Does diving count as a workout day or a couch day?

[Bigbella]

It would really depend upon whether you walked off the edge of a boat after your gear was put on by a crew member; your fins handed to you; and, well, you just floated your bloat for a while in warm water -- versus hiking in and out as we did as kids with a couple of tanks, and still do on occasion, in the Big Sur Coast area, following lengthy switch-back trails, down to secluded beaches and dealing with strong currents, for a couple of hours, often in 10˚C water, if not colder.

Then there's the hike back . . .

 

[PamelaH]

Couch.

600 calories is one burrito.

A tiny burritto. A flour tortilla has 250-350 calories. A chipotle burritto with chicken, guac, cheese and salsa, black beans and white rice is 1095 calories.

I never cease to be amazed at how people overestimate calories burned in diving. 600/3 dives sounds right but lots of people think it's 600/dive.

That said, there was a study recently that said there is some evidence that a heavy workout after diving increases your chance of getting DCS. Sample size was small and there wasn't much analysis but when you are diving multiple times a day that is fine. No need to pile on.

Here's some more info from DAN

Juggling Physical Exercise and Diving

Regular exercise will boost your diving, but timing is key. Learn exercise recommendations to help reduce the risks of future injuries.

dan.org

 

[MidOH]

Startling how little exercise, there is in diving (so far).

 

[jborg]

Startling how little exercise, there is in diving (so far).

You need to start diving doubles in inaccessible areas.

 

[MidOH]

It's a work in progress.

 

[davehicks]

You burn a lot of calories just keeping warm. Even in 80F water, this is pretty significant.

If you shore dive, you are also hauling around a lot of gear and getting some good exercise as well. When I shore dive in Puget Sound (48F btw) I might be carrying over 100 pounds of gear from the car, down to a beach, and back again. (uphill) So it's a quite a workout.

 

[lowwall]

So my DAN renewal has a big disclaimer that Scuba Diving in strenuous, but not sufficient activity to prepare you for diving (e.g., you gotta exercise too - totally understand).

Here's my question. On days I dive, I don't otherwise workout (though I try to most other days). For counting rest days, does a dive day (figure a standard 2-3 tank dive in 60 F water) count as a couch day, or is it an activity day so I can do a couch day later in the week?

Two to three dives in 60F water is not a workout day and it's not a couch day, it's an active day. It's not just the kicking and muscle tension to hold form in the water, there's a lot of above-water related activities like packing, carrying, donning, doffing and cleaning gear. Think of it like a day sightseeing where you will walk 15,000-20,000 steps, but your heart rate never goes above 100.

BTW, diving is not normally strenuous, but it certainly can become strenuous if things go sideways. That's why you want a base level of aerobic fitness that diving will not normally provide.

 

[formernuke]

Depends on if your shore diving and how far you have to walk fully geared up.

 

[Kendall Raine]

So my DAN renewal has a big disclaimer that Scuba Diving in strenuous, but not sufficient activity to prepare you for diving (e.g., you gotta exercise too - totally understand).

Here's my question. On days I dive, I don't otherwise workout (though I try to most other days). For counting rest days, does a dive day (figure a standard 2-3 tank dive in 60 F water) count as a couch day, or is it an activity day so I can do a couch day later in the week?

Activity day, but not a workout day, unless you have pretty lame workouts. Diving and working out on the same day is often a poor idea for reasons discussed in many other threads on here. Whether diving earns you an extra couch day depends on your dedication to working out.

 

[lermontov]

Id say the DAN disclaimer is based on the data profile of the typical diver in regard to age and weight and maybe sedentary work

I know for myself I find its pretty hard work carrying gear and if youve got a light current its hard work over a long dive