Rant: Home of the Free and Land of the Brave

[Reg Braithwaite]

I dive. I also rock climb. Both are risky endeavours. Now, "risky" is a relative term. Once upon a time, both activities were fringe sports practiced by a few wild-eyed crazies. Over time, we figured out how to manage the risks and popularize the activities to the point where they are now practiced by people who wouldn't consider themselves risk-takers.

Open Circuit Scuba is now considered "mainstream." For the most part, we are no longer wild-eyed crazies. But.

There are still serious consequences for mistakes or bad luck in Scuba. Even for open water diving in benign conditions, water is unforgiving. Consider, for example, the consequences of having a coughing fit when cruising a reef at 35'. They are not the same as the consequences of having a coughing fit while watching television.

Diving is inherently an activity where we willingly and knowingly risk our lives in the pursuit of happiness. I don't care how it is marketed, it is an activity with serious consequences. I'm ok with that. I'm also ok with people having the right to choose their own tolerance for risk. Who am I to tell someone to stay on the couch while I go rock climbing?

On another thread there are a number of peopel advising a large person not to dive. This saddens me. Who are we to pick a line and say, people on this side dive, people on that side don't dive? Why do people get upset at the idea of being told that smokers should not dive, but are ok with telling someone who is 400lbs not to dive?

Some risks are manageable. For example, training and proper equipment selection can reduce the risk of objective hazards on ceratin types of dives to levels you may consider acceptable. So I would not compare the risks inherent in being a stout diver to the risk of diving in an overhead environment. The way to manage the risk of being large is to lose weight. Someone may not do so for a variety of reasons that are none of my business. They choose which risks to tolerate and which to manage, and by how much.

Until such time as they ask me to be their buddy and thus bring their risk into my dive, it's their call to make. I champion giving them the cold, hard facts so that they can make an informed choice. But after that, I say let them make the call.

Telling them not to dive seems to repudiate the very basis of this sport, the fundamental choice you make when you stand on the edge of the boat and make a giant stride into the water. You choose to dive, you choose the amount of risk you wish to tolerate in the pursuit of the experience.

fin.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Until such time as they ask me to be their buddy and thus bring their risk into my dive, it's their call to make.

So...are you saying you'd encourage them to dive...you just wouldn't want to be their buddy?

 

[ukslim]

I think you're mis-reading the advice on that other thread. The advice is to consult a doctor before diving.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I think you're mis-reading the advice on that other thread. The advice is to consult a doctor before diving.

Some of the people, myslef included, advised consulting a doctor. I also advised reading everything available on the subject of decompression and physiology so that the diver in question could understand the implications of his body composition with respect to diving and how the standard tables and computers may or may not apply to him.

Others made flat-out statements that he should not dive.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

I think you're mis-reading the advice on that other thread. The advice is to consult a doctor before diving.

I haven't seen the thread in question, but that was my initial assumption. I have seen threads like it in the past, and the responders are usually just informing the OP of the increased risks obese divers face.

 

[Hank49]

I haven't read the other thread mentioned but there have been similar ones over the years. If someone weighs 400 lbs they're already at a substantial health risk. Maybe going diving will iincrease their incentive to get more fit.
I think I posted this a few years ago, but I have, well he's moved away now...had, a friend who weighs in at about 400 or so. He's BIG. I would take him out snorkeling. He'd take pictures while I spearfished. Getting him back on my boat, which had no ladder was....challenging. It'd take about three tries but we'd get a rope around his butt, and he'd put one foot on the anticavitation plate of my outboard. I'd pull, he'd pull and I'd raise the motor at the same time. It must have been pretty comical to watch but we'd get him onboard.
If he'd had a heart attack while doing this...bummer. But at least he was doing something he wanted to do. Who was I to say, "no, you're too fat, You can't come with me".

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

So...are you saying you'd encourage them to dive...you just wouldn't want to be their buddy?

I encourage them to make an informed decision about diving. I also try to make an informed decision about diving. The choice of a buddy is part of an informed decision. Let me give an example which will take the sting out of it.

Many divers start with a cursory "Open Water" certification. Although it allegedly qualifies them to dive in waters up to 60' deep, I think most people would agree that after the fourth check-out dive, you would not expect two people who just got certified to go on an unaccompanied shore dive together.

Instead, they would typically go on an escorted dive such as a charter from their LDS where there is at least one Dive Master with rescue skills present and watching over them.

Now if an experienced diver who has done that particular shore dive wanted to take one of them for a dive, you would expect them to go along.

So we have a situation where each of the two is willing to do a shore dive, but not with each other. Since the two have equivalent experience, we now logically state that each of them (a) encourages the other to dive, but (b) is not prepared to be their buddy at this time for certain dives, even though (c) they are equivalent divers.

That's a long-winded way of saying that I encourage myself to dive, but at this point in my career I wouldn't choose myself for a buddy.

 

[SkipperJohn]

do they make wetsuits that would fit a 400 pound person?

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

do they make wetsuits that would fit a 400 pound person?

Perhaps not, but AFAIC, they don't really make wet suits for tall and lean people. But they do sell neoprene, sewing machines, and glue. If someone wants to dive badly enough, they will figure out a way.

Pioneering spirit and all that.

 

[DivingPrincessE]

I encourage them to make an informed decision about diving. I also try to make an informed decision about diving. The choice of a buddy is part of an informed decision. Let me give an example which will take the sting out of it.

Many divers start with a cursory "Open Water" certification. Although it allegedly qualifies them to dive in waters up to 60' deep, I think most people would agree that after the fourth check-out dive, you would not expect two people who just got certified to go on an unaccompanied shore dive together.

Instead, they would typically go on an escorted dive such as a charter from their LDS where there is at least one Dive Master with rescue skills present and watching over them.

Now if an experienced diver who has done that particular shore dive wanted to take one of them for a dive, you would expect them to go along.

So we have a situation where each of the two is willing to do a shore dive, but not with each other. Since the two have equivalent experience, we now logically state that each of them (a) encourages the other to dive, but (b) is not prepared to be their buddy at this time for certain dives, even though (c) they are equivalent divers.

That's a long-winded way of saying that I encourage myself to dive, but at this point in my career I wouldn't choose myself for a buddy.

I think that is a cop out.

You may not want to dive with a new diver...but that is lack of experience which they will get. A 400 lb diver that is not inclined to lose weight will always be 400 lbs. I think it's a bit silly that you are criticizing people for informing the overweight diver it isn't safe to dive...however at the same time you obviously think it's a big risk seeing as how you refuse to dive with him/her out of fear for your own safety.