Am I too old to get certified?

[Damselfish]

I'd agree can't hurt to get checked out but your ears don't sound weird, you may not actually have any problem at all. It sounds like no one ever really taught you to clear your ears. I don't think feeling pressure changes on a plane immediately is especially unusual either or indicates a problem, unless you can't deal with them. (My husband feels his ears got more sensitive to pressure changes after he started diving and he is one who has absolutely zero problems clearing his ears.

And the DM you had in Hawaii was definitely a twit. If it wasn't so long ago I'd say you should be reporting him to his agency. (As far as the "refresher course" that's generally a thing for people who are already certified but haven't dove in a awhile. Not only had you not dove in a really long time, but had probably not learned that much to refresh!)

 

[drbill]

Although I was certified in the 60s (both by my SCUBA instructor and my psychiatrist), I am now almost 63 and diving more intensely than I ever did in my youth. You're not too old as long as you are in decent shape.

 

[diver 85]

no & yes

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

You youngsters . I'll bet I can tell 20 minutes before the plane starts down.

You are older... so that means you need to work a bit more at staying in shape (ok, a lot more). You need to learn some new stuff. You need to learn equalization methods.

Go out there and have some fun.

You need a bumper sticker that says "worry less, do more!"

Ya know what, I have a sign on my wall at work that says "some mistakes are too much fun to only make once." :cool2:

Since I tuned 50, I've not only skydived but also went whitewater rafting. Did I opt for the beginner course in rafting..hell no..my first time had to be intermediate. Well, in a level 4 rapid I got thrown from the raft and pummeled at breakneck speed down the river over rocks and God knows what all...was rescued by my guide with his first-ever rope rescue....yay me. My injuries, you ask? A broken nail. I figure I got more bang for my buck on that trip than anyone else.

Thanks for the encouragement...I guess you can see I live a little on the wild side.

 

[Jax]

Ya know what, I have a sign on my wall at work that says "some mistakes are too much fun to only make once." :cool2:

Since I tuned 50, I've not only skydived but also went whitewater rafting. Did I opt for the beginner course in rafting..hell no..my first time had to be intermediate. Well, in a level 4 rapid I got thrown from the raft and pummeled at breakneck speed down the river over rocks and God knows what all...was rescued by my guide with his first-ever rope rescue....yay me. My injuries, you ask? A broken nail. I figure I got more bang for my buck on that trip than anyone else.

Thanks for the encouragement...I guess you can see I live a little on the wild side.

I love ya, man; you're my hero!

Go get properly trained! Then come join me and my dive buddy in San Carlos, Mexico in September - and I mean it!

Then, I'll talk you into a Harley . . .

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

I love ya, man; you're my hero!

Go get properly trained! Then come join me and my dive buddy in San Carlos, Mexico in September - and I mean it!

Then, I'll talk you into a Harley . . .

I swear I'm never gonna dive again until I get certified. Only takes one perferated eardrum to teach you that lersson.

Harley? I only bitch ride on those. :cool2:

 

[Shawley]

58 is definetly not to old just make sure you get a full physical and your healthly enough to dive! You definetly do not want to miss out on what we all enjoy and love!

 

[scubadada]

I have done 2 dives without ever taking a real class. The first one was in the late 80s in Puerto Vallarta. Did approx. 15 minutes in a 4 ft. pool at the hotel property with their DM evaluating whether I could breath with a regulator and use fins properly. It all came very naturally to me. Then, I did a 60 ft dive and was hooked. The other couple on our boat were shocked that was my first dive...they thought I acted like I'd been diving for years. :blinking: Ego boost deluxe but my ears bothered me for a couple of days after.

The next dive was in Maui in the late 90s. I had a "refresher course" at a picnic table in the dive shop reviewing the basics. During the descent I started experiencing a great deal of pain in my ear so I headed back up. The DM saw me and grabbed my ankle motioning that we were going down. I responded with, no, I'm going up and pointed to my ears. The idiot DM grabbed my ankle again and was trying to force me to continue descending. I kicked him off and continued my ascent. That dive resulted in a perferated ear drum. The Maui doc had a pre-packaged med pack for people with this affliction...he "sees it all the time."

I've never gotten over my desire to scuba dive but now I'm 58 and want to take classes so I can learn the proper way to dive. Am I too old to start and do I have any hope of ever being able to get my ears to cooperate? I've got very sensitive ears and even know when a plane is beginning its initial descent 15 minutes before it's announced. I swore off scuba diving after the Maui incident because I thought I had weird ears but I've been reading posts that have renewed my hope that I can overcome.

Is 58 too old to start and can I master the ear equalization techniques?

Thank you!

You're obviously way to old to dive. I'm only 56 with 442 dives, I will more than double that in the next ten years.

Good diving, Craig

 

[Jax]

I swear I'm never gonna dive again until I get certified. Only takes one perferated eardrum to teach you that lersson.

Harley? I only bitch ride on those. :cool2:

We need more woman on bikes!







:rofl4:

 

[Jax]

. . . wait a minute - your gender is unspecified . . . . guy or gal?