Age and technical diving.

[Kim]

I know that all diving requires a certain fitness level and that fitness is not necessarily dependent on age. However I have read in various places that as one gets older ones susceptibility to DCS and oxygen toxicity increase. Now I suppose that someone who has been doing deep decompression dives for a long time probably can continue for longer than someone who started later in life. However this raises a couple of questions in my mind.
At what sort of age should one begin to consider to stop decompression diving? At what sort of age does learning to do decompression diving become more or less pointless? Before anyone tells me that all diving is already decompression diving anyway (I know!) let me frame it in a couple of examples.
ex.1. Dives to 50m/165ft with a deco obligation of 30mins or more
ex 2. Dives to 60m/200ft with a dec obligation of more than an hour.

What are the considerations of age related to this kind of diving, and when do they really begin to kick in?

I am presuming for the rest a reasonable/good physical condition with no other medical indications.

 

[Rick Inman]

Now I suppose that someone who has been doing deep decompression dives for a long time probably can continue for longer than someone who started later in life.

Kim,
Why do you think this? The opposite would seem to be the case, I would think. You don't build up a tolerance to the effects of pressure with age. In fact, I would think that someone who has been doing deep decompression dives for a long time has suffered more effects of pressure and is more vunerable.
No??

 

[Kim]

Maybe that's true...I really don't know. I suppose that my thinking was more along the lines that someone who has done it a long time and is completely at home with everything is going to be a lot more relaxed - so therefore less at risk. If an older person starts trying to hump 100 kilos worth of gear around and they've never done it before, plus they have to learn all the new skills etc...I would expect more stress. However, maybe I'm completely wrong - that's what I'm trying to find out.

Perhaps I should be a little more honest as to why I'm asking this question!
I'm 54 this year and am considering doing the DSAT Tech Deep next spring. I'm wondering if I should be considering my age at all in deciding whether to do it or not. On top of that, supposing I do the course and pass, I'm wondering what length of time I might be able to continue doing dives like that afterwards.
Now the DSAT course goes to 50m/165ft, but of course if I go that far I'd probably want to continue to Trimix!
I'm trying to work out if I'm being sensible with such aspirations.......or whether I should just stick to liveaboards and cruising reefs for fun!

 

[theskull]

Most divers should stop doing deco diving at about age 57 . . . and then sell their gear to me, cheap.

So you can still get in a couple good years of serious dives, and then contact me for my liquidation offer.

Seriously, though,
Yes, DCS risks do increase with age, but a great many divers only get to a point where they can afford the gear and training around your age. So get into great shape, enjoy yourself, and be conservative in your profiles--don't push the envelope or use the fastest possible deco schedule you can find. Remember, you're doing it for fun!!

theskull

 

[Kim]

Seriously, though,
Yes, DCS risks do increase with age, but a great many divers only get to a point where they can afford the gear and training around your age. So get into great shape, enjoy yourself, and be conservative in your profiles--don't push the envelope or use the fastest possible deco schedule you can find. Remember, you're doing it for fun!!

theskull

Thanks for the encouragement! It's nice to hear that others out there are doing the same thing!
I'm not looking to break any records, but there are a few wrecks that I would like to see in the 50-60m range.

 

[Tavi]

I started my Technical Training at age 47. No problems so far. I'm trained to 170' and mixes up to 25% He. I plan on taking Full Blown Trimix this year or next, as there are deeper wrecks I'd like to see!!

The diving gives me another reason to work at getting in better shape

 

[Diversauras]

Seriously, though,
Yes, DCS risks do increase with age, but a great many divers only get to a point where they can afford the gear and training around your age. So get into great shape, enjoy yourself, and be conservative in your profiles--don't push the envelope or use the fastest possible deco schedule you can find. Remember, you're doing it for fun!!

theskull

Does this have a source? When I read the DAN statistics it doesn't seem to me that there is an increase in hits as age increases. Rick seemed to think the same as this, but I have been diving what most would call deep for many years though I have never had even a slight indication of a hit. I have been diving less frequently recently because of my land locked status but that is about to change and if there is some real evidence that I should slack off I'd like to hear it, I may not heed it but I want always to know my risks.

 

[Kim]

From what I understand it is not a completely quantified risk, but seems to be true from some statistics out there. The main cause is thought to be the decrease of blood flow due to veins and arteries getting narrower with age. Of course this can be offset with lots of exercise and general fitness. Basically that seems to be at the heart of it - older people have to work harder not to lose their physical condition - and are consequently more at risk if they don't. It seems obvious to me though that it will be harder to have a good condition between 50 and 60 than it was between 20 and 40!

 

[redrover]

As a, shall I say mature noob, I’ve assumed beginning this late, I have relatively few years and considerably less options. I mean I used to leap over tall buildings but climb up and down them now. It has taken me 6 years to accept that while I can still do many feats, I suffer and no longer recover quickly.
I’ve got a lot of ‘simple’ diving (time) to do before I would feel encouraged to expand my horizons. And I’ve felt from what I’ve been reading, there are contributing circumstances beyond my control, like inherited late onset hypertension. I honestly don’t think I’d want to make decompression diving my prime direction, but there are some things I wouldn’t mind doing – or seeing.

Is there some type of parameters like bottom time? As in the experienced diver continuing decompression at a later age vs this later aged noob gaining enough experience before needing a handicapped accessible boat deck?
And perhaps this is a hijack and if so I apologize, why are number of dives counted and not bottom time with a depth ratio? I ask from hang gliding where the number of ‘logged flights’ is irrelevant. What counts is air time at what altitude gauging the experience of the pilot.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Interesting question......and I'm not just trying to rationalize my situation (well maybe a little)


There is anecdotal evidence that prolonged and repeat exposure to High O2 PP's can impair pulmonary function, i.e. the dry cough of "experienced" tech divers.

Regarding DCS, one needs to consider a few points:

Wide spread "technical diving" is a fairly recent trend, and as such the long term effects of Tech Diving haven't really been seen on a large sample. In 10-20 years when the current crop of tech "whipper snappers" reach their golden years, much more data will be available.

The science (art?) of decompression has advanced considerably in the recent past. What are the long term effects of the newer algorithiums? See above.

Consider that currently an "aged" deco diver is likely (not guarranteed!) to have been diving since before current more advanced deco proceedures were in use. Navy tables and no O2 in the their early days may have had some cumulative impact.

Consider that it is normal for divers to build up to a particular skill level. Deep staged Deco dives take training, money, time etc. This could be skewing age of deep deco divers in total, and also skewing age that is injured.

I would love to see a study that attempts to correct for the possible distortions I've described above. (unless of course it tells me to stop diving )


Regards,


Tobin