Age, Health, Certification and Trim

[Angelo Farina]

It was a little unclear as to whether you were speaking only for yourself or for everybody your age or older.

Sorry for not having been clear.
My point was that there is nothing wrong when one cannot climb a ladder with a 20 kg tank on his/her shoulders.
It can be due to age, medical conditions, or simply native constitution.
40 years ago it was common to think that diving was a sport requiring perfect fitness and some robust body.
But later it was found that small females or young children can also dive safely, even if they cannot raise the tank from the floor.
It is just matter of adopting proper procedures at beginning and end of the dive.
My point is that proper procedures should be friendly also for very old or very young recreational divers.
Let's leave the requirement of being strong and fit to certain types of tech or military diving, and instead we should set up the procedures for being friendly for everyone.
We are not all equally strong, so we should accomodate for making diving safe and pleasant even for the weak ones.

 

[GreggS]

My wife and I were diving in Fiji a couple of years ago. There happened to be a lady about my age at the resort (Beqa Lagoon) who was from Australia and was paraplegic. She had absolutely no, as in zero, use or control of her legs. They were completely atrophied due to a spinal surgery that went wrong a few years ago.

But she was an incredible lady. We got to know her a little and were on several dives with her. When a dive ended, she would doff her equipment in the water which would be hauled onto the boat and then 2 crew members would lift her out of the water. What really makes her trip there amazing is she was there by herself. She didn't even tell anyone at home that she was going. Here is a photo of her.

View attachment 689424

I tell this because she was really inspirational as an example of not letting a handicap limit oneself. I am 65 and have had surgery on both knees to repair torn meniscus. I also have a little arthritis in both knees but it isn't severe. However, I do have strong legs so I don't have a problem climbing ladders while geared up...yet. But if I did or get to that point, I would discuss that with the crew before booking to make sure it would not be a problem with doffing my BCD before climbing the ladder. I'd hate to give up an activity I love due to a problem that could possibly be worked around. I think most operations would try to be accommodating.

 

[Nemrod]

Let's leave the requirement of being strong and fit to certain types of tech or military diving, and instead we should set up the procedures for being friendly for everyone.

Let's not. Being physically fit is always better than not being physially fit. Small women and children can be just as physically fit as a man. Maybe of course not as strong, maybe, but certainly fitness benefits all levels of divers of all types. And is always a good thing.

I took my first SCUBA course under YMCA in 1966 and the instructor would not certify me despite my swimming circles around him and everyone else (I was on a swim team) and passing all the requirements of the then long and rather arduous course because I could not bench press a SCUBA tank some number of times he thought necessary. Now to be fair, my instructor was physically fit and an ex-college and professional football player and a very early conversion from the LA County instructors to YMCA and NAUI. In 1968 he invited me back, for free, and gave me my NAUI cert because by then I could bench press my SCUBA tank! I think he was just looking for an excuse to be super cautious . Never mind that my parents helped me get the equipment right away, an uncle gave me his Mistral, and I started diving from our boat right away and off the dock in the lake behind our house. Nowadays, I prefer to have the mates lift my tanks about and I do not mind being helped aboard. Oh, my instructor, bless him, was still diving well into his 90's and passed away I understand a few days after a trip to Cozumel. Physical fitness extends the quality of our lives and has benifits to our well being far beyond being able to climb a ladder or lift a tank. Fit for life.

James

 

[Mr. Ed]

Yes! no problem. Training is moving along now.

 

[Mr. Ed]

I wish I had gotten into diving earlier in my life only because I would have more experience at age 67. However, I'm doing it now and that is what matters most of all.

 

[GreggS]

Yes! no problem. Training is moving along now.

Great. Good to know that you finally got past that. Good luck with everything else from here on.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Let's not. Being physically fit is always better than not being physially fit. Small women and children can be just as physically fit as a man. Maybe of course not as strong, maybe, but certainly fitness benefits all levels of divers of all types. And is always a good thing.

I took my first SCUBA course under YMCA in 1966 and the instructor would not certify me despite my swimming circles around him and everyone else (I was on a swim team) and passing all the requirements of the then long and rather arduous course because I could not bench press a SCUBA tank some number of times he thought necessary. Now to be fair, my instructor was physically fit and an ex-college and professional football player and a very early conversion from the LA County instructors to YMCA and NAUI. In 1968 he invited me back, for free, and gave me my NAUI cert because by then I could bench press my SCUBA tank! I think he was just looking for an excuse to be super cautious . Never mind that my parents helped me get the equipment right away, an uncle gave me his Mistral, and I started diving from our boat right away and off the dock in the lake behind our house. Nowadays, I prefer to have the mates lift my tanks about and I do not mind being helped aboard. Oh, my instructor, bless him, was still diving well into his 90's and passed away I understand a few days after a trip to Cozumel. Physical fitness extends the quality of our lives and has benifits to our well being far beyond being able to climb a ladder or lift a tank. Fit for life.

James

The point is that you cannot choose to be fit, when nature makes you not-so-fit.
Being fit is better, but recreational diving should be possible also for people bearing some lack of fitness.
Of course safety comes first, so everyone should respect his own limits, and give up when required.
On the other side, when the conditions are favourable, there is no reason for asking that only super-fit people are allowed to dive.
As you, also I did start diving with a 6-months long course, the first half was all about aquaticity without any tools, or just using mask and fins. And the second half was using the CC pure oxygen rebreather. Only 20% of initial candidates did complete the course.
Years later, when I became instructor, I was one of those fighting against that para-military approach, and promoting diving for everyone: young and old, thin and fat, robust or weak, fit or impaired, male or female or whatever...

 

[charly1]

May this mask can help on ear issue.

 

[mac66]

This thread has strayed some...I'm interested what happened to the OP? Is he still around? Did he pass his class? Inquiring minds want to know.

Nevermind...i was confused by him using a different name, he started out as Edhjr, apparently changed it to Mr. Ed.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Mr. Ed here, classes were delayed because dive instructor took some time off. Classes resume today. This is what I have to do for OWC. alternate air source w/buddy, hovering, controlled swimming ascent, snorkel/regulator exchange. Ongoing are finning, & controlled ascents/descents, Possibly 3 more lessons.
I bought a custom made Bare Trilam Pro Dry drysuit I will be using for the first time today. I was using the shop’s Bare Pro Dry drysuit that did not fit well so I am looking forward to using my own drysuit.
The dive shop is also servicing new Faber Blue Steel 100 cu ft cylinders for me, however, since the dive shop furnishes cylinders to students I will continue this tradition rather than paying for air from using my own cylinders.