Dive operator age limits?

[Pressurehead]

8.1% >70

When you have 'kids' over 50 how many others here could not stop laughing when this subject came up " Active Divers over the age of 50"?
I have never been refused a dive on a dive boat or at a dive resort in Australia, I am diving in Bali in a few weeks, it has been a long time since I have been to Indo, let us see how that works out, the last place I dived overseas the operator only wanted to see "the colour of my money" and a C card, I will not drop the places name, as I am going back.
Also, at this resort there was me over 70 and a couple in their late 60s, the 3 of us from Australia ,we were in better shape and not overweight like some of the much younger divers from countries I will not mention here.
I see plenty of unfit, fat young slobs on the local dive boats here also, so many fat young people you would think Discrimination against them would be more in order, it would never happen, I know.

 

[Brant Emery]

I've been turned down cold by two operations in Florida. Some others asked for medical documentation. This started when I was in my 70s. I now tend to go where I've been before. No hassles that way. My last trip in the Caribbean the DM assigned a young employee to swim right alongside me. I felt singled out, like a specimen under glass. My biggest complaint is car rentals in the islands. They have a minimum and maximum age, and no fooling around.

I would like to know who refused you service in Florida.

 

[agilis]

I would like to know who refused you service in Florida.

Two operations in the Keys when I was down there two years ago in March, the month I turned 80. I'd rather not get involved in naming names on a public board. I called, they dithered a bit, eventually said no, their prerogative. I went elsewhere.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

The other side of this is operators deciding what is acceptable risk for us. No question that as we get older we are not as secure in life as when we were younger. On the other hand we know we are not going to live forever and live that way.

My experience on many occasions is that the "older" more experienced...and even more "well proportioned" divers are far more confident, competent and less problematic than the newer generations of "insta-divers". I think that there are many operators and DM's that also recognize this early on in their evaluation of who has their **** together and who needs extra attention.

 

[boulderjohn]

And then there is Australia, which has its own rules and forms and requirements. You need one of their doc's exams and signatures.

That's what I thought, based on SB treads. Some of the people insisting on this were from Australia. When I went there with friends a few years ago, we checked ahead and were told we could probably get by with a physical signed by our doctors. We arrived so armed.

We did a day dive and a liveaboard. On the day dive, we had everything checked over by the DM assigned to our group as we headed out to the reef. We handed over our forms, and the DM asked, "What are these?" She had never seen anything like it. The only thing we had to do was put our initials next to a sentence asserting that we were fit to dive. We then had nearly the same experience on the liveaboard--just sign off on our own fitness. When we told the guy in charge all we had been told, he was incredulous. He had never heard of such a thing.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hey John..... I had a similar experience diving with Tradewinds in the BVI's. Their website insisted on a "doctors note" which I brought......but on arrival when I presented it, they just said...."OK.....here's your welcome rum punch...... let's go!"

 

[tursiops]

That's what I thought, based on SB treads. Some of the people insisting on this were from Australia. When I went there with friends a few years ago, we checked ahead and were told we could probably get by with a physical signed by out doctors. We arrived so armed.

We did a day dive and a liveaboard. On the day dive, we had everything checked over by the DM assigned to our group as we headed out to the reef. We handed over our forms, and the DM asked, "What are these?" She had never seen anything like it. The only thing we had to do was put our initials next to a sentence asserting that we were fit to dive. We then had nearly the same experience on the liveaboard--just sign of on our own fitness. When we told the guy in charge all we had been told, he was incredulous. He had never heard of such a thing.

Interesting. When we did the Mike Ball Spoilsport out of Townsville (admittedly, in 2002) we were not allowed on the boat without a local exam and signature. And I was only 61 on that trip. I just looked the requirements for that boat as of today, and I would only need to provide a "current (less than 12 months) dive medical clearance from a doctor, that clearly addresses all medical conditions and/or medications." Since the RSTC form does not really do that, something else might be required. The doctor's signature on the RSTC form simply attests that, "I find no conditions that I consider incompatible with recreational scuba diving or freediving." it might not be sufficient.

 

[Pressurehead]

Here is a waiver for a local boat, try it out and submit it : Online Waiver
They will keep it on file , I do it once a year.
And the other boat in the area :Be sure to complete your smart waiver ahead of time!

 

[Scubagermany]

My experience on many occasions is that the "older" more experienced...and even more "well proportioned" divers are far more confident, competent and less problematic than the newer generations of "insta-divers". I think that there are many operators and DM's that also recognize this early on in their evaluation of who has their **** together and who needs extra attention.

I am not so sure about that. You have as many good older divers as you have young ones that suck. Or vice versa. While age usually brings more experience, I found that there are just as many older divers who are very full of themselves and think their ways are always best.
It is the same everywhere: you have nice and competent people in any specific group be it young old fat or skinny....

 

[boulderjohn]

the newer generations of "insta-divers".

I don't know what this means. How has dive instruction gotten more "instant" than it was several decades ago?