Diving, Fitness, Obesity and Personal Rights

[JohnnyC]

I think Wookie mentioned there was no US Coast Guard approved lift for sale that he was aware of.

I've seen him mention them before, but it has to do with a diver lift being considered an elevator, and the regulations for having an elevator on a boat are designed for actual personnel elevators like you might find on a cruise ship As such it is essentially impossible to have a diver lift.

I may be misrememberating, but it stands out in my mind.

 

[Littlerayray]

I like many people am overweight not by much but I am since I've been in my 30s my appetite hasn't decreased but my metabolism has I'm comfortable with my weight and many of the people I dive with are big boys we help each other when needed and tbh and heaven forbid if I were unconscious it would take three men to pull me aboard I am about 5 foot 8 and weight in at 220 lbs the world is full of different shapes and sizes imho as long as you can carry your gear with needing only help for balance then you should be able to dive the day I can't stand and carry my gear on my back is the day I hang up my fins

I also find a lot of divers are too proud to ask for help and would rather struggle I know myself that I am not flexible outside of my dive gear let alone once I'm in it so for me to ask for help is a no brainer

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

imho as long as you can carry your gear with needing only help for balance then you should be able to dive the day I can't stand and carry my gear on my back is the day I hang up my fins

There are ways around this - side mount, smaller tanks, less gear,... - lots of folks hurt their backs and although not directly tied to body weight still dive but use gear that is not as heavy. It may result in a shorter dive but hey you still get to be in the water doing what you love...

Dont be so quick to pull the rip cord...

 

[Littlerayray]

There are ways around this - side mount, smaller tanks, less gear,... - lots of folks hurt their backs and although not directly tied to body weight still dive but use gear that is not as heavy. It may result in a shorter dive but hey you still get to be in the water doing what you love...

Dont be so quick to pull the rip cord...

Well I never said I couldn't reconfigure my equipment and I probably would if I had to

 

[Diving Dubai]

Simple answer really. You have to undertake an annual dive medical. No in date medical card, no dive.

 

[Manneca]

Simple answer really. You have to undertake an annual dive medical. No in date medical card, no dive.

As Freewillie pointed out, there is no absolute predictor of heart attack or absence thereof.

And frankly, I'd much rather die of a heart attack than cancer. Obviously, it would be better not on a dive trip.

I'm overweight, and 69, so my chances of dying diving are higher than a 20 year old who is of normal weight and runs everyday. But that isn't to say that the 20 year old might actually die before I do.

 

[drrich2]

"Simple answer really. You have to undertake an annual dive medical. No in date medical card, no dive."

Simple if you want someone else dictating whether you can dive or not.

 

[Dhboner]

There is no doubt that there are many people who are overweight but exercise regularly and should have no issues diving. I do think however that there cab be clear warning signs that a person is high risk for diving...I was in Cozumel a few years back on an afternoon dive. There was a lady on board who was morbidly obese, not plump, overweight, seriously obese. When we reached the dive site she had 2 DM's bring her to the back of the boat and literally "heave" her off the stern because she could barely stand in gear and couldn't step off the boat in the customary manner. She wasn't my dive buddy but I was genuinely concerned that this lady was not up to the demands of even easy, recreational diving in warm water. I have no idea how she got back in the boat since she surfaced long before most of us. My point is not to ridicule her or judge her but at some point we have to be honest and frank and admit that diving can be physically stressful and the real issue is it tends to be most stressful when things go pear shaped. I don't think it is unreasonable to conclude that some basic fitness is necessary to safely dive. Nothing wrong with carrying extra pounds and nobody is saying an annual swim test, but a responsible diver accepts that he/she should maintain basic physical fitness.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Simple answer really. You have to undertake an annual dive medical. No in date medical card, no dive.

It has beenpointed out that the dive physical is not necessarily going to pick up cardiac issues and no guarantee you are "fit to do any specific dive".

"Simple answer really. You have to undertake an annual dive medical. No in date medical card, no dive."

Simple if you want someone else dictating whether you can dive or not.

Not only that but there are some doctors certified to do "Dive physicals" that are not divers. They register to qualify for doing them for the income stream. Many have no idea about diving, no appreciation for the sport and no understanding of what it may mean to refuse to clear the diver. They have heard about how dangerous diving is and are paranoid about potentially being held liable if something goes wrong. That all leads to situations like happened to a friend where the "Dive Doctor" told her he didn't believe in "signing off" on anyone over the age of 50! By the way he only said that AFTER he sent her for a battery of test that she had to pay for out of her own pocket! It cost her a lot of money to find out he was never going to sign her off in the first place!

Not sure about where you live folks but that is a reality in my world. I have no intention of letting that kind of joker decide if I am fit to dive.

I said years ago. If someone told me I had to quit diving for medical reasons .... I will track down Dr Simon Mitchell and make an informed decision. I attended a presentation of his years ago where this very thing came up in the question session. I liked his answers enough to go to New Zealand to make sure I am making the right decision. At the time he was running the Chamber in Sydney, then he was in charge of the one in Brisbane ... now he is back in New Zealand but fortunately for us he does post here some. He is also a highly sought after speaker and I try to get to his presentations in Sydney. Fortunately for us he is a speaker an many of the dive expos here.

In the mean time I watch my health. Do all the reasonable things to make sure I am fit to dive and stay that way. I will happily thumb a dive that I feel I shouldn't do. I had a bad chest infection a few years back and insisted on having a full check of lung function and scans to make sure I was right to dive. All that said... I haven't taken a "dive physical" in years!

Most of our diving is shore diving with long walks in full gear to the entry and somehow longer still walks back to the car after the exit. Boat diving is certainly a holiday for us. We are both overweight but fit to dive and thumb a dive appropriately.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

In the mean time I watch my health. Do all the reasonable things to make sure I am fit to dive and stay that way. I will happily thumb a dive that I feel I shouldn't do. I had a bad chest infection a few years back and insisted on having a full check of lung function and scans to make sure I was right to dive. All that said... I haven't taken a "dive physical" in years!

To me it is telling - go to the Classified: Exposure Suits in Scubaboard - just the first 5 to 10 pages - count the number of X's or X+'s versus the number of small, medium or large suits - regardless of wet or dry. It is interesting - the X's and X+'s far and away are the most common in that section.

As you mentioned folks should take care of themselves for themselves or for their families - but if they choose not to - it is not up to me/us to cause them to change their ways.
Just like diving - you are responsible for you. And I wish everyone a happy and long life.