Excited to begin

[Horace Rumpole]

New to this site and to diving.

I grew up in South Florida, and although I have many friends who have spent a lifetime enjoying diving, I never got into it. I'm 59 now and live in Chicago. Life, family and career were always the reasons I put ahead of pursuing some of my interests. I have a little more time now and a job with periodic downtime.

Not in the best shape; not bad, but not like 30 years ago
I was always a pretty good ocean swimmer, but worry a bit about stamina and endurance, since I don't swim often.

I envision a hobby that I self-restrict to warm water experiences, but who know? Getting back down to Florida or some other, more exotic, tropical location interests me. The extremely chilly waters of Lake Michigan close by, not so much.

Be interested to know:

Experiences of any of you more mature beginners.
Any suggestion of where and with whom to get trained and certified with in the Stuart, Florida, area.
Suggestions to get trained outside the US (Honduras, Belize, etc.).
Any suggestions about beginner gear (what to buy, what not to buy (yet)).

Thanks,

H R

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Welcome to this addictive hobby!

I can offer some advice on items to buy first:

Mask that fits well, fins and snorkel are the number 1 priority.

Some would say go for a good-fitting wetsuit. Given you'll be more of a vacation diver, I might hold off a bit. You can, ahem, "outgrow" a wetsuit over time, and if you dive infrequently more opportunity to grow or shrink between uses will be an issue.

I would go for a regulator and computer next. They're often sold as a package. You can't outgrow it physically.

A BCD would be next. Being familiar with yours will be an advantage over a rental. You might even get it before the reg.

Unless you're routinely diving places you drive to, don't buy weights or a tank.

After that, think about lights, camera, etc.

Along the way pick up a good dive knife or cutting tool.

 

[RTC'83]

I started two years ago at 54. I am also in great health, but not in great shape. I dive within my limits and very conservative. I have said no to a few dives where I believed that we’re not within my confidence level.
My dive buddy’s are usually my kids and don’t mind that I go thru my air lots faster then they do.
Educate your self beyond what you will learn in OW. Dive with a buddy that knows what they are doing and understands your ability.
I have enjoyed my diving a lot more than I thought, going back with the kids to Cozumel and can’t wait
Have fun and dive your limits!

 

[RTC'83]

I bought my gear at my LDS. I bought a nice regulator and will probably Give me many years of service. I went with an Oceanic Geo 2 and love it. I bought a 3mm and 5-7mm wetsuits, they were both middle of the road have not had an issue with them.

Any questions yo can PM

 

[GreggS]

I had done 3 resort dives over the years but never got certified until 4 years ago about 3 weeks before my 58th birthday. Like you, I'm in very good health but only fairly good shape. Today is my 62nd birthday and just got home from doing my 141st and 142nd dives.

Don't stress too much about the shape you're in. Recreational diving can be fun and relaxing. Just be sure not to do dives that make you nervous or appear to be beyond your experience level. Get certified and go diving every chance you get. I'm very fortunate that there are 6 dive quarries less than 2 hours from my house, most an hour or less. I see you are in Chicago so you should have quite a few dive options there on Lake Michigan.

Oh, and welcome to the wonderful underwater world.

 

[Snoweman]

I was OW certified six years ago at 46. I wasn't in my best shape, but not bad. I did my Rescue certification a year ago, and I was probably in the worst shape of my life. I've been working out since then, but my air consumption still sucks. It gets better while I am on a longer dive trip, but nothing like the dive masters air consumption.

Folks on SB love Roatan, Bonaire and Cozumel for warm water dive with reasonable plane rides from the lower 48 (at least east of the Mississippi). I have only been to Coz, and will be returning for the fourth time this fall. CZM (Coz) is the easiest of the three airports to get to on my terms. Delta only flies to the other two onght the weekends.

The first things I bought when I was certified was a decent mask, regulators (with Zoop computer, SPG and compass attached). I'm only happy about buying the Zoop because it caused me to hem and haw long enough to buy the Perdix AI. If you don't want to spend all that money, then at least buy a SeaCure mouthpiece. You put it in hot water and then fit it to your bite. Any dive shop will mount it to their regs for a rental. I found it helps a lot.

 

[Blueringocto_73]

Welcome to the sport. Get your mask, fins and snorkel. Then hit the pool and put some laps in. Get your ears conditioned by diving to the bottom over and over.

Being a confident apnea diver will boost confidence. If you want to avoid an uncomfortable "squeeze" don't neglect the ear conditioning. That's important. Enjoy!

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to Scubaboard. A great place to be and learn from fellow divers.