Diving, Fitness, Obesity and Personal Rights

[TMHeimer]

hahaha. And what about us 60+

 

[NAM001]

So who will set the standards for "physically fit. The heavy DIR groups, wow that will eliminate most everyone.

The below puzzles me. what has society done to attack smoking and obesity. Smoking has been handled via coercion. Then replaced with e cigs and pot so the issues have not changed. Now instead of hoping you never will have to suck your instabuddies reg you now hope he is not too high to be a buddy of any kind and is a liability to you. Obesity is protected via disability act. 100# over and get social security disability. Handycap parking and the rest of the freebee's.

Society is doing a good job attacking smoking and obesity. QUOTE]

 

[Dhboner]

There are many divers who are by definition "overweight" who are excellent, well trained divers who make great team members. Recreational diving generally requires little more than basic fitness and is accessible to almost anyone. The problem arises when a benign, sport dive goes pear shaped and the stress levels rise to the boiling point. In those, fortunately rare, situations an obese diver with "less than optimal" cardiovascular fitness is at risk to compound a diving mishap with a cardiac "event". So, in my opinion we don't need fitness tests, we don't need medical forms and we don't need to attempt to exclude "overweight or less fit" people from diving but we should encourage anyone who dives to work towards a higher level of fitness if for no other reason than as part of their emergency preparedness plan.

 

[TMHeimer]

It gets back to something mentioned in this or another recent thread--good judgement. If you are very overweight, or 95 years old, or something else, logic says a nice benign, currentless, surgeless dive is for you.

 

[Nemrod]

At nearly 62, being in quite good health, take absolutely no meds, 120/80, resting pulse in low 40s, and by any measure decently physically fit, I am dialing it back a little. My minimum fitness standard is that at any time, I should be able to drop and give 30, swim 1 mile in under 40 minutes, jump out of the water and cycle 25 miles in under 1.5 hours and then run 6 miles in under one hour, consecutive and I have moved those up a little . When I was in my thirties those times would have been very generous, now, not so much, if at all. When the day comes I cannot meet that standard, I may need to re-evaluate a few things I do. Actually, as indicated, I already have.

I do not know what the minimum fittness standard should be for another diver. Much depends upon the circumstances and conditions one dives in. However, the kicker is that many cardiac events (seem to) occur when something goes wrong or stressed, or the diver is in a new environment and is not aware of or underestimates what realistic physical exertion might be required of the dive plan.

Several times, I have had my heart rate max out while diving, enough so that I was concerned, most recently on a solo dive a few years back when I got in a current and did not like that it was pushing me where I did not want to go. Just saying, I can see how a fellow could get in trouble, especially if not in good shape, the recovery is just to slow. Yeah, I see how it happens. And, unfortunately, I have actually seen it and it is very sad.

I have always endeavored not to be a captive of my body, but certain things are simply inevitable, older people, obese or not, simply cannot perform at the level of a 30 year old, that assuming the 30 yo is in decent shape, not a given these days .

N

 

[Neilwood]

It gets back to something mentioned in this or another recent thread--good judgement. If you are very overweight, or 95 years old, or something else, logic says a nice benign, currentless, surgeless dive is for you.

I think that is a very good point and seems to me like common sense but the problem these days is that common sense doesn't seem that common.

 

[seeker242]

So who will set the standards for "physically fit. .

Whoever owns the boat. It's their boat and they can say who goes and who doesn't!

 

[TMHeimer]

I think that is a very good point and seems to me like common sense but the problem these days is that common sense doesn't seem that common.

Amen.

 

[NAM001]

Whoever owns the boat. It's their boat and they can say who goes and who doesn't!

We already know no boat will set a standard beyond what their insurance requires. After all it is cash flow that is being affected. My comment was more on the line of a universal standard accepted by all, like no card no air. Leave it to the DIR people and they might set standards like they require for DIR dives. got a smoke you card is invalid. 20# over weight and you have to take a physical test. And then of course the favorite agency will have the lowest standards so everyone goes to them for certification and sends them to their 10 planet awarded dive shops who will cash in on the masses that cant meet the requirements of less than 20% body fat agencies require to keep the card active. NOw I say this with sarcasm fur that seems what is being suggested. Ideas are always well ment but the application is always hard to swallow, especially by businesses.

That standardization is completely separate from the 400# diver coming on board which the boat owner has to be in control of for the sake of his business and the clients.

 

[Neilwood]

I think it is worth considering that the captain of the vessel (or dive leader in the event of a shore dive) has the option to refuse anyone they see fit (or should that be as they see unfit) irrespective of any certification.

If a captain views someone as potential trouble (from a rescue point of view or otherwise), it is his decision whether to allow that person to board the vessel never mind dive from it.

When it comes to standards , it has to be remembered that people set different standards for different reasons. I would be surprised if (in the event of standards ever being brought in) that the same fitness standard would apply to cave diving as it would to bimbling about at 18m.