Re: Diving and Exercise Question

On Mon, 15 May 2006 01:04:45 -0400, "Lee Bell"
<pleebell2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in rec.scuba:

"John Hanson" wrote

I'm extremely comfortable in the water. I live in Minnesota:-)
Anywho, I've snorkeled dozens of times and do a lot of fishing and
camping and I usually always swim in those circumstances and have for
years.

That's not the kind of comfortable I mean, but since you brought it up, I
was born and raised in Florida, have never lived more than a half an hour
from the Atlantic Ocean. I had a pool most of my life, currently live on a
lake, have had my own boat since I was 6, was a water safety instructor and
lifeguard for years and have been actively diving since 1962. Your
experience is fine, but comparatively, is somewhat limited.

What I'm talking about is how relaxed you are under the water. I know
people quite a bit larger than I am and those who are quite a bit smaller
who have consumption comparable to mine and those that use a whole lot more
gas. The amount of gas you use in a dive is directly related to the amount
of energy you expend. Some is related to resistance, which does vary with
size. More, however, is related to how well you are trimmed, how relaxed
your movements are and how little tension you feel while submerged.

I was very relaxed under water and I knew what you were talking about.
The amount of energy one expends can very greatly in people. I would
venture to guess that my resting metabolic rate is double that of a
normal woman.


My instructor says that muscle mass has a lot to do with the amount of
air one uses. At 5'9" and 232 pounds with about 18% bodyfat, I have a
lot of muscle mass to fuel. Oh, and, one kid used 400 psi all day
today. He was about 110 pounds dripping wet.

Your instructor's opinion is a bit suspect. Do you realize that he's saying
that the more fit your are, the less efficient your body operates? That
should set off some mental alarms.

Muscle tissue is very "metabolic". It requires a lot of oxygen and
nutrition where as fat requires next to nothing. Fat is not
metabolically active. Bone requires an amount in between. I also eat
over 5000 Kcalories/day whereas a normal, active male will only eat
around 3000 Kcalories/day. Doesn't that set off any mental alarms?


At 5'8 and close to 200 lbs, I'm not all that different from you and I don't
think anyone I've ever dove with has consistently outlasted me. Don't take
my word for it. Ask some of the people in this group that have dove with
me. Some of them, by the way, have consumption rates very close to mine.
Without exception, those that do, are the most relaxed divers you'll ever
meet.

What is your bodyfat percentage? Fat is not metabolically active.
Let's say we throw another 20 pounds of fat on you and we properly
weight you so that you are neutrally buoyant. You should expend
exactly 0 more energy under the water. If we add 20 pounds of muscle
instead, you would consume considerably more energy due to your body's
need to feed those muscles. I'm sure your local community college has
a course on sports physiology if you would like more information on
this subject.


Chose to believe that your higher consumption is a result of your size if
you like. I can think of no better way to ensure you don't improve.


It was also a pool training dive. My buddy and I did more of the
skills than the rest (i.e. buddy breathing we made two laps on my
octopus and an accent and one lap on his + an accent), IMO, and we did
our free swimming in the deep end of the pool the whole time so that
could account for more air used. But, like I mentioned with the
skinny kid, when everyone else (normal adult males) had used 1000-1500
psi, he only used 400 psi. The chic only used 600 psi.
.

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