Fat AND smoking cigarettes???

[MikeFerrara]

Truth is, mental fitness trumps all. It's not PC to say that stupid people shouldn't dive, but considering how many people dive beyond their skills and knowledge or profess knowledge based on anecdotal evidence, maybe we SHOULD limit diving to people with a minimum set of standards of mental fitness. Let's put an IQ minimum on people, let's have mental evaulations. But of course that's not a popular position to stand on.

Fat and smoke have anecdotal evidence. Stupidity and panic have more documented incidents.

Smoking and obesity have NOTHING on diving with people who have a tendency to panic, have poor decision making skills, are emotionally troubled, or are just plain morons. I'd take a fat diver who dives in their limits over an moron any day.

For the third or fourth time, I'll point out that this discussion isn't about dive safety.

 

[texdiveguy]

MikeF,,,,,the point I am making is smoking and being way over weight are not the things anyone should even consider healthy and ok...partc. when it comes to a sport like scuba diving.
I don't think it is a political statement me saying its bad for you in all regards of ones life!
I read from your posts you are inferring it is ok....its ok for Marines to smoke as your son and his buddies do....because they have the 'right' to treat themselves in this poor manner ... thats just bs...just think how much better they would be if they did not smoke.
I am so happy I never smoked as did my mom who died of lung cancer or my younger sister whom is on that same sad path.
I don't have any dive buddies that smoke nor are any of them carrying a lot of extra weight--I am glad that is the group I dive with....we are all safer and healthier for it!

 

[MikeFerrara]

MikeF,,,,,the point I am making is smoking and being way over weight are not the things anyone should even consider healthy and ok...partc. when it comes to a sport like scuba diving.
I don't think it is a political statement me saying its bad for you in all regards!
I read from your posts you are inferring it is ok....its ok for Marines to smoke as your son and his buddies do....because they have the 'right' to treat themselves in this poor manner ... thats just bs.
I am so happy I never smoked as did my mom who died of lung cancer or my younger sister whom is on that same sad path.
I don't have any dive buddies that smoke nor are any of them carrying a lot of extra weight--I am glad that is the group I dive with....we are all safer and healthier for it!

I am, in no way, trying to argue that the decision to smoke is wise in regards to one's health. I think it's clear that it isn't wise.

My example of the Marines who smoke was only meant to blow a hole in the argument of one poster that a given level of preformance described by another poster wasn't possible for a smoker. It is possible...for a while anyway.

 

[amitsi]

Where have I suggested that you should enjoy smoke? Who here has suggested that anyone should smoke when standing next to somone who is bothered by it? I, for one, will eagerly defend your right to move anytime that you find yourself standing in a place that you don't like.

I am sorry, defend my right to move??? the smoker moves his ass...!

 

[skresch]

There is a reason why we have no smoking signs next to oxygen equipment in the hospital. You would think that the same rules apply to handling oxygen while diving.

What's wrong with that?

LOL, have you ever used, or seen anyone use, a torch? A lot of flame and sparks going on in close proximity to O2 bottles and bottles of flammable gas. BTW, did you ever try to light a torch with only the O2 turned on?

Edit: What will happen if we blow a little O2 on that cigarette?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I am sorry, defend my right to move??? the smoker moves his ass...!

That may depend on the place, the smoker, and your ability to assert your desire for that spot over his.

 

[shoredivr]

This summer I was doing my first few boat dives wearing doubles, and the guy I was buddied up with had a hole in his drysuit, so the dives in 46 degree water were over for him. I got instabuddied with a fellow in his early 60's who had been diving forever (lots of Mediterranean diving) and was overweight. He had a 7 ml wetsuit. I was told he didn't breathe under water. We did two dives that afternoon, first wreck 23 minutes max 107 ft, second wreck 36 minutes max 86 ft.
His buoyancy skills and in-water skills were impeccable for the dives we did.

He used less air than I did, and at the end of the dives, he lit up a cigarette, out of the way of the other divers. He also claimed not to be excessively cold, nor did he seem chilled.

Boggled my mind.

 

[MikeFerrara]

There is a reason why we have no smoking signs next to oxygen equipment in the hospital. You would think that the same rules apply to handling oxygen while diving.

the last time I was at a hospitol I noticed that the no-smoking signs started outside.

but, this is probably a worthwhile discussion. Have you ever been in a welding shop? What is the risk of combustion in a mixing station or dive equipment? The first thing we worry about is the valve on the O2 tank itself. O2 isn't flammable but it's the best oxidizer there is...meaning that if there is fuel and a heat source and O2 that things should burn really well. If the valve on a high pressure tank burns we release the energy stored in the tank, sometimes in a rather violent way. We have a similar concern with the rest of the plumbing of the mixing station that sees high pressure O2 and the valve of the tank being filled.

The concern is fuel and heat inside the valves/plumbing. In a O2 rich environment, almost anything can be fuel and the heat source can come from adiabadic heating as well as particle impingement. So, we clean everything to remove easily ignited fuels, avoid sharp bends in the plumbing when we can and open valves nice and slow.

Blow some of that O2 on a lit cigarette and you'll likely end up with a fast burning cigarette but it isn't going to blow the O2 tank. Open the O2 valve on a torch and put a match to it and you'll just blow out the match. Note that in welding, that's exactly what we use the O2...to get a flammable gas to burn better/hotter. That might be a problem in a hospitol room. Whether or not it's a good idea kind of depends on the time and place but we aren't blowing up lots of O2 tanks by having flame near them.

 

[skresch]

I was a little unclear in my previous posts. Let me just say that on a dive boat you’re right the risk of anything at all happening is very small, but why take the chance? Is it such a big deal for the smoker to move away from the oxygen?

the last time I was at a hospitol I noticed that the no-smoking signs started outside.

but, this is probably a worthwhile discussion. Have you ever been in a welding shop? What is the risk of combustion in a mixing station or dive equipment? The first thing we worry about is the valve on the O2 tank itself. O2 isn't flammable but it's the best oxidizer there is...meaning that if there is fuel and a heat source and O2 that things should burn really well. If the valve on a high pressure tank burns we release the energy stored in the tank, sometimes in a rather violent way. We have a similar concern with the rest of the plumbing of the mixing station that sees high pressure O2 and the valve of the tank being filled.

The concern is fuel and heat inside the valves/plumbing. In a O2 rich environment, almost anything can be fuel and the heat source can come from adiabadic heating as well as particle impingement. So, we clean everything to remove easily ignited fuels, avoid sharp bends in the plumbing when we can and open valves nice and slow.

Blow some of that O2 on a lit cigarette and you'll likely end up with a fast burning cigarette but it isn't going to blow the O2 tank. Open the O2 valve on a torch and put a match to it and you'll just blow out the match. Note that in welding, that's exactly what we use the O2...to get a flammable gas to burn better/hotter. That might be a problem in a hospitol room. Whether or not it's a good idea kind of depends on the time and place but we aren't blowing up lots of O2 tanks by having flame near them.

 

[mrjimboalaska]

That may depend on the place, the smoker, and your ability to assert your desire for that spot over his.

Mike you beat me to that post.....

While I am a 260 lb, 44 year old smoker, with over 500 dives, some that are technical dives, I'll say smoking is BAD for you.
NEVER have had a problem finding a buddy to dive with, have made MANY friends, and Hopefully a few Lifelong friends diving.
Only problem I've had while diving.....while in a Rescue class, the Instructor commented that maybe it would be easier to strip the "tired diver" (not unconscious)
gear before yanking him out of the pool. No one in the class had the ability to do that except for me.
Even while on my own boat though, I would ask if anyone would be bothered by my smoking, and I have SEVERAL dive buddies that have told me not to smoke and I respect them.
DOnt smoke in the House, car or around my kids.
BUT would love to have someone make me move from the place I decided to smoke at, been a while since I've had some fun!
THis post was a prejudice post.....what would peoples reaction be if it said "Do I/should I dive with the gay diver".....