deco and ageing

[Miller]

I got started late in life diving. I will be 58 in a couple of months. Is this too late to take up deco or extend range diving? I’m in good shape for my age. I would like to know what you all think.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Don Burke]

All of your dives are decompression dives anyway, so the real question is "How much decompression obligation should I take on and how conservative should my dive plan be?"

I will be 48 soon and I am pretty conservative. I consider the day when I could go to three hundred feet to be past and I do not do dives that involve more than one deco bottle.

Since staged deco is more about time than depth for me, I am getting what I want out of it.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I think age requires a bit more conservatism but if you are in good health and good physical condition, it would not be a contra-indication to extended range diving.

At 39 I am not exactly old but I am also no longer anywhere near being a 23 year old marine so I would not even consider doing deco dives on US Navy tables. Deco theory has fortunately matured along with me and there are many better tables around now and all of them are either more conservative or, in the case of laptop and palm based tables, have user adjustable levels of conservatism.

The bend and treat haldane models are also largely a thing of the past and the newer bubble gradient and variable permeability models with their use of deeper stops are I think well suited to older divers, especially if you bump up the conservatism a bit.

Accellerated deco in addition to getting deco divers out of the water sooner, also has the potential to allow an older diver to increase the conservatism of their deco without spending an inordinately long time in the water.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Miller,

No it is not too late to take up deco diving. Most all of the agencies teaching staged decompression or extended range diving will require you to have at least 100 logged dives. You also need to be nitrox certified and probably be advanced or rescue certified.

Check the agency requirements and find a local dive shop and intstructor that you can work with. I live in north Louisiana and the meat and potaotes of our dive shops are open water and advanced. They do teach rescue, divemaster and Asst. Instructor but not anything tech.

I had to go to Florida for my tech training. I have all the gear, backplates, wings, doubles, deco bottles, extra regulators and drysuits. In addition to the equipment you will do a lot of math, gas planning, and work on team diving. Plan on spending about $1,000 for a deco class through Padi's Tec/Rec, SDI, TDI or GUE and several thousand more for all the gear. This does not include the food, lodging, and gas that you will need to buy for the class.

If this seems like more than you're willing to spend in time and money consider a nitrox and then an advanced nitrox course. You can get a single 120 cu.ft. stee tank which will give you 50 percent more air than an aluminum 80. Add a sling bottle with some 50 percent 02 and have some very long bottom times in the 120 foot range or less.

I'm not trying to discourage you. Far from it. You just need to know what you're getting into with both eyes open.

Jim
Louisiana

 

[Gary D.]

I got started late in life diving. I will be 58 in a couple of months. Is this too late to take up deco or extend range diving? I’m in good shape for my age. I would like to know what you all think.

Thanks in advance.

I get a lot of people arguing with me but like Don said all dives are Deco dives. Everytime you leave the bottom your in Deco mode.

I would be very cautious with long extended Deco's. They are hard enough on a young healthy body. The older you get the harder it is on the old Carbon Container.

I'm 58, been diving for over 43 years with all but 7 of those years professionally. I did stuff back then that I would never think of doing today mainly because of age.

Do a little of it but be a lot more conservative than the kids.

Gary D.

 

[barb]

I got started late in life diving. I will be 58 in a couple of months. Is this too late to take up deco or extend range diving? I’m in good shape for my age. I would like to know what you all think.

Thanks in advance.

As some have already said... its not too late... but, I'd ask myself a few important questions before undertaking the transition from recreational to technical diving. The big question is WHY do you want to do it (or) what more will I achieve by adding the extra training, cost of gear, etc.....over what I have already?

I am an "older" diver and recently made the transition. I have found, when talking to other divers of my age and cert level, that the transition appeared more difficult and challenging than it did for the younger diver. Many of these divers have questionned during the training is this worth it? am I adding that much more to my diving by doing this? how often will I realistically do this type of diving? who will I do it with?

I guess I'm saying you should honestly look at what is motivating you to do this.

After thinking honestly about this (no pressure from your younger dive buddies), if you still want to go ahead then be extra careful who you choose as your instructor. I would recommend someone older and somewhat flexible with the training schedule.

I wish you safe and enjoyable diving!
Barb

 

[Miller]

Thanks for all the replies. I have a ways to go for 100 dives. But next year I plan to retire from work. I will have plenty of time for diving. I have my Nitrox card. What I was looking for is more bottom time at the 100 to 120 ranges. Wreck dives being the reason. Adv. Nitrox may be the way to go.


Thanks and safe diving
roger

 

[miketsp]

As some have already said... its not too late... but, I'd ask myself a few important questions before undertaking the transition from recreational to technical diving. The big question is WHY do you want to do it (or) what more will I achieve by adding the extra training, cost of gear, etc.....over what I have already?

Quite simply for many people getting into middle age it's the first time that the opportunity arises. There are quite a few people that are on their own and once their kids are grown up and married off they don't have to worry so much about family responsibilities and obligations. Also for many people the disposable income is at a peak. And tech diving can be quite a time-consumer. When I was young, before getting married I didn't have the time or the money and the equipment didn't really inspire any confidence.

I am an "older" diver and recently made the transition. I have found, when talking to other divers of my age and cert level, that the transition appeared more difficult and challenging than it did for the younger diver. Many of these divers have questionned during the training is this worth it? am I adding that much more to my diving by doing this? how often will I realistically do this type of diving? who will I do it with?

I don't know if it's my engineering background but I find that when I'm on courses with younger people they find it hard to keep up. Why, because a solid theoretical base coupled with 35 years wide ranging experience means there's very little I haven't seen before. Generally I'm thinking about secondary implications while the younger guys are still assimilating the basics.

Brains need exercise just like any other muscle. So go for it!

 

[Wally1716]

Is this too late to take up deco or extend range diving?

..
Only your mind can tell you if you are too old to start something,
or tell you to stop when it discovers it is more trouble than fun !!
This is not an irreversible process, if you think you can enjoy your
life more with it...GO FOR IT !! If you find it more troublesome
than interesting, you STOP ! Sell your gear and remain at the
level you prefer find it comfortsable and rewarding.
..
OTOH, Advanced Nitrox and Deco are NOT space station projects.
Take a course, put some dives under your belt, go for the next step.
If your body and mind can take it, just go ahead !
..
I am 60, reasonable good shape, dive most available weekends with
double tanks plus two ponies to depths I didn't do when I was a
youngster and staying as long as I want (and gas supply extend).
My life feels highly accomplished because of it and consider myself
happier for it. Visit our web site and see our delinquencies, I mean,
activities !!

 

[ianr33]

When I did my deco proceedures course I was surprised to find that I actually felt better after the dives than I sometimes have after deep recreational dives. There is a lot to be said for high O2 mixes and real slow ascents