I really want to learn to scuba, but I smoke
- Thread starter GreenAsGrass
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How to get a lethal overdose of cigarette smoke: ^that^, or die in a fire in a cig warehouse.
I swim and I typically start with a length (25 yards) underwater dolphin kick. Some 5-6 months after I quit I realised the same amount of effort & breathholding takes me all that way to the wall all of a sudden. Instead of the 2/3rds, maybe 3/4s that I did up to that point. Quit: you'll add 25% to your tank capacity without switching to a bigger tank.
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Plenty of people who dive smoke or vape. Most of them seem to do fine, I think I do better, considerably better.
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UFOrb
Contributor
I 2nd that. When I started diving as a smoker, aged 40, I used to struggle with air and often be the first to be low on air...no-one wants to be that guy. I then started using 15L tanks.
I quit aged 42 and have since been a lot better, went back to 12L and no longer worry about my air consumption.
This may in part due to having a little more experience, being more relaxed and using more efficient techniques, but I'm sure not smoking plays a big part too.
Either way, I generally feel so much better for not smoking, and have more money. But you already know all the reasons to quit!
Anyway, smoker or not, enjoy diving!!!
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The advice is quite clear, quit smoking. Scuba improvements are the least of the benefits
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Very true. And since we've heard this beginning from about 40+ years ago.
I don't think there is a smoker alive who hasn't hear about the quitting benefits from everyone under the sun. We get it, we do.
The strange thing is that smoking seems to make you fair game for everyone to criticise without regard. When the next 30-100 lbs overweight, drunken slob tells me I should quit smoking, maybe I should retort....
If I walked up to a diver on the shore and told them to lose weight, it will be good for them, they would tell me (rightly) to mind my own damn business. Even though statistically it is HUGELY more likely to die diving from obesity related issues than smoking.
Somehow it seems smokers signed away a few rights to self-determination along the way but we weren't at the meeting. Probably outside in the cold rain having a smoke.
The strange thing is that smoking seems to make you fair game for everyone to criticise without regard. When the next 30-100 lbs overweight, drunken slob tells me I should quit smoking, maybe I should retort....
If I walked up to a diver on the shore and told them to lose weight, it will be good for them, they would tell me (rightly) to mind my own damn business. Even though statistically it is HUGELY more likely to die diving from obesity related issues than smoking.
Somehow it seems smokers signed away a few rights to self-determination along the way but we weren't at the meeting. Probably outside in the cold rain having a smoke.
- Messages
- 16,438
- Reaction score
- 5,238
- # of dives
- 1000 - 2499
Yeah. I smoke a pipe on occasion (never on a dive boat or anywhere inside, even a casino where it's legal). You spelled out what I was trying to say in my last post but couldn't be bothered.
Dsix36
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I certified when I was still smoking. Open water, advanced open water, nitrox, drager dolphin rebreather. I was the guy standing at the back of the boat ready to "dive dive dive" with a cigarette in my hand. I would take one last drag before i popped the regulator in my mouth and jumped. The DM's liked to laugh at the smoke coming out of my air bubbles. then when back on the boat I would have to get my hands dried off enough to get another on lit up.
Don't let anyone other than your doctor tell you that you can not dive. I would obviously still suggest that you quit smoking though.
Don't let anyone other than your doctor tell you that you can not dive. I would obviously still suggest that you quit smoking though.
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