 lbs. Not happy about it, but particularly difficult to get rid of until I'm back to normal health. I had to buy a size larger wetsuit - /shrug. I've seen everything from super skinny, super in-shape, average size, slightly overweight to very overweight divers, as well as a huge range of ages.

I have some pragmatic reasons not to dive 1-1 with overweight people... I simply can't assist them in any way. I might be fit, but I'm never getting you out of the water should I need to. (edit: and no, I don't apply that to myself. If you're unable to get me out, I don't care). So if you snap your ankle and it's just the 2 of us, you're basically on your own. We went through that with a buddy, had to be 2 to help another person... Both of us are in pretty decent shape and we struggled.

Not sure about this comment. My only dive buddy is my husband, I just wouldn't do a dive without him. But, I couldn't get him outta the water & to a car if something happened and I think this would be the case with a lot of people, especially women in a "couple" dive team. I could help underwater, I could drag him to shore - but I couldn't carry him. And if he snapped his ankle and relied only on me for walking, he'd be in trouble since my knees are so crap. He's 6' tall and weighs about 180, so he's just a normal-sized guy. I would think this is the case for a lot of other divers?

 

[Lkhendrickson]

It’s incresjble this thread has been going strong from 2004 to 2017

There is a great community called “we dive too” - it is not just for overweight divers, but older, need adaptable equipment, etc etc. very supportive. They have a group on Facebook & website wedivetoo.com

Highly recommend!!!

I hope OP is still diving and living life.

 

[BurBunny]

One more comment on a truly supportive thread. There may be comments or sideways glances on the boat, but if you practice your skills and work to be the best diver you can (from gearing up onward), the best revenge is the respect you earn underwater. I still get divemasters unfamiliar with me thinking I'm probably going to be a problem when I get on a boat. However, when I bring out my BP/W they start looking at me differently, and about halfway through the first dive onward it's a whole different story.

Judge me by my diving and we're good. Judge me by how I look on land and you're just a jerk.

 

[Diver0001]

I'm a teenager and I want to use diving as a way to get more fit, i'm also plus size, 6'1 and about 300lbs and i just feel like I wouldn't be welcome into even a diving class because of how I look and everything. I have to admit its pretty disheartening. Anyone have advice? I know this is an old thread but it's the only thing i've found that doesn't basically tell me to just not do it.

I would train you. I can't speak to your potential health issues or your life style choices and goals but I sincerely believe that someone who WANTS to be more active should be empowered to do so. I would be happy to be part of that.

R..

 

[BurBunny]

Diving is great motivation! There was a time I was too ill for a bit to be able to dive, and all I could think of was I needed to get healthy enough to get back in the water again. It's so much easier to do things for yourself when it's about a positive reinforcement of who you are and what you want to do. Setting a goal and reward like this is a healthy way to approach all challenges in life. After all, it's not about what you can't do, it is about what you can, and maximizing that to continually grow and improve.