How big is to big for scuba diving.

[tnrescuediver]

the list u posted sums it all up

[jugglematt]

Hi Bigman
i understand big guys can be fit , i also understand big people can be very good divers , a friend of mine who is quite big has better air consumption , (usually comes back with twice the air than me and im pretty good ), better boyancy and is a great person to dive with .

but another factor to consider when planing your dive profiles is having a lot of extra fat can be a contributing factor towards DCS , just like being older or dehydrated it can be a contributing factor .

i would suggest diving conservatively , perhaps dive on nitrox , avoid dehydration while diving and extend your safety stops a bit .

if you can physically do all the diving skills and are not a burden to your buddys , go for it , it is another active sport ,


Regards
Matty

[bigman241]

I made the choice to wait on my gear till spring. I figure with the winter coming and it is going to be feb or march by the time we get to go on a trip. no reason to have it all sitting around. Then if we do a cruise in dec like where talking i can rent some of the gear and find out for sure what i want. My plan is when i buy my gear this spring go ahead and do the nitrox cert class.

Originally Posted by jugglematt

Hi Bigman
i understand big guys can be fit , i also understand big people can be very good divers , a friend of mine who is quite big has better air consumption , (usually comes back with twice the air than me and im pretty good ), better boyancy and is a great person to dive with .

but another factor to consider when planing your dive profiles is having a lot of extra fat can be a contributing factor towards DCS , just like being older or dehydrated it can be a contributing factor .

i would suggest diving conservatively , perhaps dive on nitrox , avoid dehydration while diving and extend your safety stops a bit .

if you can physically do all the diving skills and are not a burden to your buddys , go for it , it is another active sport ,


Regards
Matty

[Kingpatzer]

Originally Posted by bigman241

My plan is when i buy my gear this spring go ahead and do the nitrox cert class.

I would recommend that you do not dive until you have had a complete check up by a DAN recommended physician. Depending on your body composition you may have a significantly higher potential for DCS.

I would also recommend that you do all you can to lose weight. The organs of the human body are not well suited to keep someone with significantly above average body mass healthy for long.

[caburrid]

Originally Posted by bigman241

I made the choice to wait on my gear till spring. I figure with the winter coming and it is going to be feb or march by the time we get to go on a trip. no reason to have it all sitting around. Then if we do a cruise in dec like where talking i can rent some of the gear and find out for sure what i want. My plan is when i buy my gear this spring go ahead and do the nitrox cert class.

I hope you do go to a doc before deciding to do anything. If they do tell you not to dive until you lose some weight, you at least have a goal. And you have a great community willing to encourage you to get there. Good luck big man!

[SteveR]

My family has a lot of very heavy individuals in it. Two of them had gastric bypass. One lost >80 # and looks and feels great. The other lost >60# but has gained it all back and is now eating constantly. Her health is actually worse now than before because she did not follow the reduced food diet.

Gastic bypass can work wonders but the individual HAS to follow all the rules or you have screwed up your body and wasted a ton of money. The emotional scars also can make the situation even worse with even more eating disorders.

I agree with the others that at 470# there is no way a normal strength person could get you out of the water short of floating you to shore or a boat platform. That is a risk everyone must accept. The other issue is equipment selection. Perhaps a jacket BC might be a better bet for you as it will be much easier to keep you more on your back and therefore better able to keep you afloat and alive.

[emcbride81]

My OW instructor was shorter than you, but definitly close to 500lbs. He was very good in the water. Obviously, to everyone else's point, no one could have been effective rescuing him, and I don't know how effective he could be as a rescuer.

I think that if you could find a buddy or buddies and talk through rescue options, and possibly acknowledge what difficulties there could be, you may be able to develop a plan for different situations. They may not be the textbook responses, but this would certainly be better than just hoping nothing happens and then not having any idea of what to do. If you are clear to dive medically, then I would hate to see you not pursue the sport because of your size.

Ultimately, divers and any other adventure sport participants have to realize that we could get hurt or killed in our activity, and we have to take a personal responsibility. I am 220 and is pretty good shape. I know that at my weight I would still be a challenge to move around for a decent percentage of people. Knowing this, it is my responsiblity to control as many factors as I can, like my weight, blood pressure, having a back-up air supply, maintaining my gear, etc. I also believe that if I die diving from any of those factors it is my fault. Conversely, if my buddy dies from those same factors, and I did everything I could to help, it is not my fault. If you and your buddies dive with that philosophy it can relieve some of the pressure you may feel.