Question Did Scuba prevent you having a midlife crisis?

[chillyinCanada]

My husband and I started diving in our mid-40s, so scuba was our midlife crisis!

Mid life catharsis!!

 

[JuLe]

I started diving when I turned 50 a couple of years ago. I was given the basic course as a birthday present from my family.
My oldest daughter started diving because she is interested in (marine) biology and diving helps with her future career plans. I spent a lot of time by the pool when she was going thru her course and also by the lake when she was doing her OW part of the course. After she got her cert, I was driving her to dive locations for weekly "club dives". While doing this, I talked with club instructors and asked a lot of questions. I was just interested, but didn't really think of diving myself. A year later it was my birthday and I was told I had been enrolled to do the course along with my other daughter...
I suppose this was just nice way for my wife to make sure I don't have time to start thinking of sportscars, young blondes or what ever else old geezers like me do when they realize they have become old.
So now I have a new hobby that I share with my kids (third daughter will be starting next spring) and we all enjoy very much. Not a bad deal at all.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I don't think I ever had a "midlife crisis," but probably that had to do with continuing to dive. I'm approaching 78 years old, and have been retired for over ten years now. Diving has been an activity I've done since 1959, when I first started diving. I just never stopped. I feel that a person won't have a midlife crisis if that person stays active in the community (I'm on the Vestry at church, and a member of the Beaverton Committee on Aging too), I'm President of the Chinese Scientists and Engineering Association in Portland, and I stay active bicycling, walking and scuba diving. I enjoy photography and sharing my photos with people too. Below are two of my dives, the first two at High Rocks on the Clackamas River, and the second two at Cook Park on the Tualatin River. The underwater photo at Cook Park shows the syphons of Asian Clams, which are an invasive species which came into the Columbia Basin on ships in the 1800s.

Enjoy,

SeaRat

 

[jadairiii]

Sort of what SeaRat said. Started diving in 1975, just before I turned 15. Been diving ever since. As years progressed I expanded my diving, tech/trimix/cave. But I still love a nice beach dive in 20' of water, and will go out and spend an afternoon snorkeling.

Midlife "crisis"? Think I avoided that my staying fit so I could dive. Stay busy enough you dont have time for a midlife crisis.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Started diving at 19, but became an instructor at 53. I think teaching SCUBA is my mid-life crisis.

 

[happy-diver]

Started diving when still in single digits, so doing all the mandated usual stuff

Still on the lookout for an inflatable, passenger

 

[TMHeimer]

I got certified age 51 but no. There was no midlife crisis, probably because I retired age 42 (?).

 

[Todd_1]

This 100%. I got certified in my early 20s... always had dreams about being serious about diving, and even dive bumming (or ski bumming), but due to a stint in the Army, I felt behind in life when I finally got out of college. I went from never having enough money to dive to being very focused on career, then wife, then family. Suddenly I realized I'm staring down at 50... Time to focus on some parts of "me" that I'd completely neglected for the past decade.

I'm not giving up on skiing (though my knees almost are), but I'm all in on diving.

 

[Todd_1]

I am 60 next year and always wanted to scuba dive, but life always got in the way and 90 days ago my wife said what are you waiting for your not getting any younger, so l think scuba diving is going to be my end of life crisis and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest

 

[SlugLife]

Scuba is much more expensive than a Corvette if you go all in. . .

Scuba is my mid-life crisis too.

Why not both?

It's hard to say which is more expensive, though I suppose it depends on what you do. A low-mileage C7 isn't too bad, you can get one cheaper than most new cars if you know how to shop around. A C5 or C6 corvette is practically cheap for what you get. The insurance costs are the main downside. A C7 can even fit 8 scuba-tanks in the trunk (don't ask me how I know).

On the scuba-side, you can do it on a budget, however it can also add up real quick depending on what you spend on classes, equipment, dive-boats, vacations/travel, and more. If you own a boat (for diving), then you add marina fees, gas, boat-maintenance, and more. My dive-buddy who owns a boat, probably spends more on his boat, than I spend on my car and diving combined.

The hot chick in the passenger seat adds 15 hp

At least compared to a not-so-hot chick in the passenger seat.

I am 60 next year and always wanted to scuba dive, but life always got in the way and 90 days ago my wife said what are you waiting for your not getting any younger, so l think scuba diving is going to be my end of life crisis and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest

I procrastinated getting certified for about 6 years, before I finally did it. Sitting on my buddy's boat while he went diving year after year just isn't as much fun.