Old Divers

[DCBC]

I was certified when I was 12, so by the time I was 32 I'd been diving for 20 years. Some would say that at that time, I was an "old diver." I'm now 59, but as age is a matter of perspective, some here would call me just a kid. I've been diving professionally since 1972 (Navy/Commercial) and still have a valid medical for saturation diving. I don't think that anyone would suggest that they would need to modify a recreational dive due to my chronological age, physical condition or experience.

I have 'modified' many dives to accommodate my students and other divers. This mainly has been dictated by the various levels of experience that people possess, or the physical limitations of the individual. I've taught the blind and infirm, so it goes without saying that you plan the dive in-consideration of who's making the dive.

I truly hope that the day will come that people will "tone down" a dive for me. Each of us possesses strength for a finite period of time, when that strength fails, we modify our behavior accordingly. The time will come when I will become "unfit to dive." I hope that on my last dive, that people will look after me, in a similar way as I've looked after others.

 

[danvolker]

I truly hope that the day will come that people will "tone down" a dive for me. Each of us possesses strength for a finite period of time, when that strength fails, we modify our behavior accordingly. The time will come when I will become "unfit to dive." I hope that on my last dive, that people will look after me, in a similar way as I've looked after others.

I'm looking at maybe mid 80's to early 90's for that
Being in your 50's or 60's is still an age where your physical strength and endurance can be radically better than the average 30 year old's strength and endurance, and even be competitive with a 30 year old athlete at an ameteur level. By 60, recovery from extreme workouts is slower than it was for us when we were 30, so at an Olympic, or Pro level sport like Cycling ( best fitness training sport for diving) we can't get enough intense workouts in during a week ( each requiring significant recovery/anabolic rebuilding of torn muscle fibers and Glycogen resynthesis) to match the training BENEFIT that we would have had when we were 30. With enough weeks and months and ultimately enough years of one person getting more TRAINING BENEFIT than another, it stacks the deck in a competition between them.
However, Pro level athletes are at maybe .0001 percent of the divers we are likely to run into, so for the "norm", any 60 year old that has always tried to stay fit and train, is going to be able to do ANYTHING and MORE than the typical 30 year old diver.....Hey, you would have 30 years of training advantage, to get to be stronger and to have more endurance.

The other secret weopen is our choices...we have had 30 more years to make better choices, and this experience means a lot in diving. If only that helped on Scubaboard postings

 

[TSandM]

I don't mind being considered an "old diver", although I don't think of myself as old. But at 58, I'm certainly not YOUNG any more!

And Dan notwithstanding, there are those of us who have enough wear and tear to have difficulty, either with maintaining the level of fitness we'd like, or with some of the physical tasks of diving. I know, for me, a surf entry over rocks would probably get a pass, since I'm not real good at surf entries, have balance trouble on my feet when fully geared up, and tend to break when I fall. But I don't think you have to specify age for things like that; just giving an objective account of the challenges of the particular dive can let me decide whether it's for me or not.

 

[Merida Divers]

Stay in there kids. With so many of us over 60 and some even 80 it is such a pleasure to still be able to dive. Well done to all and may you continue like me to dive as long as the old body will allow. I still plan on diving in my mid 80's a few years away. To everyone, "live it and love it". Older yes, occasionally grumpy and just simply living to dive, dive, dive.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I've been following this thread with some interest, mainly to read the responses. Much to my delight there seems to be a lot of agreement that experience counts. I also think that the training we received (well, at least some of us) may have been more thorough than what you get these days with a "beginner" course. Of course we didn't have BCs, SPGs, computers, and some of the other new stuff so I suppose we needed to be a bit more self-reliant and conscientious. As for the experience side of the equation, I have gone beach diving many times during storms when the surf was 10-12 feet and the visibility was 1-2 feet. Now if you try that they will stop you from entering the water in many places. It is illegal. Because of this, younger divers are very unlikely to even have the opportunity to gain that kind of experience. Matter-of-fact I think I heard it's illegal to dive in Laguna Beach if the surf exceeds 6 feet!!! Heck, that's what we used to call ankle-slappers.

OK, forgive me if I've rambling here, but backing up a bit....

MOST of the divers I have gone diving with I ended up having to rescue or at least assist in some way. MOST were out of air, hypothermic, or bleeding in several places when I still had half a tank left and was quite comfortable. Granted these people are mostly my age now or close to it, but considering the minimal training that you get now with an OW class, the lack of experience due to local regulations, and, as mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the lack of general physical activity amongst the younger generations I cannot see why anyone would even think to consider that being age 60 or so is in any way a hinderance. I can't explain why the divers I dove with were lacking except perhaps they had inadequate training due to the "badge" method that has become popular. I got certified through NAUI in 1969 and they were very thorough.

So, to answer the question, no I would not and could not be offended by some putz who most likely does not have anywhere near the experience that I have but can understand why someone wouldn't want to go diving with a bunch of people they might end up having to rescue. Other than off of dive boats in resort areas I have been diving alone for the past 23 years or so. I'm usually too busy taking pictures etc to pay any attention to anyone else anyway. Sure, I'll look for my buddy (if there is one) at the end of the dive to make sure they got back all right. I might even go look for them if they didn't make it back If I was to ever get myself in trouble underwater then, well, it's my own damn fault for not doing somethingorother that I should have done. After all, I have the experience so I don't have any excuse


One more thing I want to get off my Grumpy Old chest: we are just talking about SCUBA DIVING here, right? Ya know, snorkeling with a tank on your back so you can stay down longer. It's not like we are doing something that is inherently dangerous. I don't mean just this thread, but ScubaBoard in general. No, you won't find me in any caves. That IS inherently dangerous.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Per JamesBon 92007...


"I also think that the training we received (well, at least some of us) may have been more thorough than what you get these days with a "beginner" course."
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Modern recreational diving began with LA Co UW Instruction in July 1954- It was is and will always be the most demanding and certainly the most prestigious diving training program in the world-very few are accepted and even fewer graduate as LA Co UW instructors..In 1969 there were more LA co UW instructors in Orange county than in Los Angeles County therefore more LA Co courses were taught in OC. Some how you ended up with a NAUI type in OC

In August 1960 LA Co established NAUI in Houston Texas at the USA convention

PADI was established as a result of a NAUI mis-communication in 1969 in Chicago

Each time a new organization came to life the requirements were watered down.

The RSTC was established and the requirements for certification was watered down even more to what we are experiencing today in "Dive Training," justified by exposing more people to the underwater world with a high risk high gain environment for the benifit of the industry
***************************************************************************
"Of course we didn't have BCs, SPGs, computers, and some of the other new stuff so I suppose we needed to be a bit more self-reliant and conscientious"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI...a little equipment and manufacture history;

1969
BCs:
DACOR- # PDV foldaway vest
Healtways-SCUBA Vest flotation jacket #1980
PDS-Safety vest #201
KIM Enterprise- Safte-T-Ballast scuba equalizer
Sportsways-Navy safety vest #1800 & 1820
US Divers (Now Aqua Lung)-Aqua Lung float #7275
Voit- Orange safety vest-#SDL 3
White Stag-Safety float vest #555

SPG:
DACOR model number DPG Underwater air pressure gauge
PDS- Sea Vue gauge #415
Sportsways-Sea Vue pressure gauge #1401
SCUBA Pro- submersible tank pressure gauge #130
US Divers (Now Aqua Lung)-Sea div gauge # 7018
White Stag Gas gauge #3480

Computer:
SCUBA Pro-Automatic decompression computer #515
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SDM

 

[JamesBon92007]

Per JamesBon 92007...



***************************************************************************
"Of course we didn't have BCs, SPGs, computers, and some of the other new stuff so I suppose we needed to be a bit more self-reliant and conscientious"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI...a little equipment and manufacture history;

1969
BCs:
DACOR- # PDV foldaway vest
Healtways-SCUBA Vest flotation jacket #1980
PDS-Safety vest #201
KIM Enterprise- Safte-T-Ballast scuba equalizer
Sportsways-Navy safety vest #1800 & 1820
US Divers (Now Aqua Lung)-Aqua Lung float #7275
Voit- Orange safety vest-#SDL 3
White Stag-Safety float vest #555

SPG:
DACOR model number DPG Underwater air pressure gauge
PDS- Sea Vue gauge #415
Sportsways-Sea Vue pressure gauge #1401
SCUBA Pro- submersible tank pressure gauge #130
US Divers (Now Aqua Lung)-Sea div gauge # 7018
White Stag Gas gauge #3480

Computer:
SCUBA Pro-Automatic decompression computer #515
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SDM

Thanks Sam. I didn't mean there weren't ANY, I just meant that "we" (impoverished 16-year-olds) didn't have any We were trained on the use of a "snorkel vest" or "Mae West" but didn't actually use them during the course so obviously they were a luxury item There were no SPGs attached to the training regulators and I didn't see any ads for Decompression Meters for quite some time after I got certified. At the time I took my course some instructors were still using double-hose regulators but mine prefered single-hose. We had J-Valves that were turned to the Reserve position at the beginning of the dive so we would not rely on them. I guess you could say we were diving by the seat of our pants but no doubt the very first divers probably think I had it pretty easy. I didn't even have to make my own tank from a CO2 fire extinguisher or fabricate my own regulator Depth gauges and watches were not optional.

Now that I can have whatever diving equipment I want I do have a SPG attached to my regulator. I used to dive with a $12 watch from Long's or Thrifty's but now I go all out and have one I paid over $14 for. I dive with a vest-type BC with power inflator when it is required but otherwise use none or, if going fairly deep, I wear my old Voit (green) vest.

---------- Post Merged at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 09:57 PM ----------

Per JamesBon 92007...


PADI was established as a result of a NAUI mis-communication in 1969 in Chicago


SDM

That is a story I would love to hear!

 

[NAM001]

Well h2o

Just consider the source and ignore them. Many of us OVER 50'S, were diving long before THESE KNOW IT ALL PUPS entered this world. The fact that we are still here, (contrary to the opinion of some) says we cant be DOING IT TOO WRONG. As said in the submarine community. As long as the number of surfaces =s the number of dives all is well, and dont sweat the small sh*t.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Originally Posted by sam miller
Per JamesBon 92007...


PADI was established as a result of a NAUI mis-communication in 1969 in Chicago


SDM



That is a story I would love to hear!

JamesBon 92007

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the dark of the night over a cool one...

I am not certain who would like to forget the story, PADI or NAUI--probably NAUI.
sdm

 

[DennisS]

That 130 gets heavier every year I hump it across the beach for a dive, right now it's telling me I'm out of shape. Time to start getting fit again, I want to enjoy having social security pay for my diving next year when I turn 65.