Scuba and Flying

[myself]

So I have heard several references from people on the thread to flight training/getting a pilot's license and I was wondering whether being both a pilot and a scuba diver is a fairly common thing? Maybe it has to do with willingness to participate in fairly technical activities requiring someone to be a little more self reliant than normal/mitigate their own risks rather than allowing others to make sure that things are safe for them? I just thought that this might be an interesting correlation and wondered what you guys had to say about it.

 

[rick00001967]

i only teach once in awhile and i have had 2 or three pilots take courses with me. we have a bunch of bush pilots in the areas around where i live so maybe thats why.

perhaps many commercial pilots get to travel a lot so they want a hobby for vacations and layovers in tropical locations.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Years ago I was able to accomplish my ambition of flying a plane. The pilot instructor said I was naturally gifted and allowed me to take over the controls once we reached 4k feet. I tested aerodynamic theory and positive g-forces by diving down to 2k feet and banking hard right. To fly solo I had to sit for a written exam which I failed to comprehend, and was later diagnosed as being dyslexic. With much soul searching and years of treatment I was able to realize my other passion—scuba diving. Through word of mouth and perseverance, I was able to locate a fantastic and wonderful dive instructor in Asia who put a lot of time and effort into establishing me as the number one diver in his fishing village. From then on, I never looked back and was able to be certified by another Asian instructor who without hesitation certified me with Divemaster status. Before long I was certified as a proficient technical diver by the same instructor. I occasionally do meet flight crew on dive sites abroad. As part of the blossoming dive community I am proud to share this blue world to the next generation.

 

[Hoag]

Depending on the type of flying that you are (plan on) doing, there are many areas of overlap particularly in the physiology of diving and flying.

Although not a pilot, I was Aircrew, and had to accomplish periodic Aeromedical Training. One aspect that was always included were a series of "chamber runs". Whether the change is for Aircrew going from Sea Level to a given altitude, or a diver going from depth back up to Sea Level, the effect of the pressure changes on the body have a similar effect.

One of the big differences is that an Aircrew Chamber profile can give you the bends, not treat them. There are ways that the chamber team try to mitigate the risk (such as breathing 100% O2 for 30 minutes prior to the start of the profile), but the risk is there. (I know of at least one person who "got bent" following an Explosive Decompression profile (Sea Level to 30,000 feet in less than a second.)

Although the training is different, it can be applied equally well whether diving or flying and IMHO training in one field helps complement the training that you would receive in the other field.

 

[jlcnuke]

I think one of the predominant reasons you'll find people such as pilots participating in scuba diving is income. Let's face it, for most people, diving is a fairly expensive sport. As such, it tends to be most popular with people who have careers making a good income. Finding doctors, lawyers, pilots, engineers, etc. on scuba dives is common because they are of the subset of the population that can comfortably afford to participate in the hobby.

 

[inquis]

Interesting observation, perhaps a poll? A further granularity might be recreational or technical diver, along with VFR or IFR rated pilot (visual or instrument flight rules). I suspect there may be some correlation there as well.

FWIW, +1 for technical diver and IFR pilot.

 

[viyer]

I’m an avid pilot and love to dive, though I don’t get to dive as much as I’d like to with little ones. I see a lot of commonalities - they are activities which can have significant risks, but careful preparation and training mitigates those risks to an acceptable level.
The best flying has been to go to dive destinations (we flew to Guadeloupe and Bequia)!
Just a recreational diver for now but IFR pilot.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Just think, if Jacques Cousteau had pursued his first love—flying, we would not have had the Aqualung so soon. But he was hurt badly in an auto accident, and in the recovery process started swimming, then free diving with Frederick Dumas and Philippe Taileiz, and got hooked on diving. After they invented the Aqualung, he never went back to flying.

I was in the U.S. Air Force, and flew a lot, but not as a pilot. I did get a little stick time in a HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant helicopter, but never thought about getting a pilot’s license.

Flying and diving don’t mix well, as both can result in decompression sickness, and when combined by flying within 12 hours of diving, the risk is compounded.

Now, about diving being an expensive sport, it really is not that expensive. I earned my first scuba unit by picking strawberries and beans during a summer as a kid. I bought the unit used, but even a kid could make enough money to buy one in the 1950s. Now, with the extra safety gear, it becomes more expensive. We didn’t used to have an octopus regulator, or BCD, or dry suit (I bought my scuba unit before I got a wetsuit). Also, while travel diving is a huge part of our current diving experiences, it doesn’t have to be. We can dive locally, and get some wonderful experiences.
IMG_0054 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Scuba diving is one of the only sports (aside from free-fall parachuting) where one can experience extended periods of weightlessness. And, you don’t need to pay a huge amount to do it.

SeaRat

 

[maj2]

A couple of local divers that I know are pilots, and one builds his own planes.

 

[PilotMatt]

I’ve been flying professionally for over 25 years. I have found that many of my peers are divers — we are putting together an informal scuba club at my airline.