65+ Grumpy Old Divers (or NOT Grumpy)

[drl]

Gee, I guess at 60 I’m just a kid!
Dive on...

 

[boulderjohn]

The sad thing about getting past 65 is you have a hard time remembering back when you were only 65.

In the past 8 months, if you take away the training dives I have done as an instructor, 3/4 of my total dives have been below 250 feet. I am very careful on those dives to stay within standard limits for decompression, but those are my pleasure dives.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I’ll be 70 in May, and my first dive on compressed air was in 1958. I’m an active dive instructor and work as DM a on a dive charter 200 days a year. What makes me grumpy is that you “old grumpy divers” will never buy any new gear. You all insist on continuing to use the same gear you bought in 1979. Same old mask with stiff seals, BC patched with aqua seal, and hoses patched with electrical tape. Weight integrated BC, won’t think of it despite fact ya can’t keep a weight belt on due to a waist long gone. Makes me Grumpy.
P.S. all in jest, but if the shoe fits.........

LOL. My girlfriend's instructor was shocked that I showed up last time with a new Zeagle BC. Only my mask, snorkel, fins, and booties are from the 60s. I bought my regulator new in 1983. My wetsuit kept shrinking as I got older but it seems to fit my son-in-law.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Did you really start diving at age 9? I'm impressed.

Since you are still working you can probably afford new gear

Many our age are relying on Social Security checks and some have to support an ex or two.

Regards,

Bert

 

[Steve_C]

72 and still diving

 

[rongoodman]

I'm 71 and have no plans of quitting. OTOH, I was pretty grumpy when some fool blocked the sidewalk with their car improperly parked yesterday morning.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have been participating on ScubaBoard for nearly 14 years now, and during that time I have seen many threads dealing with the topic of aging divers. Usually they come in the form of a new older diver wondering if he or she is too old to dive. A bunch of people then jump in and tell how old they are, and they are still diving, much as you see happening in this thread. When I started, it seemed like the overwhelming majority talking about their advanced age diving were in their early 60s. Now it seems as if the overwhelming majority lies more in the early 70s.

 

[Altamira]

I’m not technically qualified to be here but I sure as h*ll enjoy your posts! Makes me laugh!

It's not nice to laugh at old people. Just kidding of course, and I am glad that you get to see that being old does not necessarily mean you have to stop doing things you enjoy. But you will likely have to do them slower, and for many things slower is better.

 

[kablooey]

What a wonderful thing scuba diving is.
Where else can we be getting the senior discount and still be at the top of our game?

 

[Sam Miller III]

In 2000 a now defunct board titled the "Free Diving list" sponsored a world wide gathering of what was known as the "Fathers of free diving and spearfishing."

It was the last great gathering to honor those fathers past and present who pioneered the sport in the 1920s,30s and 40s .

Old warriors from Europe, Australia and Hawaiian Islands flew into Orange County, California for this last big hurrah.
Most were in their 70s and 80s with a few in their 90s, most are gone now - all gone- to the big reef in the sky except for a few who are rapidly dwindling in numbers.

Universal was hearing impairment, vertigo and ambulatory difficulties, but all agreed the adventure was worth the inconvenience .that was being experienced in their dotage.

Diving aka free diving, spearfishing and those who crossed over to SCUBA via the early LA County Underwater Instructor program considered diving a quasi religion that had only a few members. Now there are thousands experiencing the marvel's of diving with the bubble machine

It was and is a great life ! Enjoy it while you can as long as your can-- all too soon all you will have is memories

Sam Miller,111