To old to dive?

[KJackson60]

So, I just turned 50 in May. Please, no bad jokes as I am not real happy about the event.:depressed: My questions are these. Assuming a person is in reasonable health, no heart conditions, blood pressure normal with out meds, borderline Body Mass index, physically active due to job but not excercising, at what age should someone stop diving? If they can still dive what restrictions should they place on themselves as far as depth, gas mixes, lengths of dives, decompression time, etc.

I got into this sport 4 years ago and I really love it! Unfortunately I got into it perhaps to late to actually have a chance to accomplish some of the dive challenges I have on my "bucket list". Some of these are deeper dives on Great Lakes ship wrecks approaching 200 feet. I have also entertained the idea of "Going Pro" as a retirement job. How realistic is that? Is being a 67 year old OWSI even possible?

Unfortunately money and time are not real plentiful right now and probably won't be until the youngest child is out of college in eight years. So fast tracking training and equipment purchases is not a viable option. Can I realistically delay the advanced training I will need until I am 60?

I await your thoughts.

 

[rongoodman]

I'm 63 and did Cavern/Intro to Cave in May, with Full Cave and Trimix coming next year. As long as you're healthy, go for it!

 

[Hockeynut]

You're too old to dive right after the doc says" time of death.........."

 

[deepwater]

Damn Hockeynut, I screwsd that up. I'm still diving 14 years later.

 

[meaness]

i think you should do what ever makes u happy, if thats diving at 50 then so be it

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

KJackson60,

I think I can remember back when I was your age...

You should be just fine. I'm more conservative with my depth now than when I was in my late teens and 20's, but if your health is good, there are really no major resrictions.... you can do pretty much any type of dive that interests you, and that you are trained for.

Go for it!!

Best wishes.

 

[Bob DBF]

+1 on "your to old to dive when..........

And as for "Assuming a person...", it's all about you and what you are willing to do for your goals.

I just finished rescue diver at 62 and although I am taking some of the courses I wanted to earlier when it was not feasible, I'm becoming a better diver for my own enjoyment. I've been diving for a long time and hope to continue for a long time to come because I like it.

Bob
---------------------------
I may be old but I’m not dead yet.

 

[TSandM]

I got certified at 51, and at 56, I'm Full Cave and technically certified (and probably certifiable ).

If your health is good, why would you stop?

The one thing I would say is that, if you are much overweight, sedentary, or a smoker, you might consider asking your doctor to order a stress test on you every few years. Cardiac events do seem to be involved in a lot of dive incidents and fatalities, especially in older divers.

 

[Darnold9999]

On my last liveaboard there was a diver who would admit to 70 something. My guess was closer to 80 than 70. In any event she was doing back to back 10 day trips was "only" doing 3 or 4 dives a day. Had to get help standing up with the tank and a little help getting out of the water at the top of the ladder, but in the water was as comfortable as any of us - and more than some of us.

 

[GrandpaScuba]

Stan Waterman is still diving. I believe he is in his eighty's.