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

[ladycute1]

Hi all....

Just a couple of notes... I'm a scuba addict... and I am fat -- and I'm a 44 year old woman. I'm also a Scuba Instructor... and for those of you who know about these things my, my scores on the Divemaster fitness tests were some of the best ever seen at my shop.

My air consumption is very respectable, but, of course, I'd like for it to be better (who wouldn't?). Air consumption is largely, though not exclusively affected by exertion and anxiety... the more you can do to be comfortable and relaxed and to work smoothly, the better your air consumption will be.

On another note, regarding DCS: While I am not a medical authority... Being overweight is not a "cause" of DCS. DCS is caused by gas bubbles. There are a number of things that are RISK FACTORS for DCS -- Yes, being overweight is a risk factor.... so is gender (females at greater risk than males)... so is age (older people at greater risk than younger)... so is alcohol consumption, so is smoking, so is level of fitness (more aerobically fit thought to be at less risk), so is level of hydration... (more hydrated, less risk), so is fatigue, so is hot showers or exercise after diving ---

So, in an effort to minimize my risk of DCS -- I change what I can -- for instance, I try to stay amply hydrated and well rested when diving... I don't smoke... and I don't consume alcohol before, during or after diving... I try to stay as fit as I reasonably can... and I avoid super hot showers, hot tubs, or strong physical exertion after diving. I'm not about to attempt to change my gender.... and, in my experience, attempts to change my weight have been seriously ineffective, so I choose not to worry about that... Additionally, I can choose to dive very conservative profiles, I can make sure I have proper training for the conditions in which I am diving, I can make every ascent a slow one and I can take ample surface intervals.

Anyway, don't let being fat stop you from living the life you want... especially if that life involves diving!!!

Liz

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Awesome response ladycute1! Beautiful. Well said!

 

[MsParamedic]

BRAVO LadyCute!

From a fellow instructor and BBD (Big beautiful Diver)!

Pat

 

[knotical]

Yes, being overweight is a risk factor.

This comes up periodically, so a repeat of my post #82 in this thread:

Not necessarily so, see this page: http://diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=144
from DAN that says in part:

"There is no strong body of evidence to suggest that overweight individuals have a greater risk of DCI or that they suffer more dive-related injuries than divers who are within 10 percent of their ideal body weight. The best indicator of diving fitness is the individual's general health and level of physical fitness."

For more info, see this physician’s article http://divermag.com/archives/feb2001/divedoctor_feb01.html



I’m not a so-called "overweight" female, but my favorite dive buddy (and spouse) is. Like ladycute1, she is extremely fit (and a divemaster).

 

[ladycute1]

I'm thrilled to hear that DAN is saying that being overweight is not in and of itself a risk factor for DCS... PADI Open Water manuals still (I think) list obesity as a possible risk factor...

In either event, my response remains the same -- there is very little I can do to safely and effectively change my weight -- and, since I have decided not to put my life on hold until I wake up a sleek size whatever... I will focus my diving safety strategies on things I CAN change... rest, hydration, fitness, safe and conservative diving practices, etc.


For what it's worth..... I found the following article (suggested in the earlier post) to be less than helpful... it is of the 'loose 100 pounds and call me in the morning' approach -- meaning that while the writer concedes that there maybe little evidence to say that an overweight diver is a danger... overweight is still bad and one should make efforts to lose weight. I'll stick with my earlier statement... don't put your life on hold because of what the scale says... Who wants to go diving with me????



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For more info, see this physician’s article http://divermag.com/archives/feb2001...tor_feb01.html
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Liz

 

[FaerieLaugh]

Hi! I am new to these boards. I'm also an overweight diver. I am 5'8" and wear a size 24. I grew up in Florida where I only wore a dive skin and now live in Los Angeles. I was really really nervous about shopping for a 7mm wetsuit, and reading these boards helped. I immediately looked into getting a Henderson Hyperstretch and bought one today. I was shocked that I could squeeze my body into a womens size 12! I was able to buy a wetsuit off the rack!

I just wanted to post my Hyperstretch experience in the hopes that other plus size gals like myself will find it helpful.

 

[TexasRTR78]

Hello! I am posting this because I am an overweight female (28 years, 5'6" and 190 pounds, size 16) and my husband and I are starting our open water lessons on Tuesday...I am quite nervous because I do not know anything about wetsuits and my instructor wants us to wear one for lessons so that I can try several and see which one I like better....I have read some things about these things and I think I am going to look like I am trying to stuff 10 pounds of sh** into a 5 pound bag....I guess I am writing because I am trying to figure out what brand of suit should I be looking at...I found a website called "Sea Dreams" and they only have a few suits to pick from but they look nice...also, my husband and I will be diving in St. Thomas this October (our 10 year anniversary trip!!!) and I havent had a chance to ask the instructor yet but I am not sure what thickness of wetsuit I should be looking at to buy for that area...any suggestions?

Sorry for rambling on a on..
Thanks for any replies!!
Angela

 

[carlthecat]

First let me say I am not a doctor and have no medical training what-so-ever. Recently I read somewhere in some advanced or extended range nitrox book that adipose (fat) tissue absorbs more nitrogen in relation to other body tissues. If that is a fact, can fat people (yours truly included) actually have a lower chance of serious DCS because their increased fat mass is sucking up more of the nitrogen and leaving less to be absorbed by the central nervous system? I know there is a lot of fat in the nervous system (myelin sheath and other stuff) but I look at it this way:

There are 2 people sitting in a room. The first guy is a fat, fraternity type (my blubber). The second is a skinny, nerdy type (my brain and other CNS parts). Someone brings a case of beer (nitrogen) in the room and leaves them to it. Now, if the fat guy drinks 18 beers, there are only 6 left to get the skinny guy drunk (bent). Lets face it, if the fat guy wasn’t there and there was an in shape fellow in his place, the nerd would have to drink 12 beers and declare himself s-h-i-t-f-a-c-e-d (better chance of getting bent).

What do you think? Is this theory feasible? I am going to be with an expert on Sunday so I will ask him his opinion as well. Maybe I will even call DAN.

Anyway, under water with proper buoyancy, we all weigh 0!!!

 

[ChrisA]

Hello! I am posting this because I am an overweight female (28 years, 5'6" and 190 pounds, size 16) and my husband and I are starting our open water lessons on Tuesday...I am quite nervous because I do not know anything about wetsuits

A wetsuit should fit so that there is no space between you and the suit. Zero air gaps. But on the other hand it should not be tight. It should not restrict movement or most importently it should not "help" you exhale. So don't worry about having to "stuff" yourself in. If you are a size 16, get a size 16 suit. Diffent brands fit differenty so you may need to try several. You can also get full custom suits (about $350) or for less you can have an off the rack size 16 "costomized" where they split a seam and add or remove material. One other ooption is a "hyper strech" suit that is made of very soft neoprene.

For you warm water trip you could use a very thin suit, like 3mm or even a 3mm shorty. But a lot depends on you. Do you gt cold easy or are you always warm? Actually people who can stand to loose a few pounds tend to stay warmmer in the water.

Your instructor is right. Part of learing to dive is learning about wetsuits. You will need to try several in order to learn. Also you may need to buy two suits. I seriouly doubt the wetsuit you will use in warm water will work for you at home, you'd freeze.

Suits last for manybe 200 dives so don't worryabout owning two. Over the comming years you will buy more then two.

 

[jk47]

I actually feel more comfortable in my wetsuit than in a plain old bathing suit, as it seems to 'hold things in place' a little more, covers up those cellulite dimples, etc...