Any Scuba Divers?

That seems high to me too. But I do know that when I first started diving I was sore. Not so much anymore. and the above poster is right. They recommend water exercises to the elderly because it doesn't make you feel like you are working out as hard. so maybe. But I have no idea,.

If you are a new diver, you are probably working harder as well trying to figure out your buoyancy in the water, get used to the gear, breathing out of a cylinder strapped to you back...it's all pretty different. That does seem pretty high for a 30 min dive...also could depend on how much effort you are putting in. Personally, I try to move as little as possible - light fin kicks, arms crossed in front of me, and let the water do the work....love to be a fish for as long as 3000PSI will let me!!!! Depending on where you are diving and what kind of conditions, that may or may not be possible. Not to mention, the water is keeping you afloat. Like Tom said, I'd search around some more sites to see what others say about cals burned.

Congrats on signing up for your rescue!! I hope to do mine this summer too

According to my Diet Power program there are 4 different estimations for SCUBA diving:
SCUBA diving (Navy Seal) - 20 min = 219 calories
SCUBA diving, average - 20 min = 119 calories
SCUBA diving, fast - 20 min = 299 calories
SCUBA diving, leisurely - 20 min = 80 calories

It depends on the conditions of the dive. I'm an avid diver and when diving my lake here at home I am completely relaxed and exerting very little energy DURING the dive. Getting ready and hauling my gear to the water's edge and back (our lake has steep cliffs and lots of stairs) I am exerting MUCH more energy. But that only lasts for a short period of time.

If you are diving in the ocean against current... sure you could burn 355 calories in 30 min. Gear isn't exactly hydrodynamic . But who really dives that way? By contrast, if are you diving in Cozumel where the current does all the work... you aren't burning hardly any calories.

If you've ever dove the Flower Garden's (Gulf of Mexico) in 6 ft swells and tried to get back in the boat... you could feel like you've run a 5K.

Good luck with your Rescue Diver! That was my favorite class to help with during divemaster training.

Have fun blowing bubbles!

I qualified for my Advanced Open Water in 2007 and am now working my way through the PADI specialities to DiveMaster. I do most of my diving in the Caribbean (Aruba/Jamaica) but I really want to start diving in England and get qualified more here to get my experience up. Any divers from Devon or Cornwall about? I'm planning on joining a club down there in the next year or so, would be good to meet people from around those parts!

I'm a diver and I have to argee, that is high. i think i might burn that much putting a dry suit on and then trying to put fins on, always amusinig!

but generall under the water its too calm to burn that many cals.

I want to do my rescue this year

Any one else a diver from England?

I'm a UK diver as well. I have only just figured out that there is a scuba diving calorie counter... I'd always gone for leisurely swimming estimated time before LOL.

I work it out as, calories used getting kit on and off the boat, calories standing on the boat while on way to/from dive site, getting drysuit and twinset on and into the water, doing the dive, staying warm during the dive and getting back to your spot on the boat... once I take all that into consideration it sounds about right to me.

If I was to log all the other movement/lifting/etc as well as the diving it'd be way over though. I also don't count all my deco time as that's just hanging about mid-water doing nothing LOL.

Am looking forward to burning a heck of a lot of cals during a week long dive camp I'm going to soon... none of it will be chilled relaxed diving as it's all about improving skills etc under water.

Oh, I'm doing my DM training now, have done my Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Theory courses and am looking at getting a rebreather and doing my trimix course within the next year.

Another forum for divers in the uk is www.yorkshire-divers.com

For actual calorie count, would it be possible to wear a heart rate monitor under your drysuit with the wrist band/watch bit inside your drysuit to keep it dry and see what it comes up with? I don't have a hrm so don't know. but one of my old dive computers had a hrm in it and I do know that the kitting up and getting into the water portion of the dive could send hr rocketing!

I wouldn't suggest diving as a weightloss activity - mostly because the bacon butty for breakfast and the post-dive rehydration beer are par for the course, but anything that gets a person out and about and not stuck in front of the TV is good in my book.

Have to argee there. too much food and drink involved to class as a weightloss session

LOL. That's not me doing hard hat professionally - that was a one day open water dive in Cornwall wearing full-on historical gear - 1904 Siebe-Gorman brass helmet, canvas (very leaky) suit and weights. I had to have extra weights as the suit was so big. My mates on land were controliing the pump (you have to turn the pump at a steady speed else the person in the suit gets too much pressure on them!!). Total weight I was carrying - 205lbs. I weigh 140......

well worth the day out but I don't fancy doing it again- you can barely move!!!!

I agree with Diverchic on the reasons for more techie diving. I'll twin up when I have the money, if only to do some better dives. In the UK we tend to dive in pairs and are more self-reliant than on a holiday dive. You have to be pretty felxible as Diverchic says you may end up doing something different than the dive planned due to the weather. In fact, you may even jump in and not find the wreck (been there, had a sand dive....).

I love to dive because of the physical and mental challenge. My key aim in losing weight and getting fit is to breathe less air underwater therefore longer and better dives.

I'm off to Southern Ireland in September (am jealous as my friends are in the Shetlands right now). I may squeeze in a warm water holiday soon too.....

LOL, no problem.

I second what girlinahat says about diving the invisible wreck as well... had it happen but that was more due to visibility than the skipper dropping us in the wrong place.

I've had dives where I was going down the shot waiting to clear the algae bloom and plankton and realized ti was not going to clear it as I hit the wreck with a thunk. took a very quick look around, gave up due to the visibility (lack thereof) and went back up to the surface.

I've also had dives here where it looked murky as at the surface but then cleared up at 10m or so and was like doing a cold night dive on the wreck.

You never know what you're going to get so it's always interesting.

I also agree that we tend to do more diving as pairs/solo in the UK and tend to have to be much more self sufficient as it's not guided dives like in the Red Sea or some liveaboards. There is no guide. If something goes wrong, it's up to you and/or your buddy to sort it out.

So, I love the mental aspect of planning the dives and learning about what i'm going to see as well as the freedom of being in the water.

Diver here. It seems high to me too. Do you have a HRM go deep enough for you to get a better idea?

Also found this site: http://www.exercise.com/activity/scuba-diving

oops, :blushing: , I didn't realize how negative that may come across... I just love being in the water so much the conditions don't really bother me if they're not great.... and I did just come back from three cracking dives in low vis but the dives themselves were BRILLIANT so don't necessarily see it as a negative.

Not at all!! I thought I was the one painting a bleak picture!!

One of my most memorable dives was exceptionally low vis (you could only see things if you shone a torch directly at them). I lost my buddy at the bottom of the shot, fell off the wreck and had to spend a good few minutes calming down before I made my way to the surface. In some ways it was terrifying, in others it was an exceptionally good learning experience.

Sadly my only trip to the Farnes was bad weather - we got smashed against the rocks, I punched a hole in my wrist seal and only got half a dive. I have managed seals in the Scillies though...and Lundyand they are great fun as long as you don't give them your fingers to play with!!!!

LOL - I think you and I are in the same mindset when it comes to what others would call 'crap dives'. I think that some of my worst dives are the best because I have learned the most from them!

Doing my solo diver course I was going along using my smb as a reference due to very low vis in the quarry I was in. Let go of my reel so I could do shut down drills. When I went to get my reel again it was gone. Not a concern as I was comfortable enough to no longer need the reference and it was a quarry so I figured I'd just find it at the surface. My instructor had clipped it on the back of my cylinders so I was pulling it along the whole time without realizing! One of the things they do as part of the course is see how many things can go wrong, how you handle the stress and also have you practice as if things had failed so you are comfortable with it. By the end of the dive I'd lost my smb/reel, had one of the shoulder straps of my harness 'break' (unclipped) and lost a fin.

Was great fun and I know that I can handle a serious amount of kit failure and stay calm and collected

Where do you normally dive?

Not done a solo diver course but I am firmly of the belief that everyone should be capable of diving solo. Having been in a couple of minor incidents, I know that my buddy cannot and should not be relied on. Of course it is always nice to dive with someone else so you can point things out to them and make them carry the heavy bag of scallops....

I also like the way BSAC teaches you rescue straight off the bat (pros and cons to that). Thankfully I've never had to put it into practice but it's always good to know how to land a winchman on a moving boat!!


I normally dive in the Southwest of England. We have a boat down in Plymouth, but Corwall, South Devon, Dorset, Lundy, Shetlands, Farnes, St. Abbs and Littlehampton have all been dives I have done. Ireland will be a first for me in a couple of months. My computer is in hospital so am waiting eagerly for that to come back before I get a chance to jump in the water again.

Ah, I don't really belong to a club... there is one associated with the dive shop I normally go to but I got a bit sick of the politics so gave up. I've never done BSAC training but think that a combination of BSAC and PADI training would probably be best but unfortunately it's not feasible so there will continue to be different agencies and training methods.

I agree re not wanting to depend on my buddy... I hate when it turns into a 'diving the same ocean' buddy pairing when not expecting it/prepared for it. Normally I'll dive with people I know well or go out on a boat where the skipper knows me and is happy with me soloing.

Am down in Portland in a week and can't wait - was there last weekend too!

Am doing the solo course just to make sure that an instructor I have a HUGE amount of respect for feels I am competent enough to do so... and so I can show a cert card and absolve the skipper of any 'why were they diving solo' questions that may arise if anything was to happen and I was on a solo dive.

I am a firm believer in continually learning to make myself a safer diver :-)