I debated this internally before I decided to post this.
I am an overweight diver. After not diving for almost 30 years, here are the differences between a very fit teenage diver (175lbs, water polo player and wrestler) and my current 55 year old, overweight body. Buoyancy is not a problem as long as I know how much lead to carry. Then – (5ml full, 80 al tank) 18-20 lbs of lead. Now, (7mil full, 80 al tank) I carry 35-38 lbs. My skills have returned, my air consumption is getting better. The single hardest part now is putting on fins in that 7ml suit! At depth, I do have to add air to my wing and when holding at the safety stop, with 700-800lbs of air, I have to insure that my wing is empty. I doubt that differs from most of you, albeit I may have to add more air to maintain perfect control. I consider myself a very good diver with very good buoyancy and swimming skills. I realize DCS is more likely in overweight divers so I plan my dives accordingly. I also plan on getting Nitrox certified very soon.
In order to get my lovely bride certified, I also became re-certified. During the swim test, I started last out of 10 swimmers and finished 1st. I have lost 30+ lbs and quit smoking (1 year now). I am stronger than most but still need to work out more. I am very physically active and work hard.
The bottom line here is safety. Yours and mine. As for being a safe buddy, believe me, I am able to save you if you need air, a long tow, narced, lost, injured or have equipment failure. Being overweight has little to do with me helping you and nothing to do with you helping me short of lifting me back on the boat. However, unless you’re a Doctor with an underwater defibrillator, I doubt most would be able to save me if I had a heart attack at 80’.
When I dive my main concern is my wife’s safety. As long as she is fine, all is good. I have no plans to do any reckless or very deep diving with her. She loves to watch the underwater world at a leisurely pace. I did all that risky stuff as a youth and have no need for it today.
I would tell you to encourage overweight divers to dive more. After all, the more time overweight people spend diving, the better their fitness level will be and who knows, maybe they will save your life someday.
Dave
I am an overweight diver. After not diving for almost 30 years, here are the differences between a very fit teenage diver (175lbs, water polo player and wrestler) and my current 55 year old, overweight body. Buoyancy is not a problem as long as I know how much lead to carry. Then – (5ml full, 80 al tank) 18-20 lbs of lead. Now, (7mil full, 80 al tank) I carry 35-38 lbs. My skills have returned, my air consumption is getting better. The single hardest part now is putting on fins in that 7ml suit! At depth, I do have to add air to my wing and when holding at the safety stop, with 700-800lbs of air, I have to insure that my wing is empty. I doubt that differs from most of you, albeit I may have to add more air to maintain perfect control. I consider myself a very good diver with very good buoyancy and swimming skills. I realize DCS is more likely in overweight divers so I plan my dives accordingly. I also plan on getting Nitrox certified very soon.
In order to get my lovely bride certified, I also became re-certified. During the swim test, I started last out of 10 swimmers and finished 1st. I have lost 30+ lbs and quit smoking (1 year now). I am stronger than most but still need to work out more. I am very physically active and work hard.
The bottom line here is safety. Yours and mine. As for being a safe buddy, believe me, I am able to save you if you need air, a long tow, narced, lost, injured or have equipment failure. Being overweight has little to do with me helping you and nothing to do with you helping me short of lifting me back on the boat. However, unless you’re a Doctor with an underwater defibrillator, I doubt most would be able to save me if I had a heart attack at 80’.
When I dive my main concern is my wife’s safety. As long as she is fine, all is good. I have no plans to do any reckless or very deep diving with her. She loves to watch the underwater world at a leisurely pace. I did all that risky stuff as a youth and have no need for it today.
I would tell you to encourage overweight divers to dive more. After all, the more time overweight people spend diving, the better their fitness level will be and who knows, maybe they will save your life someday.
Dave
