50+ year old divers

[panamkat]

58 and I've earned every wrinkle!
Republic of Panama (warm water!)
Caribbean, Pacific, wherever I get a chance - Going to the Red Sea in June
Panama Dive Adventures
IDC Staff Instructor - I've been diving since 95, but I became an instructor last year! I finally found out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Good for you PanamKat! Folllow that dream!

I was fortunate to have both a professional life and diving..Began goggleing at 12 and still going strong

 

[joyceschur]

OK, I am and wanted to see how many more of us are out there.
Where do you live?
Where do you dive?
Favorite dive shop?
Current certification?

Hi Dutchman and All Others!

I'm 53, but diving has been the Fountain of Youth for me. I divide my time between Chicago, NY and the Middle East. I dive in the Caribbean or the Red Sea (Egypt, Jordan, Israel, but mostly Israel). My favorite dive shops are in Eilat (Manta, Meduza, Aqua Sport). Meduza and Aqua Sport are particular favorites because they accomodate a divers with disabilities program (http://etgarim.org/content.php?id=32).

My current certification level is Divemaster.

As an interesting, but inspiring aside, 2 weeks before I was scheduled to begin the divemaster class I was diagnosed with early stage cancer. My bloodwork was fine and I felt fine, so I asked the doctor if I could go ahead with the DM course prior to surgery and treatment. He gave me the thumbs up. My DM instructor was the toughest teacher I've ever had...he didn't let me get away with a thing. Afterwards I felt, "Hey, if I can get through something like that, chemo will be a piece of cake."

OK, truthfully...chemo was NOT a piece of cake. But I believe earning the DM certification gave me a big psychological boost and that it got me through a very rough time. The other thing that got me through was friends who said, "Once this part of your life is behind you, we're going to go diving together". And that gave me a tremendous will to live, recuperate, and get back into the water.

That was 3 years ago. Diving is a passion that's completely turned my life around. It's been an enriching and rewarding experience that I advocate for the young, the old (even the grumpy ones), the disabled and anyone else who has the least curiosity about our undersea world. As Jacques Cousteau so elegantly put it, "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

 

[vlkr]

my wife went through cancer back in the 80's life has been mostly good since then.
i used to lead outwardbound trips for viet vets suffering from ptsd. on one of our outings one of them said " nam is an experience i would not repeat for a million dollars. it is also an expeience i would not trade for a million dollars." when i told my wife about that she said it also applies to cancer.
good luck and cogratulations. i remember the stuggle i had with all of the physiology and physics in the dm course. tough stuff for me.

 

[diveprof]

OK, I am and wanted to see how many more of us are out there.
Where do you live?
Where do you dive?
Favorite dive shop?
Current certification?

Personally, I object to this being in the Grump old diver forum. I just returned from Little Cayman where we had an 86 year old female and a 75 year old guy who is a photo guru. they ain't grumpy! Heck, had trouble keeping up with 'um

 

[captain]

66
LaPlace, Louisiana
Gulf oil rigs, Florida salt and fresh water, local mud hole.
My garage
YMCA 1970 but started diving 13 years earlier.

 

[finsup]

62 on June 21, 2010. Over 1000 dives and hope to get another 1000 in before my tank runs out of air. Have dived Cozumel, Caymans, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Fiji, Roatan, Utila, Texas oil rig, Texas lakes, Hawaii, Crystal Springs Florida, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Channel Islands, Sea of Cortez, Socorros, Cocos, Great Lakes, western South Dakota, in a hot tub, in swimming pools, in 43 degree water- and there's a whole lot more I want to dive.

 

[Bigmac1]

Hi Dutchman and others
I am 52 years old.
I live 2 1/2 hours north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I have 135 dives in a number of places including Bahamas, Florida, Tobermory (Georgian Bay, Lake Huron), Cozumel, Huatulco and Honduras.
I hold advanced open water certification.
And I am also a cancer survivor. (10 years)

 

[splitpea58]

Live in Phoenix
52 years young on the 9th
California is closest so San Diego is a favorite. Going for a week in July for kelp diving and to fraternize with the sea lions
Favorite San Diego dive boats are the guys and gals from Waterhorse Charters. They're awesome.
Favorite Phoenix dive shop for trips and really nice people is Phoenix Scuba, Steve and Kelly Fisher own the place.
Favorite dive shop for tons of stuff to look, touch and feel, El Mar Dive Center, Tempe.
AOW, 65 dives, Florida Keys, Cozumel, Cabo, Utila, Tortola, St Maartens, Grand Turk, the Channel Islands off Ventura and San Diego.
First certified in 1979. Actively diving since 2008.

 

[shoredivr]

Oh what the hell. 52.

Diving for 12 years.

Bigmac1, I'm 2 hrs west of Toronto with the traffic the way it is these days on the 401, usually it's 45 min to Pearson Airport.

Just had a nice solo dive yesterday at Wiarton, water's up to 51 in the shallows, but drops down to 48 at depth.