A Question for "Mature" Divers

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ontdiver

Contributor
Messages
762
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Location
Ottawa, Ontario
# of dives
200 - 499
Being on the wrong side of 60, I find the long haul flights more and more challenging. Stopovers help, but still equate to more time in and out of airports. I have a bucket list which includes Indonesia but am not crazy about the 30+ hours it will take to get there.

So, for those of you over 60, are you still keen to take long haul flights to far off destinations, or are you more comfortable with trips to the Caribbean/Hawaii/Central America, etc?
 
Being well past your description of the "wrong side of 60," I would happily take a long international flight to great diving locations if Covid-19 was not a consideration. However, with that factor still a worldwide problem, I would not put myself at higher risk with a multi-day, physically tiring trip, for the opportunity to dive even the best dive locations. As an optimistic person, I strongly feel there will be plenty of post-Covid time left in my life to travel to any destination in the world. And being fully retired, we are lucky to have the health, time, and resources to travel/dive when and where our desires lead us. There are definite advantages to being on the "wrong side of 60."
 
I'm 79. I dislike the long flights, but feel that Indonesia and the Philippines are worth it. Not several times a year, but one a year, alternating destinations, has been the norm. I go for 2 weeks if possible, to amortize the pain.
I've had one Moderna shot, but I'm not traveling again (especially to Indo and Phil) until I (and my wife) have had both and things settle down a little.

I get through the long flights by lots of getting up and moving around, lots of water and reading and phone-solitaire, and naps when possible. No major activities for a day after arrival.

It gets harder every year..
 
In 2007 I did fly back from Australia to Italy on a cheap economic class flight.
Result: deep vein thrombosis in my right leg, followed by pulmonary embolism.
I seriously risked my life, and I had to suspend diving for a couple of years, before being evaluated fit again. And I was just 49...
Since then I did never make again a flight of more than 3 hours without booking at least the business class.
On long flights (say 8-10 hours) I always book the first class.
And I take a lot of aspirin...
Now I am 62, and I renounced at all to make long flights.
 
I did a trip to both Atlantis resorts in the Philippines.
I would go back but for my wife it was a one and done.
To her the travel was not worth the trip.

I have older friends that we will no longer do flights over two hours with due to the vein thrombosis issues with them.
 
I hate layovers. I love travel. When booking flights I look for least amount of stops and try to get premium seating whenever practical. I also get out of my seat fairly frequently. I live on Vancouver Island and my go to dive destination is in the Caribbean so there aren't any short flights available to me.
 
Being on the wrong side of 60, I find the long haul flights more and more challenging. Stopovers help, but still equate to more time in and out of airports. I have a bucket list which includes Indonesia but am not crazy about the 30+ hours it will take to get there.

So, for those of you over 60, are you still keen to take long haul flights to far off destinations, or are you more comfortable with trips to the Caribbean/Hawaii/Central America, etc?
Well a cruise may be an option, you can get tickets real cheap for "relocation" trips and from what I've heard they are quite sanitary but there's always the risk. Maybe going on a sailboat or raod trip might get you there too...<TG>
 
I’m on the far side of 60 and I’m still willing to fly to the other side of the world to dive. I don’t love the long flights but Indonesia is so worth it. It’s worth upgrading if you can swing it; a little more room makes a big difference on a long flight. I also try to arrive a day or 2 early so I can relax and recover from travel before diving.
 
On long-haul Pacific flights,use those accrued miles and upgrade to Business class. It’s expensive, but really worth it in the grand $cheme of things. Life’s too short.
 
I'm 61, over the last 12 months I have done trips to Raja Ampat and Maldives. Yup the flights are long but on both occasions I flew with Qatar Airways = modern planes, super clean and comfortable seats even in economy. Sure took care to wear flight socks drink plenty of water and move around regularly. They took added care in the current environment requiring face masks and then issuing free face shields they required you to wear on the plane as you boarded. Layovers were several hours but Doha has a great airport. I took advantage of purchasing lounge access that allowed me to shower and relax even get some sleep as they have lazy boy type seats available. I made sure I was booking extended liveaboard itineraries (10days+) to make the travel worthwhile. Once did a 1 week trip and that made no sense. Also recommend if you are going to travel that far invest/spoil yourself by choosing a good boat the extra dollars are worth it not just in terms of comfort, quality of food etc but often in the quality of the dive experience. For many these are bucket list destinations and for me the diving was amazing certainly pleased I went. Hope this helps
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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