Am I the only fat diver on earth?

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chavella:
I find it it amusing that a women would want to wear a bikini while being physically active... I find them impractical and uncomfortable and I certainly don't like being ogled at..... I'm just glad you're diving...expressing and experiencing your life in one of the most awesome ways possible...you're fortuneate!
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Actually, I have found that wearing a full swim suit is a little uncomfortable for me...especially in a situation where I have to go to the bathroom after I have my wetsuit on. At the same time, I really don't like to wear a bikini bottom (I'm rather "hippy" with plenty of fluff if you know what I mean.) I'm not that large (5'6, 190 lbs) and my husband says I look good, but I'm just not comfortable in a traditional bikini. I actually found a two piece I like and fits me well. Title 9 sports is a women's sportwears catalog company that sells everything from sports bras(some fit up to DDD!!!) to yoga wear. I will say that most of the items are up to size 14, but not all. They sell swim suits (1 and 2 piece) that are designed for active women. I got an XL Tankini top and a sz 16 board short bottom (both made by Patagonia) and I love it :07: . I ordered another set directly from Patagonia on line. The quality is great. You might want to check them out. You can find and order stuff from both companies in line.

;)
 
chantana:
Okay, it is getting so irritating to go diving and be the only female that is not thin and wearing a bikini. I suppose I could wear a bikini, but I would scare myself and others. It's so frustrating too, to end up wearing men's wetsuits where the arms are too long and I have to roll them up like some kind of orphan diver. I hate wearing more weight too, although I put some of it in the back pockets of my BC so no one really knows. I'm also feeling like an old diver chick at just 29! Frustrating, frustrating! I guess I'll have to work harder to lose my body-integrated buoyancy devices! Thanks for listening to me rant!
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For large sized divers, either a customized drysuit for cold water, or a customized thin wetsuit for warm water, would be the best choices. Off the shelf is not designed for good fittings for the very petite or the very large.

God loves all his children, large or small, and sees value in blessing the earth with all sizes of people.

Thick wetsuits are not a good idea for scuba, and especially not a good idea for tall or large divers, who would then require enormous amounts of lead to compensate the thick neoprene material for neutral buoyancy near the surface.

If you are a good diver, others will enjoy diving with you, no matter the bikini or no. It is important to have a good exposure suit, to be a good diver.
 
chantana:
Okay, it is getting so irritating to go diving and be the only female that is not thin and wearing a bikini. I suppose I could wear a bikini, but I would scare myself and others. It's so frustrating too, to end up wearing men's wetsuits where the arms are too long and I have to roll them up like some kind of orphan diver. I hate wearing more weight too, although I put some of it in the back pockets of my BC so no one really knows. I'm also feeling like an old diver chick at just 29! Frustrating, frustrating! I guess I'll have to work harder to lose my body-integrated buoyancy devices! Thanks for listening to me rant!
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I'm BIIIG. But I wear bikini, because I like it. If others find it scary they can look at something else. I like bikini. Period. :eyebrow:
Don't worry about that. It doesn't matter.
 
I can't say I'm small @ 170#, but even though I am no longer as big as I was (250#) my 5'6" frame doesn't like being seen in a bikini. I dive with a one piece, but am considering getting a skin top and lycra bike shorts to dive in if I don't find skin shorts. My 7mm is 2 inches too ong in the arms, and 3 inches too long in the legs, but it keeps me warm.

keep at it! I find that the divers are not really looking at the body shape, but at the "buddy style", eg a good diving experience, not eye candy.

8-)
 
I wanted to say thanks for this thread. During my certification class, I was using the rental suit from the dive school. They asked me what size I wore and I told them (haha - 22, find THAT in a wetsuit!) and the guy looks at me like, "Um, no you're not, try this one". So I wore their XL Xcel suit. Which I think has been stretched to be more like an XXL suit. It was tight at my arms, though, and left my left arm with a nice black and blue mark.

I've been trying to find a woman's suit that I can fit into, as the guys suits are TOO long for where I'm at right now. But, I'm working on losing weight (have lost about 35lb since end of Jan), and I didn't want to buy a custom suit because I *am* still loosing weight.

I was thinking that just snagging a guy's suit and using it for a bit might be the best route to go until I get closer to my goal weight. Then, I'm all for the Henderson suit! :)
 
Big men and women should dive if they want. Are seals skinny, are whales, are tuna? No. My sisters and I are divers and we are size 16's (US size 16). Although we aren't huge, we definately have excess that makes the whole wetsuit thing and getting out of water stunt less than graceful. However, bigger people who are active will be just fine. I say active because my sister went through a long period of inactivity, and then she got bad cramps when we just went on a short dive.

Anyway, the hardest thing for big people will be getting through the class. I took a class with a 2x size women and the instructor made her swin 400 yards, tread water for 10 minutes, carry her equipment, etc, etc, etc. Guess what .. . . she kept up with the class and could do everything except lift herself out of water -- she had to use the ladder.

Another tip: when possible boat dive. Then, you don't have to walk far with your tank and weights. ;)
 
LM_User:
Another tip: when possible boat dive. Then, you don't have to walk far with your tank and weights. ;)
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That depends. If you bring your own gear, it can sometimes be just as much of a haul, if not more, loading it all from the truck to the boat. :11:
 
I just thought I would toss my $.02 in here. I am 240 and just starting my OWC. Had my first confined on thurs. My class is just 3 of us a guy and gal and both are slim. When we first swam the pool with the gear on I was fighting the whole way and started to get a bit bummed that I was much slower than them. I was fighting because I couldn't stay off the bottom even infalting the BC. Once we took some weight out I kept up just fine. Point is I had a blast once my weight was right. I have allways been very self conscious but somehow at 38 something has clicked and I have decided that I deserve to breath the same air everyone else does regardless of how I look.

Keep diving, enjoy life and be safe!
 
Good for you j! Things clicked for me about 40 also! I am about the same wt/size as you and just finished up my Instructor cert. It's all in attitude and enjoying life!

Pat
 
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