How Many Calories Do Divers Burn?

May 18, 2022 4 min read

When you dive, how many calories do your burn? You may not realize it, but divers burn about 420 calories per hour. That is 7 times more than you would burn while running or at rest! Divers also work their entire bodies and are often able to increase leg strength and range of motion through Yoga and meditation. In addition to these benefits, divers also burn a lot of calories. If you're curious about how many calories divers burn, read on to learn more.

420 Calories Per Hour

Diving is a great exercise that promotes muscle building, increases circulation, and burns fat. Divers use their arms, glutes, and hamstrings to propel themselves through the water, increasing the amount of calories they burn. An hour of diving can burn 420 calories for a 130 pound person. By comparison, a kayak ride can burn about 300 calories per hour for the same person.

In addition to diving, snorkeling, or wakeboarding, other water sports can help you burn calories and improve your fitness. Bodyboarding can be a budget-friendly activity that will get your heart rate up and work your core. With a great deal of excitement, this sport is also great for anyone who wants a good work-out. It can also be a good lead-in to surfing. It will burn between 360 and 420 calories per hour.

7 Times More Calories Than at Rest

Scuba diving is an excellent way to burn fat and calories, since it promotes muscle building and is a high-intensity aerobic activity. The numerous movements required during descent increase the amount of calories burned. Scuba divers must also maintain a constant body temperature, around 37°C. As a result, they can burn as much as 700 calories per hour. In addition, scuba divers can be very active in the water for hours at a stretch.

While it is possible to calculate the number of calories burned by diving by dividing the weight by the MET (milli-equivalent of metabolic energy) value, you should remember that the amount of energy you spend on your exercise will vary depending on the level of your activity and experience. Experienced divers will burn less calories than novices. However, the number of calories burned by diving is comparable to other activities, like weightlifting and cycling.

7 Times More Calories Than Running

Did you know that scuba diving burns 7 times more calories than running? Scuba diving is considered a moderate-intensity exercise with a metabolic equivalent (MET) value of seven, compared to four or 8.5 for mountain biking or playing in a marching band. This is not an exaggeration, however, as it is based on actual data. MET values are calculated according to body weight, and you should also keep in mind that water temperature and time play an important role in the amount of calories burnt by scuba diving.

Scuba diving burns more calories because the longer dives increase your heart rate and metabolic rate. Moreover, the higher your muscle mass, the more calories you'll burn. As a result, diving burns more calories than running, even if it's only for one hour. It's also possible to burn a significant number of calories by doing several dives in a day, which is equivalent to three hours of light jogging.

Yoga and Meditation Help Divers Improve Leg Strength and Range of Motion


A small study published in 2016 analyzed the impact of yoga on the performance of twenty-six male college athletes. They found that 14 athletes practiced yoga twice a week saw substantial improvements in flexibility and balance. In addition to improving flexibility and balance, yoga helps divers develop the practice of mindfulness, which increases concentration during athletic activity. It is particularly useful for precision sports like freediving. But how do these two practices help divers?

While there is no direct correlation between yoga and diving, both have many benefits for the physical and mental state. In addition to improving leg strength, yoga also increases self-awareness and promotes enlightenment. DIVEIN Yoga offers an introduction to the major schools of yoga. In the article, the authors explore the benefits of yogic exercises for divers, including Iyengar yoga, which emphasizes balanced alignment and uses props to prevent injuries.

Scuba Diving is a Weight-Loss Strategy


Men's Journal, for example, has praised scuba diving as a weight-loss strategy. While you may not see it as an exercise, the fact that you burn calories during your dive is quite impressive. A typical dive will burn approximately 400 calories per hour. This number may vary, however, depending on the conditions and overall intensity of the dive. Men, for example, burn about 40% more calories than women.

Although diving is a weight-loss strategy, it is important to keep your health in check. Many overweight people don't realize how much weight they carry underwater. This can be difficult for dive buddies as the gear can be cumbersome and tiring. Overweight divers may also find the process of getting into the scuba gear exhausting, particularly if they're not in good shape.



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