Eating before diving

[audission]

I went for a swim in the club pool last night. Unusually for me, I found myself getting cold. I was also starving. Could there be a correlation?

We were always told as kids not to eat anything immediately before going swimming, (which I understood was to prevent cramp? :huh Is the same true of diving?

 

[Charlie99]

I've found that skipping breakfast makes it much more likely that I will be cold on dives later that morning. A good hearty breakfast is now part of my pre-dive routine.

 

[knotical]

Partly to stay warm, I eat before swimming, I eat before diving, and I eat between dives. No Problem.

The “don’t eat before swimming” admonishment has been pretty well disproved. Here’s just one reference:
http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hourwait.asp

 

[BabyDuck]

the 'wait 30 minutes after you eat to swim' rule was made up by mamas who wanted help cleaning up the kitchen before the kids left to go swimming...

 

[wilkie]

Killer stomach cramp - NOT! Don't believe everything your Mamma told you.

 

[pir8]

You need to fuel up your body before diving. I can see not eating as you're getting in the water but you need to eat a reasonable time before diving. You burn calories to stay warm and they need to come from somewhere.

 

[merxlin]

I went for a swim in the club pool last night. Unusually for me, I found myself getting cold. I was also starving. Could there be a correlation?

We were always told as kids not to eat anything immediately before going swimming, (which I understood was to prevent cramp? :huh Is the same true of diving?

My biggest problem with eating right before diving is heartburn! Something about the body not wanting to be horizontal or inverted after a meal.

 

[mislav]

You need to fuel up your body before diving. I can see not eating as you're getting in the water but you need to eat a reasonable time before diving. You burn calories to stay warm and they need to come from somewhere.

Very well put and very true.

I went diving once (and only once) while skipping the breakfast. It was the only time I began shivering underwater and had to cut short my dive. Too bad, it was a very interesting dive.

My biggest problem with eating right before diving is heartburn! Something about the body not wanting to be horizontal or inverted after a meal.

Also true, which is why prior to diving you should only eat the food that you would normally eat prior to any other physical activity (tennis, soccer, jogging, skiing...).