I would like to hear from overweight female divers...

[nauifins73]

Way to go Carl - when it comes to inspiration it has no color or gender!!

Becky

 

[delvego]

Everything in life is unsafe.
Everyone in the world looks different.
Be happy that you are an explorer and not a person who just sits at home watching other people live.
I say ... keep on being adventurous and use that to spur you on to doing other adventurous sports and by doing more youll lose.
(hows that for spelling)
Im not so overweight but I definately dont feel good about the way I look right now and the shape im in.
My best friend is about your weight aND she would "never".
I KNOW that she has lost out.
So keep doing it. THe people who make comments (sure might be concerned for you) but I think its good you want to do it.
k.

Hi,
I hope that I do not regret posting this. I just recently posted something that I wish I could pull, so please do not comment if you have nothing nice to say. I am 5'2" and I am overweight. I am a size 16 to be exact.I am not in good shape. However, I loooove diving. It is the only sport I have ever done, and it has boosted my self confidence so much. I know that being overweight raises my risk of DCS...but I already know that and don't need comments on it. I am working on getting myself into shape. I really would like to hear from the overweight females on this board about how they deal with their self image while diving. I am going to Cozumel in 3 weeks, and the thought of me in my wetsuit on a diveboat makes me nervous. I am mostly nervous about the fact that someone will be rude and tell me that I have no place diving, in my shape. I worry about this especially from the male hard core divers that I have encountered on this board. Once, when I mentioned how much lead I had to carry someone told me that I needed to lose weight and that I shouldn't be diving in my condition. So how do you handle it? Do you feel proud of yourself and who cares about what others think? Gosh, I wish I could be like that. Any pointers would be great! Both my husband and myself are overweight, and while he is a little self conscious about his tummy, he doesn't worry about it. Thank you for your time. Again, I would prefer that the comments are kept nice, as I know that I need to lose this weight in order to be a safer diver.

 

[H2Andy]

Everything in life is unsafe.
Everyone in the world looks different.

even eating bananas and identical twins??



Carl, very nice post.

 

[Ishie]

Agree wholeheartedly.
I heard about a guy who had a heart attack while diving. Upon investigation, they found that his circulatory system was completely blown out of control (despite the fact that he looked fine and seemed healthy) and would not have lived long regardless of what he was doing. Instead of living on eggshells and dying young anyway, with no real experiences, he died doing what he loved.

I like to stay as healthy as I can and minimize risks, but in the end, if I'm going to die diving or I'm going to die walking to the store, I'd just as soon it be diving.

 

[gitterdun]

My girlfriend has gotten fed up with hearing me constantly talk about my diving obsession and she is going to start OW classes soon. She is a larger girl and has had some apprehension due to the wetsuit issue. I loved the testomonials in this forum so here is my question. What brand of wetsuits have you found to be the most comfortable, size charts can be misleading. We have both been on diets since the end of Nov and are losing weight, despite the weight loss she has been graced with full hips and a large chest. Have you found custom to be the only way to go and if so at what cost? Thanks for your input!! Happy diving to all.

Without a doubt, the Henderson Hyperstretch. I wore one in Florida, and I could not believe how comfortable it was. Very easy to move in, and very forgiving for a larger figure.

 

[carini]

I understand how you feel. I am also somewhat overweight. But i have 81 dives I am also a rescue diver. I love diving and this has done more for me and how i feel about my self i could never explain. The only person you have to make happy is yourself. Who care about anyone else. If someone is rude to you, that just shows you what a poor diver they are. Just dive safe and have fun. carini

 

[ScubaTwo]

Without a doubt, the Henderson Hyperstretch. I wore one in Florida, and I could not believe how comfortable it was. Very easy to move in, and very forgiving for a larger figure.

When looking thru brochures and at dive shopes for a wet suit I couldnt find any that went up to my size without having to pay extra. My LDS took pity and sold me a mens excel pretty cheap but it still dosnt really fit in the right places. I have heard alot of large woman say they liked the Henderson Hyperstretch so I have ripped a pic of it out of a magazine and tacked it above my desk (along with the other things on my wish list) lol.

 

[kballantine]

I too am an very overweight female diver. Hubby is very overweight as well. Many times I get "the look" from (mostly male) divers. They don't care that I am fat. They care that they will have to surface early (if I am in their group) because I will run out of air sooner than them. The first dive usually clears up that misconception. I can't tell you how many dive masters have commented about our skills. All seem surprized that someone of our size can dive so well. I overheard one divemaster tell his mate that we would "be back to the boat in 20 min.". Don't think I didn't have fun teasing him the rest of the week for that comment! I don't take it to heart. If anything, I think it has made me work alot harder to perfect my skills. I am proud of who I am and what I have accomplished. As for tips and hints for newbie plus-size divers, buy your own gear! It will fit better, and save lots of embarassing moments for all concerned. Many small Caribbean dive shops do not carry 2xl BCD's. If you need that size, email them in advance and ask them, or rent one from home and bring it along. I have a weight intergrated BCD (back and pockets). I find it to be much more comfortable than a belt with so much extra weight. If you purchase a weight intergrated BCD, make sure it has large enough pockets to accommodate multiple weights, since most small dive operators only have limited amount of four or five pound weights. I make sure to email the dive master before the first diving day to let him know that we will be needing extra weights. That way there are enough weights (in different sizes) for everyone on board. Try not to take off your BCD at the ladder and hand it up, unless that's what the dive master wants everyone to do. It's hard for some of those young crew "stick boys" to lift my heavy BCD from the water. I just remove my weight pockets, and that makes climbing aboard with so much extra weight very "do-able". Proper weighting and distribution are the keys to good diving skills for big bosom, plus-size women. Certain parts of us are much more buoyant than the general diving population, and proper weight distribution can compensate for that fact. If you are a bit of an "air sucker" at first, make sure the tank you are using is not underfilled. If it is, speak up, and change to a tank that is properly filled. It is better to speak up, than to be the cause of others having to assend early with half a tank of air left. If the boat is not full, try to leave an open tank space between yourself and the diver next to you. It helps alot when everyone is trying to "gear up" at the same time. If the boat is full, an end seat will give you the extra "gear up" room that you may need. I may not care what others think of my size, but I do want to be considerate and not cause inconvenience to other divers BECAUSE of my size. I hope this helps!

 

[MsParamedic]

I have watched and posted in this thread from the beginning of it...and with every post--I want to "High 5" every BBD (Big Beautiful Diver).

I recently moved to Key Largo, and am working for one of the local shops. And you know what, my students or the other divers don't care!!! And those that do--so what. Its not about my appearance, but the DIVING!!!

Congrats to everyone that have followed their passion!

Pat

 

[minnediver]

If you really want to take the focus off your perceived weight issue just tell them you are DIR then they will hate your for different reasons

All kidding aside, I am a bit overweight and like you I am working at it. I was super self conscious about it but one day I realized that most people are just either too excited, or too nervous about their upcoming dives that they hardly paid attention to me.

I hope you have a great trip.