So what is too overweight to dive?

[Kim]

Thanks Bob...nice post! It's pretty much how I feel too. I already know that walking works for me, so that's where I'm headed. We have a new dog. Taro is still a puppy and needs to grow a bit but my wife brought him home for a reason....he needs to be walked. She's (my wife) pretty clever!
Actually I also bought a real bike. I've used it once so far but hopefully I'll get into that as well. When I lived in Holland i cycled a LOT.

 

[almitywife]

......Another thing I discovered long ago is that diets don't work for me ... I'll lose weight, but when I stop the diet it comes back with a vengeance. .....

exactly! i agree. for me a 'diet' is a temporary thing to drop a few lbs but it doesnt change my cooking or eating habits.... for me i needed a lifestyle change, a entire new outlook on how im going to live my life and cutting back on the addictive stuff

cheers

 

[dschulte]

No argument on that. But the concept that being overweight excludes a person from being fit...maybe we need to define "fit" better. But other things also benefit my health. Like the fact that I've never smoked, or had a drink in 13 years, or that I laugh every day and enjoy my life...QUOTE]

I am a firefighter, have been for almost 10 years, so I look a physical fitness from a stress test point of view; what my vital capacity is and how my heart rate is impacted by a strenuous task. If you are in shape, you will use less air when diving, which is proven. Extra body weight requires more oxygen and thus your air consumption will increase. I am the choir in this discussion. I have been there and still consider myself there; I do not need a 130 for a 40 minute, 60' dive, but I still have much room for improvement. On that note, I dive with a friend that is at a comparable body mass to mine but his cardiovascular fitness is much better. When we surface from the same profile his gauge is always 400-600 psi higher than mine.
:monkeydan

 

[Puffer Fish]

No argument on that. But the concept that being overweight excludes a person from being fit...maybe we need to define "fit" better. But other things also benefit my health. Like the fact that I've never smoked, or had a drink in 13 years, or that I laugh every day and enjoy my life...QUOTE]

I am a firefighter, have been for almost 10 years, so I look a physical fitness from a stress test point of view; what my vital capacity is and how my heart rate is impacted by a strenuous task. If you are in shape, you will use less air when diving, which is proven. Extra body weight requires more oxygen and thus your air consumption will increase. I am the choir in this discussion. I have been there and still consider myself there; I do not need a 130 for a 40 minute, 60' dive, but I still have much room for improvement. On that note, I dive with a friend that is at a comparable body mass to mine but his cardiovascular fitness is much better. When we surface from the same profile his gauge is always 400-600 psi higher than mine.
:monkeydan

Physical condition is only a small part of the issue of air consumption. My .6 sac rate, means I can get around 40 minutes at 60 feet, with 500 psi to spare with an al 80. At my best, I was around .5. It think there are far more compelling reasons to be in shape and loose weight than that.

 

[Butch103]

Overweight it relative, though at somepoint obesity itself becomes a specific morbidity and possible contraindication to diving. As part of the medical clearance any potential concern should be discussed with your physician.

That said, it's probably more about being "in good enough physical condition to dive" rather than how heavy you are. A football player who is 6'2" and 300lbs but can bench press his weight and run 100yds without keeling over is probably fine. An executive who's 5'8" and weighs 220lbs but has never seen a gym and gets winded up one flight of stairs will probably have a problem.

This is the exact answer to all!

I am considered obese according to BMI scales. I am however far more fit than many who fit the exact BMI profiles to being of perfect weight to height ratio. I bike 12-20 kms almost daily (4-5 Xs per week) or eliptical trainer + weight training. I have towed two divers in 3 ft chop in Cuba over 300 yds. Each of these divers were well over 250 lbs and couldn't do the swim cause they were winded from running out of air and having to surface swim 50 yds! I also passed my instructor swim test in the allotted time for my age, while watching two younger DM candidates try to do the same swim and couldn't finish. These guys were both at least 10 years younger than I!

All that to say the fitness over weight is really the key.