Old & fat ...... should I still continue with my Open Dive Course?

[Zainab Khokher]

Hi,
Im 49, and overweight!
I did my basic Open water dive course 4 years back, but have not been able to get back into the water since then.
Should I still consider doing my Advance Open Water course ...... ?
Heading to Maldives in a few weeks time.

 

[rongoodman]

You should probably consider some type of refresher, either at home or when you first arrive there. Skills decay, and chances are you never had enough dives to develop them in the first place.

(I'm 74 and just got back from my first trip in 18 months due to COVID. The first few dives weren't perfect but I had no real issues,. OTOH, I have 500 or so dives behind me, so buoyancy and finning are more or less hard wired at this point.)

 

[Marie13]

You need a refresher first. Often done in a pool.

Old? I took up diving at age 47 and I’m in the midst of my tech training. Overweight…depends. Grossly obese or maybe 20 kilos? Makes a difference. Would your doctor clear you to dive?

 

[Damselfish]

Doing OW and then not doing any regular diving to reinforce what you learned may almost be like starting over. Perhaps you need a refresher, or some time with a DM or instructor to go over things, or maybe you ought to redo OW. Hard for anyone to guess without seeing you or knowing more.

You might not get much out of AOW if you're trying to remember basic skills.

 

[rick00001967]

i will echo what others have suggested. start with an indepth refresher followed by some easy dives.

49 is def not too old. but it is nice to see you understand your physical conditioning does play a factor in whether you should be diving or not. this sport can be far more physically taxing than many believe. it does depend on the type of diving you are doing though.

if it was me (and i could stand to loose a few covid pounds) i would use your desire to dive to inspire you to start taking better care of yourself. start getting more active and pay more attention to what you eat, and what you don't eat.

pls don't let this discourage you from diving.

 

[uncfnp]

49 is a Spring Chicken! (Yes I am showing my age )

Do not go to the Maldives without getting back in the water first!

 

[coldwaterglutton]

Your age and weight don’t matter if you have an adequate fitness level. But going into an advanced course after 4 years on the beach with no real diving experience to speak of is a bad idea, and most reputable instructors would warn you off.

Work on basic dives and skills, especially since you have concerns about your health - deeper dives will only further tax your system.

 

[Scraps]

If you approached me as a potential student, I would ask you to:

—get medical clearance before undertaking any in-water activities, then

—demonstrate the basic water skills you had to perform in your OW course to show you have at least that baseline level of fitness.

Somewhere in the course of the above, we’d have a conversation about your previous instruction, your diving since certification, and the dives you want to do both in your upcoming trip and beyond to help you decide whether a refresher, specialty, or AOW course makes the best sense for you.

Find an instructor who will ascertain your current fitness and skill level and who will listen to you. Then you’ll be able to make a good decision about how to resume diving safely.

Best wishes,

 

[scubadada]

I'm 67, just got back from Malpelo, it was fantastic.

You will need medical clearance for any training dives, assuming you answer yes to any of the screening quetions.10063.qxd (padi.com) It might be valuable to take a refresher, to make sure you still remember your basic skills. It may also be valuable to take AOW, to make sure you are not limited in any of your dive opportunities in the Maldives. Not sure what you can get done in Karachi in the short time you have available.

Best of luck, good diving

 

[Zainab Khokher]

You should probably consider some type of refresher, either at home or when you first arrive there. Skills decay, and chances are you never had enough dives to develop them in the first place.

(I'm 74 and just got back from my first trip in 18 months due to COVID. The first few dives weren't perfect but I had no real issues,. OTOH, I have 500 or so dives behind me, so buoyancy and finning are more or less hard wired at this point.)

Yes , i am looking for a refresher first!