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

[Joanne Hughes]

Im a newbie and how great to read this thread and not feel the odd one out.

I start my OW course next week and decided to buy my own wsuit rather than struggle huffing and puffing at poolside with the ones supplied as part of the course. So off I went to the dive shop to get a suit, im a uk size 14/16, 5ft 2in and 72kg, so just below the obese threshold but neverthless overweight if you go by statisics. Visually I dont look fat, I certainly dont have rolls of the stuff flapping about just a bit of middle aged spread and I look ok in a swimsuit compared to lots of people ive seen on the beach. I wonder if the way you are built such as bone size, etc can make you heavy without looking obese. For instance my 13 year old daughter who is doing the course with me is a size 6/8, is well under 5 feet in height and looks like stick insect but is much heavier than my son who is 15 and much taller. While she is thin she is solid if you get the drift. Both kids are doing the course with me - its a family affair.

So... I signed up for the course being well encouraged by the dive shop owner (himself rather portly) telling me that lots of women of my age and size (44 years to be precise) were taking up the sport and not to worry. I was horrified that my size of wetsuit was XXL, the largest in the shop,and luckily it was a good fit - Scubapro -but I did look and feel rather like the Michelin man. They must obviously cater for the 20something model variety of women in these shops as I had only a choice of 2 suits. I expect when I get into the real diving world there, hopefully, will be all shapes and sizes. To all you larger women out there........... it aint size that matters, just that you feel good about what you are doing and feel good about yourself. Happy diving

 

[SubMariner]

So... I signed up for the course being well encouraged by the dive shop owner (himself rather portly) telling me that lots of women of my age and size (44 years to be precise) were taking up the sport and not to worry. I was horrified that my size of wetsuit was XXL, the largest in the shop,and luckily it was a good fit - Scubapro -but I did look and feel rather like the Michelin man. They must obviously cater for the 20something model variety of women in these shops as I had only a choice of 2 suits. I expect when I get into the real diving world there, hopefully, will be all shapes and sizes. To all you larger women out there........... it aint size that matters, just that you feel good about what you are doing and feel good about yourself. Happy diving

How right you are, Joanne!

However, in future you may want to consider going to a drysuit rather than a wetsuit. Where you dive it will be a lot more comfortable, esp since it keeps you much warmer than a wetsuit!

Cheers,

 

[Joanne Hughes]

Im only intending diving in the warmer waters.......I feel the cold and its not very exciting in the UK!

 

[Bobbin-along]

Sometimes people do say rude things, and all I can deduce by their behavior is that their mothers didn't teach them manners.

Yes I'm overweight, but my cardio flexibilities, and physical strength levels are in the top 10% of the female population according to my sports med/physical therapist. He finds women divers and sailors to be a weird breed of "superbabes" (yes his own word) who are stronger, tougher, more agile, and in better shape than 90% of the rest of the planet. He says it's counter intuitive to all his training to see women 20-80lbs overweight and top out the fitness charts. He finds them so fascinating he is writing a paper about these "superbabes".

 

[girldiverllc]

Wanted to bring this thread back, as I was talking to a student this weekend about this subject. Referred her to this board.

Personally, when I started diving, I was 5' tall and 150 pounds. None of it was muscle. Size 12. Since I dive in cold water, in a drysuit, my lead was incredible. I also had an instructor who believed in "sinking" their new students. Yup....my first dive was with 45 lbs. of lead around my waist. That was immense fun to do the weightbelt remove and replace skill with!

As I progressed through my training (now an instructor), I felt very comfortable in my drysuit, which hid my size, but hated the wetsuit for pool sessions and dreaded the swimsuit even more. But then I realized that physical fitness has a lot more to do with what your body can do than it's shape.

My friend...size nothing...came to learn to dive. Couldn't lift the tank. Couldn't handle the gear. Couldn't keep up in the water. So, while she looked good lying on the beach eating 0 calorie ice chips...she didn't get to enjoy the underwater realm.

Since starting diving, I've managed to lose 35 pounds...and I'm in the best shape of my life. But I consider my weight loss just a bonus. The real prize is the fact that I get to visit the underwater realm...and I'm able to haul my gear and throw my tanks with the best of them.

Keep diving. Don't worry about the numbers on the wetsuits...and don't worry about what other people think (as we're far more critical of ourselves than they ever will be)

There are only three numbers that matter....the amount of air in your tank, the number of dives you can safely squeeze into a day and the number of cool things that you get to experience under the surface.

Cindy
http://www.girldiver.com

 

[WasWild]

If you're diving in warm water, my opinion is this --
Everyone looks good in a dive skin!

A few years back I ascended right smack in the middle of a swarm of jellyfish. Thank goodness for the skin. I only had sting marks between my gloves and my dive skin sleeve.

 

[Lake Mead Tony]

You Go Girl
Poodles, if you are ever in Vegas, You are always welcome on my boat to see the lower side of Lake Mead.

 

[almitywife]

wetsuit sizing totally sucks!

my neice is 12yrs old (13 next week!), about 5.6ft tall and slim - she usually wears size 8 or 10 ladies clothing (her mums clothes actually) but in a wet suit we are struggling to get her into the size 14 and now looking at a 16 for next summer.

who the hell does the sizing on these things! fatties like me have no chance of ever buying off the rack - a nice little earner for the dive shop/suit maker but how many women are turned off giving diving a try because they feel they dont fit the swimsuit model image that the dive manufacturers are pushing.

 

[creamofwheat]

Just offering the other perspective.

I happen to be on the skinny side, and I can tell you, sizing is just as much a pain in the butt for the small people as well. It's really hard to find suits that fit. I don't think things really cater to the skinny swimsuit bodies either. I think they cater more to the "average" woman, and anyone who is either smaller or larger than this seems to encounter annoying sizing problems.

Not to mention the fact that, like girldiverllc said, it's hard for small people to lug all the gear around. Personally, I carry nearly my entire body weight's worth of gear when I go for a dive. When I have doubles strapped on, I have my entire body weight (if not more than my body weight) just on my back, and I can tell you, it is NOT easy to carry around! (and I often require help from my stronger male buddies).

I am not really sure where I am going with this. I guess what we all have to learn is to be happy with our own body shapes, and enjoy the sport, and learn to adapt to what the industry has to offer us, regardless of our shapes. If someone is larger, so be it. If someone is smaller, so be it. As long as we are having fun with what we are doing. I know I sure love diving despite my small size being a distinct disadvantage. As long as we enjoy diving, then that's all that really matters.

 

[almitywife]

im smiling over your point about carrying more in gear than you weight.

our neice does this also and not once has she ever complained but hubby often has big beefy guy students *****ing all the way to the carpark about heavy gear and in the past he would take their weight belt to shut them up a bit. now, unless they really need assistance, he points out rebecca and the guys tend to shut up and walk.

As far as smaller sizes wetsuit - im guessing its alot easier for you to front up at your LDS for measuring than it would be for the larger lady (not meaning to start a big v small thing at all here!)... it can be very very intimating being in that postion, especially in a busy dive shop run/staffed by men.