Day 2: defining "fit"

I've been giving some thought to how we should define fitness in the context of diving. About.com defines fitness largely in terms of a lack of medical problems - a good starting point but unsatisfactory for my purpose. DAN takes the same approach but, surprisingly, is even less specific. A third resource out there is divefitness.com. The site promotes the book "Fitness For Divers" by Cameron Martz. I'll review the book in a couple of weeks. In the interim you can order it in electronic form from the site or in paperback here.

I prefer an activity-based approach that breaks diving down into its component parts and builds specific fitness goals based on these activities. For me a minimum threshold may be the ability to perform the kinds of tasks I experience in 'normal' (which, for me, is NC offshore wreck diving - you may have greater or lessor stresses in your normal destination) diving. My goal however is to achieve a level of fitness required to deal with emergency situations.

Later ... a first cut at breaking diving down and the beginnings of developing fitness goals.

Safe diving,

Phil