Cramp

[RonMurray]

Has anyone had any experience with cramps in a wet suit they thought was too tight

I did a pool session recently yesterday afternoon, being a buddy for a friend of mine, and wearing a borrowed 3mm suit that was very tight putting on (but aren't they all?).

I ended up getting cramps in both calves, not simultaneously, when finning hard.

I have new fins that are pretty stiff, but I have never had any problem like this before while snorkeling for hours or diving. Could a too tight suit do this or should I blame the fins?

 

[scuba_frog]

Cramps are usually caused by either dehydration or lack of potassium. I suppose overexurtion of the fins can add to the situation too.

 

[Web Monkey]

Has anyone had any experience with cramps in a wet suit they thought was too tight

I did a pool session recently yesterday afternoon, being a buddy for a friend of mine, and wearing a borrowed 3mm suit that was very tight putting on (but aren't they all?).

I ended up getting cramps in both calves, not simultaneously, when finning hard.

I have new fins that are pretty stiff, but I have never had any problem like this before while snorkeling for hours or diving. Could a too tight suit do this or should I blame the fins?

Scuba_frog hit the cramps thing right on the nose.

OTOH, I'm not sure why, but a lot of people wear (and sell) wetsuits way too tight. It only needs to be tight enough to keep water from slopping in and out through the neck, arm and leg holes. It's not supposed to make breathing or moving difficult.

Terry

 

[Gombessa]

I was running 20-25 miles a week during my first 15 dives, and would still cramp consistently in my calves while finning hard. In the same vein, if I start biking after a season of running, I'll cramp on the pedals. Once I get used to that, I might get a cramp after starting to run again. I think it's the same when first starting to dive. It certainly wasn't merely dehydration or lack of potassium, since I'm used to keeping myself hydrated, and have regularly had one banana the night before, and another a couple of hours before a morning dive.

I think a good number of people are cramping merely because even light finning in a viscous medium involves extra exertion (or exerting some muscles that aren't used much normally). I would bet people who swim regularly get way fewer cramps while diving than people who do not, even if they're not well-hydrated.

 

[meesier42]

of course you could also just buy ForceFins, your cramping problem will likely be resolved immediately.

it is possible that a restriction of blood flow could be an additional cause to the cramping, but from what you have said, it doesn't sound like that is the real problem. Sounds like you need better fins.

 

[wjsdive]

Try staying away from caffeine before diving, should help with the hydration part.

 

[RonMurray]

Thanks for the input. I decided to test my wetsuit theory last night by returning to the pool and swimming/finning hard with no suit. No problems. Stayed in the pool almost an hour, swimming almost continuously with intermittent bouts of hard finning underwater the length of the pool with nary a twitch.

Certainly not a definitive scientific test, merely anecdotal.

The fins are definitely stiff and probably were a contributing factor. So, like most things the true cause is probably related to several factors that the good people in this forum have noted , metabolites, tight suit, hydration level, stiff fins, fitness level.

At this point, I'm going to keep the fins, find a less tight fitting suit, watch my level of hydration, and see how I do. I'm still a pretty fit 48 year old, ex-gymnast, but haven't done much swimming lately.

Thanks again for the input.