Diving After 50

[Al Mialkovsky]

I've trained new divers in their 70's. They did fine, listened to my cautions and followed instructions. Sheesh.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Let's see now. Donald Sutherland was diving shallow, easier for camera, lighting, safety crew and cast, then flew from Australia to Los Angeles. While at lunch with his wife at least two days after diving he experienced chest pain and was taken to Cedars Sinai, where a doctor pronounced it a dive injury. No treatment from a hyperbaric chamber nor anyone trained in hyperbaric medicine followed, yet his doctor convinced him that diving over the age of 50 is dangerous. If I was Mr. Sutherland, I would get a second opinion. Perhaps Dr. House would be a better bet.

Well put.

 

[Cacia]

lol

good post Max.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

Kim B

Thanks for posting Kim, good to see you here! Reminds me I owe Dave and Ron an email...

As for age and divers... There is not really much but here are a couple of things that might be of interest:

Mummery HJ, Stolp BW, deL Dear G, Doar PO, Natoli MJ, Boso AE, Archibald JD, Hobbs GW, El-Moalem HE, Moon RE. Effects of age and exercise on physiological dead space during simulated dives at 2.8 ATA. J Appl Physiol. 2003 Feb;94(2):507-17. Epub 2002 Oct 11. PubMed ID: 12391136 (my favorite )

Smerz RW, Overlock R, Nakayama H. Hawaiian deep treatments: efficacy and outcomes, 1983-2003. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;32(5):363-73. RRR ID: 4054, 2004 UHMS Abstract RRR ID: 1427

Dear GdeL, Freiberger JJ, DeNoble PJ, Uguccioni DM, Moon RE, Vann RD. OLDER DIVERS AND OUTCOMES AFTER THE TREATMENT OF DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS. 2006 UHMS Abstract. RRR ID: 3667

Slosman DO, Chicherio C, de Ribaupierre S, Willy J-P, Allaoua M, Genton L, Pichard C, Annoni J-M, de Ribaupierre A. DIFFERENCES IN DIVING BEHAVIOR AS A FUNCTION OF AGE AND GENDER: DEMOGRAPHIC RESULTS OF THE GENEVA "MEMORY DIVE" STUDY. 2003 UHMS Abstract. RRR ID: 1381

Not much but all I have for now... We are just starting to add the SPUMS Journal so we might index more soon. Enjoy!

 

[bluewaterdiva]

Well hells bells! I just turned 50 on 2/2 and plan on continuing diving as long as my mental and physical attributes allow me too and as long as I feel comfortable and ............as long as my diving doctor says I can. Note: I said DIVING DOCTOR.

 

[Saturation]

There are no medical contraindications to diving based on age. Of course, as we add on more years, we are also more likely to acquire medical problems that may be problematic for diving. Seems obvious. Stay fit, inherit good genes and get a bit lucky - you could dive forever.

Yes, there certainly are a lot of misinformed 'medical' opinions out there. While the buyer should always beware, some sources are more reliable than others - DAN, UHMS, 'ScubaDoc'. There will always be some diversity of opinion regarding medicine and SCUBA, but such s not the case concerning age specific limitations to diving. There aren't any.

Kim B - Diving Medical Officer, Flight Surgeon, Sports Medicine Physician

Concur. The simplest issue is the capacity to dive is link to fitness, regardless of age. Some folks are biologically older than their chronological age, and vice versa.

 

[Gdog]

Dang....so after 50, which arrives for me in 4 years, I can no longer dive, drink, fly in a plane, walk across the street, have sex, drive a car, or enjoy the rest of my life in any way..im sure there are studies or at least hollywood actors to verify this....so whats the point of going on?!

 

[scorpenesub]

This must be another Hollywood publicity stun to get free publicity for the movie. If indeed, as the report said, Sutherland had lung overexpansion injury, it was probably due to negligence on his part or that of the movie's underwater consultants.

I agree with Japan_Diver that medical advice in the article about not diving past 50 is just a bunch of bull ....

CRC, you are right to take your time when diving, and pay more attention to ascent rates and safety stops. The first rule of diving is to dive within your limits and comfort zone....

Safety first in diving always.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

I just saw the movie (Fool's Gold) that Donald Sutherland learned to "dive" for. The only time I recall seeing him in scuba gear during the movie was while they tried to show him how to dive in the hot tub on a yacht. If it was even him he stuck his head underwater and that was about all. Either he decided to dive on his own or they cut his scene, he was never underwater that I saw.

 

[NancyLynn]

Darn. Good thing I didn't read this thread until after I got back from diving the pants off of folks half my age this week. . . probably not supposed to water ski either - hope I don't see that article until after I get back from water skiing with my family this summer.