I'm 71, and I still do a lot of scuba diving, mostly on vacation in the Caribbean. I also dive locally when local waters warm up to at least 60F, which means late June through October. I have a self imposed depth limit of 80 feet, and I always stay very far away from deco limits. I have a conservative computer (Gekko) that may expire from boredom. I stay in good physical condition and my cardiovascular condition is, I'm told by the specialist I visit twice each year, exceptionally good. Exercise can be a hateful bitch, but it's what can keep you active and healthy enough to do things you enjoy.
Still, I can sense the apprehension of most divemasters when I sign up for an offshore trip and fill in the age question on the chart. I can't blame them. Obviosly,sooner or later something bad is bound to happen to me, and if it happens while I'm diving, the publicity would be very harmful to any dive operation. The bottom line is that I tend to dive the same areas I did in the past, where they know me, or solo dive when I'm someplace (like NJ) where you can dive from shore. Not the Caribbean, but I'm more a micro diver than a macro diver, in that I can easily spend an hour examining the life forms on one or two dock piles, or a section of submerged jetty. I found wonderful things living in an automobile door that had beome totally encrusted in 8 feet of water near a bridge.
I keep sw aquaria which are stocked with things I catch. Here in NJ we get lots of juvenile tropicals in late summer, carried up the Gulf Stream. I have to smile when I read about the difficulties divers have finding seahorses. I usually see at least dozen every time I dive local inlets. It's always fun to find a tiny Queen Angelfish, or a Spiny Puffer the size of my thumbnail. I sometimes collect in the Caribbean, where it's permitted, and with the proper documents from both the country of origin and from the US Fish and Wildlife people. The last time I imported anything was in 2009, when I brought home a very small Spotted Drum. It is now about 10 inches long, and seems happy enough in its 225 gallon aquarium. We (the Drum and I) had to overnight in San Juan, but I was well prepared, and we both made it home alive. Do not try to bring any sea creatures home from holiday unless you are legally able to do so and have the kinds of equipment and experience needed: a lot.
Getting back to the topic (we old men talk too much), I think you will find that your local dive shop probably hosts all sorts of events. Attend them. Introduce youself. It's just like high school. Don't stand against the wall, get out there and dance. If there is no local club for divers on the far side of 40, start one. Local shops will almost certainly help with this. I've outlived a few of my earlier dive buddies, and those still alive and well tend to have lost interest, and would rather show you pictures of their spectacularly beautiful and brilliant grandchildren than go diving. Keep these dear old friends, but find new friends who share your interests.
