Younger Divers - Perceptions of the Aged.

[Rick Inman]

In response to a question in another forum regarding the perceptions of younger divers, a question popped into my head: "How do older divers (> 40 yrs. old) perceive younger divers?"

For all of you over 40, what do you think when you see divers on the boat or shore that are 30, 20, years old, or teenagers?

 

[Doc]

I think- thank heavens- they're not all stuck in front of PC Monitors.

 

[NadMat]

I think it is great when I see anyone of any age diving, as long as they are doing so reasonably safely. And of course, it is usually nicer to view the young firm hotties than the often less than firm, and sometimes wrinkly older folks(self included).

 

[Footslogger]

I think they are fortunate to have gotten involved in diving while they were young.

I discovered diving when I got out of the service in 1971 and have been diving every since. Back then at 21, living in south Florida I had the diving world in the palm of my hand ...or so I thought at the time.

I've been married and raised 2 children, both of whom had tanks on their backs by age 9. That is one gift I've never regretted giving them. Got them both to AOW and told them the rest was up to them.

My daughter, now 29, joined my wife and I on our most recent liveaboard trip in Belize. We talked a lot about the ages of people onboard and her comment was that she wished more young people were on the trip. But then she admitted that most people her age aren't settled in their careers enough yet to afford diving or got married young and having different priorities (raising children, buying houses etc.)

'Slogger

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think ... "wish I'd have started at that age" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[VKdiver]

My only wish when seeing and diving with younger people is that they are still as enthusiastic about diving and preserving our oceans and water habitats after they too have been diving for almost 20 years. If so, their instructors and mentors will have have earned a "job weel done".

 

[Guba]

I was going to start this thread myself (after reading the replies in the opposite thread), but you beat me to the punch!
As a professional educator, it's exciting to have the opportunity to experience the underwater world, collect images, video and data, and then bring it all back to the classroom for my students. Naturally, many of them are encouraged and inspired to learn to dive themselves. Therefore, it's usually elating to see young people on the dive boats and in the lakes and quarries, many of them experiencing diving for the first time.
The only pangs of usease I feel are when the very young (pre-teens) are the sole partners to what I take to be one of their parents. It's not that I'm opposed to younsters getting certified. Not at all. I do experience misgivings, however, when I see a parent "groom" their child as a dive partner at a very early age. I know that children can learn to be excellent divers, but my feelings of unease rise from fears about what might happen in an emergency. Certainly, most can handle crises with training. But I have to ask just how capable a 100 pound child is of rescuing their 220 pound father (in gear, no less). In essence, the adult is diving "partnerless".
Now before I get jumped on here, let me explain the real reason for me going out on a tangent like this (probably should be a different thread, I know). I worry most about the psychological implications of dealing with an emergency. Just say the horrible does happen, and the child is unable to save their parent (whether it was because they were physically unable to or not is irrelevant...it could be something totally unrelated to the dive that causes the accident...heart attack or some such). How capable is the child in handling the stresses and psychological damage that would likely result? I can assure you, recovering from this sort of experience is tough, even for an adult. I worry that the extremely young might never recover fully.
Okay, sorry to blather on about what, in truth, is an extremely rare event. In short, I love to see young divers. I wish them all the wonder and enjoyment that a long life of diving might provide.
Godspeed.
Guba (my granddaughter can't say "Grandpa Scuba")

 

[nolatom]

I don't pay much attention to age. Attitude's more important. I'm 56, doesn't really matter to me if buddy's 16 or 86. In my limited experience, I've found that generalizations about age and diving are not possible.

 

[djanni]

I'm thinking how much I wish I'd started diving at that age.

 

[Walter]

There's no difference.