Dive Fitness ? FishMonster Magazine

Recently I received a letter from the Coast Guard stating that; ?Due to the recent increase in dive related accident?s new regulation?s for dive operators are forthcoming.?? I thought to myself?why?? Not why are there new regulations coming, but why the increase in dive accidents.? So I did some research and came up with some interesting data.? I also have formed an educated opinion as well.

First we need to look into what causes most scuba diving accidents.

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A study was conducted that examined 947 recreational dive fatalities between 1992 -2003.? They not only looked at the cause of death, but in the events leading up to the deaths of these divers.? As you can see in the graph above, drowning has the highest rate at 33%.? But this has proved less important statistically than the disabling injuries that caused the divers to drown.? Of the 947 dive fatalities studied, 88% of the cases involved a disabling injury.? Most of the disabling injuries (over half) were caused by a cardiac incident or Arterial Gas Embolism.

So what does this mean?? This means that your heart and circulatory system are more important in diving than in most sports.? Example, if you ask an older, obese, or out of shape person, to play a round of tennis for a couple hours, they would probably look at you and laugh, with comments like?yeah right? and ?are you kidding me, I?ll pass out!?? But yet these same people have no problem jumping on a rocking boat, donning 40 lbs of gear, and and kicking around in possible currents for a couple hours.? The problem is that if they do pass out or have an issue, its not like on a tennis court, its underwater and you drown and die.? Therefore common sense would say it would be a good idea to make sure your heart is in good condition before diving.

The next bit of info. is my opinion and may offend some people.? But I guide divers for a living and am a certified personal trainer and this is what I see.? A large percentage of certified divers are baby boomers, who are getting a little older.? Take that fact and the fact that two thirds of U.S. adults are obese and you have the makings of a disabling injury that could cause a dive accident or fatality.? So just maybe this is the reason for the recent increase in dive related accidents?

I?m not saying older divers should give up diving.? I have many regulars that dive with me that are over 60 years old and are in incredible shape to dive.? What I recommend is that if you?re overweight or out of shape, before jumping in the water, get yourself heart-smart.? The best way to do this is with exercise and a proper diet.? I?m also not trying to scare anyone away from the sport, I?m simply urging divers, for their own safety, to make sure your body and health is ready for a scuba diving vacation.

A healthy life is a good life?

Source: http://fishmonster.com/reports/dive-reports/dive-fitness/

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