Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaDiva
When I hit my goal I want to go SCUBA diving so badly! Right now I would be too mortified to get in a swimsuit and all that gear and I am nowhere near being in good enough shape to do it.
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Why wait -- why not start the process now? Or, soon? People of all shapes and sizes and ages go diving!! It's true that a certain level of fitness is needed. I got certified way back in 1987 or so (showing my age!!), but I don't remember that the physical demands were TOO strenuous. You do have to be able to lift a 40 pound scuba tank and wear it on your back, but you can get assistance with that. You need to be able to climb into a dive boat using a ladder. You generally take off your BC (buoyancy control vest)/tank and weight belt and hand them up to the boat, so you just have to get yourself up the ladder, not you and the tank too. Getting off the boat is a lot easier.
You have to be able to demonstrate some level of swimming proficiency -- I can't remember how far, maybe 200 yards? We did it in the pool; I remember I swam it entirely by side stroke because I wasn't proficient at the crawl stroke and I was dead last but all that counted was that I did it.
Diving is WAY cool! Why not check into the requirements now and start working toward that? You could talk to someone at a local dive shop about what you need to do. Why put life on hold because you aren't at the magic weight yet. If you need to improve your fitness level, you can work on that, and go for it when you're physically ready, no matter what your weight is.
