So what is too overweight to dive?
- Thread starter Kim
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Depends on what you mean by "fit".Stephen Ash:
I just got off the stationary bike an hour or so ago ... did a 60 minute workout, logging a bit over 17 "miles". Yesterday I did two shore dives lugging twin 119's and a deco bottle down to the water and back up to the parking area after each dive.
Back when I was in college I used to lift weights competitively. One of the guys in our gym was in the superheavyweight class ... that's 242 lbs. He was about my height, and to look at him you'd think he was pretty fat ... until you saw him toss 300+ lbs of steel over his head on a snatch. Then you'd pretty much have to revise your concept of what constitutes "fitness" ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Mrs.Prages
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I know that while I was in the army, during weigh ins it was often the people that could max out the Physical Fitness test who were considered to be overweight while people who I considered to be real slugs were making it under the weight limits, but were bigger in other areas of their bodies and could not pass a physical fitness test if their buts were on fire.
Weight is not always a good factor for physical fitness.
Weight is not always a good factor for physical fitness.
dumpsterDiver
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Underwater, being "overweight" or "fat" is much less of a disadvantage than it is on land. If the heavy person has good cardiovascular fitness and can sustain a reasonable workload for the duration of the dive (30-45 minutes), then the only other significant issues are their ability to get out of the water and also the (assumed) increase potential for decompression sickness. I'm about 6' 10", 295 lbs (with my fins and gear on).
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dumpsterDiver:
I'm not buying it....
OP
It's OK to say "don't generalize" - that's rarely a good thing and there will always be exceptions. There are people who live till their late 80s who smoked since they were teenagers (my uncle was one of them), so maybe we shouldn't generalize and say smoking is bad for you either. We all know that's simply not true though - and I would hope that we also all know that 6ft people who weigh 300lbs are not usually going to be prime candidates for physical fitness!
Pushing an issue under the rug because of a few examples to the contrary doesn't seem very clever to me at all. Of course exercise and fitness are the key - but in my own experience it's pretty hard to exercise a lot without losing weight - unless you are really pushing weights or something and actually 'body building'. Most studies show that age coupled with weight issues are a leading cause of cardiac disease - much the same way as they can say smoking is a leading cause of cancer. Doctors never seem to have much problem identifying whether someone is too fat or not (at least MINE doesn't!
)
Pushing an issue under the rug because of a few examples to the contrary doesn't seem very clever to me at all. Of course exercise and fitness are the key - but in my own experience it's pretty hard to exercise a lot without losing weight - unless you are really pushing weights or something and actually 'body building'. Most studies show that age coupled with weight issues are a leading cause of cardiac disease - much the same way as they can say smoking is a leading cause of cancer. Doctors never seem to have much problem identifying whether someone is too fat or not (at least MINE doesn't!
)
Charlie99
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If he's not my buddy, I don't care how fat, old, out of shape, skinny, weak, or tiny someone is.
If he's my buddy, I assess how likely he is to sucessfully complete the particular dive we are about to start; and won't dive if the combination of dive site conditions and his condition are unsafe.
End of story.
If he's my buddy, I assess how likely he is to sucessfully complete the particular dive we are about to start; and won't dive if the combination of dive site conditions and his condition are unsafe.
End of story.
So what would you consider a person that was 6' and 310#?Stephen Ash:
Gary D.
frankc420
Contributor
Gary D.:
I'm 6' 260lb, and I started considering myself fat when I developed the "larger than normal" love handles. I don't think I could stand being 310lbs.
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Several thoughts.
If a person is a solo diver......I will gladly dive with them no matter what size they are. I reserve the right to not get close if they are in a full blown panic...otherwise I will do everything I can. If they are of the mindset to take legal responsibility for themselves...then I think its great they are being active by being there and I will support that. I would not be any more troubled if they had a heart attack and died, than if they died watching tv or eating dinner..probably less.
If a person is a buddy diver, I consider who else will be present..because I am a "solo diver with partners" with a few exceptions. The exceptions are a few divers that are worth making an exception for. In that case..I go on their program, in order to dive with them. That's only a few people.
For me..this makes a big difference, the "mindset", as well as the physical aspect.
I haven't quite worked out the whole family aspect (they sue, not the dead guy). But for now, we have a conversation on our boat usually like this "okay..we are all solo here, right? everybody else witnesses everyone agreeing. So..we have witnesses to the agreement. I feel certain that will be worth something, in court. I think anybody should be able to dive under any circumstances, as long as they take responsibility for that. "We" will all function to the best of our ability, in rescue, even though we are "solo" divers.
This covers not only the overweight, but anyone with "issues"...because we all have something at some point in our lives.
liscense, etc)
I do not think we can any way, manage risk, if we can't accurately and empiricaly identify it and form decisions and judgments in a logical way.
Honestly, I find divers not the most logical group of people.
I was wondering why a very high percentage of tech divers seem so out of shape...they will hone their gear, but not their bodies. I think it is because 1) many are middle aged, and we are starting to fall apart 2) tech diving is largely a mental game...and selects for different people. The "athletic" people are out doing more physical things, and frankly, if you work full time and tech dive, there is not as much time to work-out.
They really need to make it part of their program and carve out the time. Some do, many don't. And yet they are very opinionated, because they often have the most knowledge...
If a person is a solo diver......I will gladly dive with them no matter what size they are. I reserve the right to not get close if they are in a full blown panic...otherwise I will do everything I can. If they are of the mindset to take legal responsibility for themselves...then I think its great they are being active by being there and I will support that. I would not be any more troubled if they had a heart attack and died, than if they died watching tv or eating dinner..probably less.
If a person is a buddy diver, I consider who else will be present..because I am a "solo diver with partners" with a few exceptions. The exceptions are a few divers that are worth making an exception for. In that case..I go on their program, in order to dive with them. That's only a few people.
For me..this makes a big difference, the "mindset", as well as the physical aspect.
I haven't quite worked out the whole family aspect (they sue, not the dead guy). But for now, we have a conversation on our boat usually like this "okay..we are all solo here, right? everybody else witnesses everyone agreeing. So..we have witnesses to the agreement. I feel certain that will be worth something, in court. I think anybody should be able to dive under any circumstances, as long as they take responsibility for that. "We" will all function to the best of our ability, in rescue, even though we are "solo" divers.
This covers not only the overweight, but anyone with "issues"...because we all have something at some point in our lives.
liscense, etc)
I do not think we can any way, manage risk, if we can't accurately and empiricaly identify it and form decisions and judgments in a logical way.
Honestly, I find divers not the most logical group of people.
I was wondering why a very high percentage of tech divers seem so out of shape...they will hone their gear, but not their bodies. I think it is because 1) many are middle aged, and we are starting to fall apart 2) tech diving is largely a mental game...and selects for different people. The "athletic" people are out doing more physical things, and frankly, if you work full time and tech dive, there is not as much time to work-out.
They really need to make it part of their program and carve out the time. Some do, many don't. And yet they are very opinionated, because they often have the most knowledge...
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