Changes that Senior divers make?

[Wibble]

Senior— it’s all in the mind. Just go diving.

Until you can’t when something breaks. Then buy a sailing boat — you’ve finally got the time and money to use one.

Let’s be frank, there’s plenty of young people who’re way older mentally than people in their sixties. Most of my midweek technical dives are filled with older people going diving. This week one chap had a walking stick but still managed a deep dive with deco.

I sold my sailing boat as I didn't have the time to fully use her. Diving always took precedence and is far cheaper than sailing. Diving is a much younger sport than sailing; few divers are doing strenuous diving in their seventies; my mum and dad are in their nineties and still sailing -- in fact they're away this month with all their mates sailing around the UK coast. When they stop in a marina they use their senior bus passes to get around.

When something breaks on me to stop me diving I'll just sell up and switch over.

 

[SlugLife]

I'm not a senior or close to it, however, after my back was slightly sore a couple times, I made a few changes: (1) I switched to a backplate + wing setup, because it's a lot sturdier and less floppy (2) I'm much more careful climbing a boat ladder in high waves (3) I've also started sidemount about 2 months after buying the backplate, although the sore-back was only about 10% of the deciding factor. Sidemount can be great for people with various joint-issues, especially when diving with two smaller tanks.

It's better to protect my back, than do something neglectful which makes me feel like a senior.

 

[ofg-1]

Well, these days, I have to get a weekend pass out of the nursing home, try not to confuse my blood pressure medicine with Viagra, take out my hearing aids, have a good breakfast of pre chewed foods, hope that the dive does not cause the Grecian formula to run down in my eyes, take out my fancy store bought teeth, take a couple of Tylenol as a preventative measure, and then go and have fun.

Oh, and to you young farts, GET OFF MY LAWN!!

 

[rick00001967]

here are some thoughts / suggestions....

physical fitness is more important than many realize. so the number one concern should be staying fit and flexible (strength and cardio), eating right, and getting an annual medical.

we rarely (if ever) hear people discuss any type of warm up before diving. depending on the particular dive site / conditions, getting suited up, carrying gear, the water entry, the dive itself, the exit, carrying gear back, and getting undressed, can add up to quite a physically demanding ordeal.

with every other "sport" or activity, we always see people warming up and stretching etc in order to prep the body and mind for what is coming next.

when is the last time you saw anyone at a dive site doing any of this ?

with aging and declining fitness, there can be a higher risk for cardiac / high blood pressure issues etc. these do not exactly mix well when under water.

as others have suggested above, making changes to your diving style and conditions, along with finding ways to just make things simpler and easier can also go a long way in preventing injuries and prolonging your enjoyment of the sport.

 

[Wibble]

Not sure I care about what doctors have to say. You should know how you're feeling and a lot of the minor ailments are simply put up and shut up. Don't need any doom & gloom from a doctor!

There's a lot of mitigation you can do to cope with weakness...

Years ago when diving singles and BCD I used to get a lot of back ache. Strangely, after moving to twinsets and a backplate/wing, I don't get those problems despite the considerable extra weight. This absolutely has to do with the way you have to respect the 100lbs/50kg weight you carry around, so you're not awkwardly trying to pick up the BCD from the ground and sling it over your back. You will never attempt that with a twinset/rebreather: you put it on a seat / table / bench and then step into it. In fact if kitting up in a quarry I'll bring my own "step" to sit on, or just kit up in the car boot and walk a little further.

Sidemount's an excellent way of mitigating injury. A single cylinder can easily be put in a climbing rope bag and carried on your back, or carried in your arms to the water's edge. Then go back for the other. Then go back and don your sidemount harness with weights. Still hate reaching my fins though!!!

Diving: use dive boats with lifts. Use your age to tell the youngsters to sod off and leave the easy spot for you on the boat Work "as a team" to pass kit over the side when loading / unloading. If you're on the boat and other people come on, then help them. They'll owe you later when you can call in the debt Seriously, it starts people doing things to help people like taking stages and fins off of you.

Get kitted up a bit earlier; rushing's for novices. Get off the boat first: people help you and you get longer in the water.

Have fun.

 

[DennisS]

I stopped doing beach dives. I was doing 40% nitrox for the hump up the beach and across the parking lot. Way too much huffing and puffing with my 130. I'm 73

 

[Wibble]

Easy change...

Pee valves ;-)

 

[boulderjohn]

I think my biggest change with age is that I tend to avoid night dives. It's not that I do not enjoy night dives--I do. It's not that I think night dives are more dangerous--they aren't. The only problem with night dives is that you have to do them at night--no exceptions. While others are out doing night dives, I prefer an evening of cocktails, dinner, and quiet relaxation.

 

[Altamira]

The older I get, I have been forced to pay more initial attention to what the rest of my body is telling me vs what my brain is saying. At 75, my brain sometimes thinks I am in my late 40s or early 50s, but the rest of my body provides the reality check with "Uh, get a grip!" Fortunately my brain catches up very quickly so I don't do stupid stuff, at least in situations that put me in danger or pain. I try to avoid both.

 

[Doc Harry]

My wife and I dove with an elderly couple for about 15 years. First we started in Cozumel, but then we moved to places where the current was slower (Honduras, Cayman Is.). Then we moved to Grand Turk where there was no current. Then they stopped diving.

As we've grown into our 60s, I stopped cave diving. I stopped diving in twin steel 130s.

We stopped shore diving where there was a surf (e.g., Bonaire).

We don't do liveaboards anymore, because we can't dive 5 times a day.

We also stopped drysuit diving. If the water isn't at least 80 degrees F then we're not jumping in the water.

We are not so aggressive about "getting our money's worth" when diving. I'm happy to get just two dives a day. If I feel like getting a third dive, then I will. If not -- margarita time!

We have also started to appreciate a little more luxury, instead of crappy economy places like Buddy's Dive Resort. We fly first class to avoid boarding and luggage hassles, to get better food and beverage, to stretch out more, and to get treated better by the airlines. We generally stay with 5-star resorts nowadays.