50 Y/o Newbie Taking Classes By Myself...

[Yay Horseys]

Hi everyone, first post for me. I have decided to pursue a dream of mine to learn to scuba dive, kinda later in life I know. But I'm healthy and strong. My question is this.....

Since I am the only one I know here in my circle who has this interest, I'll be taking the pool part of my training, and certification all by my lonesome. Which also means that any future resort diving I do...will be by my lonesome. Since diving is a buddy sport...how awkward will this be. Are there usually other solo divers I should be able to buddy with?

Thanks for any insight on what I might expect as an odd wo(man) out!

-Kim

 

[miked]

Most dive ops at resorts will ask if "anyone needs a buddy", and will pair up "single" divers. Of course, these "instabuddies" can run the gamut from great to terrible.
I'd suggest contacting the dive op at your destination to see how they handle the single diver.
Good luck with your training and future diving.

 

[rongoodman]

Don't worry. I took my open water class when I was 60 and now I'm 69 with cave, trimix, and rebreather certs. Finding buddies locally has been difficult. One thing you could do is find a local dive shop which organizes trips and travel with them. As for traveling by yourself, you can often team up with the DM at your destination. Diving with other solo divers often works out, but it will of necessity push you toward more cautious, independent outlook, since you won't have the level of confidence in them that you would with a long-time partner. I'm heading for Belize by myself in May for a week on the Aggressor III, and am confident I'll have a great time.

 

[Rilelen]

I'm much younger than you, but similar "problem." I did all the certification etc by myself, and was concerned about how I'd be able to go diving without knowing anyone else. I've been pleasantly surprised so far - people seem super friendly and it's been surprisingly non-awkward (and I'm a fairly shy person, so this did give me a bit of anxiety!). Dive trips I've been on have paired me up with other folks and it's been a really good experience. I will say that the one real drawback is that it's difficult to do more informal shore dives, etc., without a buddy willing to go along with you. I'm hoping that as I get more involved in the community here that I'll meet more people - planning/hoping to do some trips with the local dive shop this summer to help with that!

 

[scubadiver888]

Hi everyone, first post for me. I have decided to pursue a dream of mine to learn to scuba dive, kinda later in life I know. But I'm healthy and strong. My question is this.....

Since I am the only one I know here in my circle who has this interest, I'll be taking the pool part of my training, and certification all by my lonesome. Which also means that any future resort diving I do...will be by my lonesome. Since diving is a buddy sport...how awkward will this be. Are there usually other solo divers I should be able to buddy with?

Thanks for any insight on what I might expect as an odd wo(man) out!

-Kim

Hey Kim,

I started diving late in life. No one I knew was interested in scuba (best friend has a fear of swimming, ex-wife doesn't swim, etc.). I've been going to the Caribbean and diving locally for 15 years. Whenever I'd go it was with my ex-wife. She would do something above water and I'd go to a dive shop. Sometimes I'd buddy with the dive guide. Most the time there would be another lone diver and I'd buddy with them.

One thing I found was to show up to the shop a little early and chat up the other divers. Cocky divers tended to do their own thing once you got in the water. The new divers who admitted they were new and seemed apologetic that they might run out of air were the best buddies. I was always good with my air and would help them get better with their air consumption.

The cocky divers tend to be a bad buddy. They'd just go off and do their own thing. The guy with 12 dives and $5000 worth of camera equipment should be avoided. Hopefully you know the kind of diver I'm talking about. The diver who acts like they know more than the dive guide (who probably has 4000 dives under their belt) is usually hiding the fact they aren't very good.

And as Rilelen points out, the dive community is a very friendly community. I've been diving all over the Caribbean, USA and Canada. Every where I go I meet some really inviting people. You can also check out all the different dive shops in your area. They should have local and destination dive trips. You can join the trip as a single diver and meet up with other locals who can show you the ropes.

P.S. if you are ever in Toronto, Canada send me a private message and I can introduce you to my dive shop.

 

[Littlerayray]

You're never too old to start diving as for no dedicated dive buddy I have been in the same boat for since I've started diving I dive with different people and have learned who I can and can't dive with good luck go to your lds they should be able to help you find someone to dive with I also encourage you to dive at home as well as abroad

 

[dmaziuk]

My wife and I got certified at around the same age, you're not an outlier there. As for finding buddies, on all our boat dives so far buddying up's been part of the pre-dive briefing, a SOP. With shore dives/local diving you'll need to do some socializing first, as others suggested. In most places if all else fails you can always hire a guide/dive master to dive with you.

Enjoy.

 

[Yay Horseys]

Thanks everybody, I'm excited to start. Boy it would be so much easier if I had a dive buddy...hubbys an avid sailor, but no interest in diving, I have no interest in sailing, go figure. Everyone I've been in contact with so far at training and dive shops has been super friendly. I'm hoping I'll have nothing to worry about.

 

[rongoodman]

Where in Michigan are you? There are lots of well-preserved wrecks in the cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes, although most aren't accessible for a beginner. It would be something to keep in mind for the future, though.

 

[TMHeimer]

I started at age 51 and found a local buddy through the shop. He moved 3-4 years later and I started diving solo. Boat dives in the Southern US meant I'm at the mercy of whoever is assigned to me as a buddy. Most of the time things went fine, both in my first few years and later. I did one week in Panama by myself (wife not a diver). Was lucky in that I was the only customer on the boat 4 of the 5 dive days. Maybe two of the quite a few "instabuddies" I've had were less than desirable. These are not things you should worry about, as it is what it is. As long as you are responsible for yourself. Well, you can search on SB for all the legal ideas about buddy responsibilities, but even as a DM, I just don't let any of that bother me. It's always a good idea to check out everything that may concern you when booking a trip or a day charter. Some want to know if smoking is allowed on board. Is there a head? Do you have a good place for dry stuff? So asking about buddy policy is always a good idea if you are concerned. If there is an odd number of divers, will there be a group of three? Is the divemaster in the water---can I pay for the DM to buddy with me? Usually I just pay my $100US plus $20 DM tip and show up.
Oh, as in a recent thread on the "real world", thorough buddy checks are a rarity. Make sure you do the kind of check you want with a new buddy--dive plan, gas, weight releases, alternate air share, signals--whatever you feel comfortable with.