Fitness Level required for Technical Diving 

I am GUE CCR diver, 50 years old and I do x3/week (running 8km "i2 - very slow") and Kettlebells workout twice a week. With this routing, I feel pretty good and do not forget the first tool of Technical diving is your Body. 🤗

Here is my current issue in the process of starting my technical dive training after seven years as an open circuit recreational diver. 180 pound, fifty year old male, no smoke, drink a few beers a year, in average shape. Now I have to learn how to swim proper laps in a pool to qualify for a 300 yard swim no rest in under 14 minutes before I can take GUE Fundamentals class. After going to the pool for the last two and a half months I learned how to swim freestyle yet can only do about three laps so far before getting winded need to take a rest then continue swimming. At the point now that I need to hire a swim coach to guide me efficiently in my swim training, point being it’s a bitch having to be patient with myself as I master swimming a slow process just to get started on my technical dive training. I already have been putting on a set of double 100cf steel tanks and hiking from the car to the shore entry with no issues. It’s not light gear with lead and all we divers all know this but I am capable of this and maintaining during the dive and most importantly all the way through the pack out and break down efforts. Several years ago running was too much impact on my ankles so I took up cycling as a lower impact sport and could ride all day long, So am I considered unfit for tech dive training? I think not, but they have a standard qualification. I have over 400 dives and no one ever helps me gear up. A lot of times I haul an inflatable kayak with a petrol outboard and blast out to lake sites and pitch heavy dive gear over the rib and don my gear in the water. It’s a lot of work but I can do it. Yet I have to learn how to swim proper laps nonstop before I can take tech courses. I’m growing impatient with this requirement. Listen, I get it if a guy that smokes a pack of cigarettes every day is in the pool and winded before he gets to the other end he may not have the cardio health for SCUBA in general but that’s not my situation. The struggle is real, no bitching just keep pressing on and arrive at a new reality I suppose, Goggins is a fine example of a man that refused to loose! Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter

As someone who does sit behind a computer as part of my work, I do train (almost) every day to keep in reasonable shape as a diver. I have to preface this, that this definitely isn't necessary for being a good diver. I want to be at a level, where I am comfortable in being able to carry myself as part of a diving team. You should be confident in your own skills and fitness, and for me personally, I think you should have a good enough skill set to help a diver in need, being able to provide first aid, pull someone in to a boat or get them to shore. My training isn't only about this, as I also do long distance swimming (10k+) and some triathlons in the summer for fun. Instead of sharing details of my training (4x swimming, 4x running, 4x strength per week, with a de-loading week every 2nd month). I will rather explain the benefits of doing it. Cardio increases your ability to get your pulse under control, which will help you in pressured situations. Usually a pulse over 150 (for a 20-30) year old is where you would not be able to act with other than your skills that you trained to be impulse reaction patterns, so critical thinking is very hard at this point. Having a good cardio base will help you have better awareness. Strength training benefits injury prevention, but also helps you being able to retain muscle mass, if your program is cardio intensive. Being able to do pull-ups, dips, deadlifts and Lungees will help you being able to pull somebody in to a boat and on land if necessary. Sleep is important for me, but it is because I see training as a triangle of: "work, recovery and fuel (food)". If one of the pillars are out of tune, the training isn't as good as it could have been. 7-8 hours is what I am for to optimize recovery, food is dependent on the training load, but in general I aim for about 1.5 to 2 g protein per kg of body weight. Food is planned to cover my protein need first, then to have the daily calorie intake covered. This style helps me maintain muscle, while allowing to either cut or add weight. In the end, I do think your fitness level for tech diving doesn't need to be extremely high, but you should be able to pull somebody in to a boat, and have awareness to solve issues that may come up. Where you feel confident, that you can help a dive buddy is where you should be at. If you are a solo diver, you should be extremely good at your skills, but also in better shape than someone who has a buddy, as you are dependent on your own survival.

PT is a priority for me. It is a necessity for my solodiving and sometimes very demanding dives as I swim long distances with my oxygen rebreather. High intensity training for cardio and high rep calistenics in a mix gives great endurance for my kind of diving.

I am sure that mental Fitness is equal important. Keep up to speed with your circle of basics!

I get the Philosophy of being active and doing sports with purposes and not for the sake of doing it. But scientifically speaking id say modern day fitness is a form of adaptation and how well your body allows u to do things. So if you are flexible, strong and have stamina u should be set. I I.e. go swimming lanes for stamina, rock climbing for strength and flexibly and bouldering for strength.

Great points Achim! A fine line between fitness and stubbornness indeed, especially for you. I maintain that you are not actually human, but mostly a machine fuelled by WD-40 😂 For us regular folk however, especially the ones that do enjoy a few beers and are inclined to over indulge on the odd occasion, I think it’s important to balance that adequately. Finding a form of exercise that you don’t hate doing (for me it’s weights, yoga and running), and building it into a regular habit will vastly improve every aspect of your life, including your diving. Easier said than done I know, but so are all of the things worth most pursuing.

It’s knowing you can operate past your minds initial perceived limits. 👍❤️💪😎 Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter