Deep Diving Risks for Divers 70 Years Old and Older.

[Divescape]

Hi all,

If you will permit me to give you a little background information first. We commonly dive in cold water 10-15 Cecilius (50-59F) limited viability 1-5m (3-16) being the norm. I usually buddy with my father who is now, you guessed 70, he has about 50 dives and is generally in good health with the exception that he has high blood pressure. He loves diving and i want to dive with him as long as he is able, but i wanted to research if there is any research or experience that would suggest that we stick to shallower depths.

thanks as always for you valuable insight.

 

[Storker]

I usually buddy with my father who is now, you guessed 70, he has about 50 dives and is generally in good health with the exception that he has high blood pressure. He loves diving and i want to dive with him as long as he is able, but i wanted to research if there is any research or experience that would suggest that we stick to shallower depths.

Age in itself isn't a big issue as long as his physical condition is good. There are, though, indications (anecdotal) that the body doesn't tolerate high nitrogen loadings as you age, so you might want to consider nitrox and/or upping the conservatism on your computers.

His BP, though, should be looked into. Hypertension is a counterindication to diving. However, if the BP is regulated with proper meds, there's no issue.

I'd recommend a physical by a competent MD to rule out any other things that might interfere with safe diving.



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[ajduplessis]

It's a tough one to answer, so many things to consider. Diving puts a lot of stress on the body and the older you are the bigger the stress. I know of old divers that still enjoys AOW type dives. My question to you: Why the focus on deep? I also assume you live in CT based on the water temp? I would suggest speaking to a diving doctor to hear his views based on an examination.

There are things that can help mitigate stress such as diving with a drysuit, Nitrox, extending your safety stop and sticking to a single dive days.

 

[Divescape]

It's a tough one to answer, so many things to consider. Diving puts a lot of stress on the body and the older you are the bigger the stress. I know of old divers that still enjoys AOW type dives. My question to you: Why the focus on deep? I also assume you live in CT based on the water temp? I would suggest speaking to a diving doctor to hear his views based on an examination.

There are things that can help mitigate stress such as diving with a drysuit, Nitrox, extending your safety stop and sticking to a single dive days.

Good question. There are a number of factors, the first being that as you mention i love diving in Smitswinkle bay 25-35m, as well as many other deep sites. I am willing to dive shallower depths however if the risk factor is higher with deep dives. Second is that my perception is that at depth there are more factors that could cause complications, for example rapid accent from depth, how many minutes to deco do you leave the bottom, risk of dci to name three. That is why i am looking for some answers because my perception is that i could limit his risk of serious injury by diving at shallower depths whilst still being able to continue diving with him.

 

[DavidFL]

Hi; I'm approaching 70 (~67 at the moment), although I live and dive in warmer water, I have done two of the things recommended in other responses: I dive Nitrox all the time, and I dive much more conservative profiles [supported by my own dive plans with tables and Suunto computers set to the most conservative "personal" settings]. I haven't restricted my depths; my log shows several ~120fsw in the last 12 months, but my plans and profiles are conservative and my dive buddy puts up with it. I don't have high blood pressure; if I did I would probably look to my medical consultants for pharmaceuticals to manage it and then try to do a thorough search about the hypertension meds; any interactions with my other meds; and any (new) contraindications from any of that to diving.

 

[Subcooled]

I would argue that joy and happiness and an active lifestyle will promote longevity more than giving up all those risky but fun activities. Depression does kill.
Others are better versed to describe best practices.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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[drbill]

I'm an old geezer (68 this year) and don't have any trouble diving to depths of 100-130 fsw. However, my physical health is good (for a geezer) and my blood pressure is reasonably low. In the not-too-distant past I'd do numerous deep air dives (to a max depth of 200 fsw, sometimes averaging 180 fsw on a three dive day). I never experiened any physical issues I was aware of, but prefer longer bottom times now and usually stay above 100 fsw.

I would have your Dad see a medical doctor who is familiar with SCUBA diving. Perhaps DAN can suggest one in your area. I am NOT a medical doctor... I only deal with fish (they don't sue for malpractice).

 

[Diverkip]

The question, swiped from Satchel Page, is "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" We all have different biological clocks. Some are too old for diving at 60. Others quite young at 70. Personally, I dive a conservative plan with a conservative computer and have a wonderful time. Personal max depth is 104 fsw and the only reason I went there was that there was something to see there that wasn't any shallower. And I do pay a lot of attention to how I feel before every dive but I think that makes sense no matter how old you are.

All that being said, untreated hypertension will spin the clock quite a bit faster and can easily be controlled.

 

[agilis]

I'm in very good physical condition for my age. I'm physically active, I walk a few miles almost every day, bike, run, and do moderate weight training, I watch my weight, am close to being a vegetarian, and wear the same size clothes I did in my 20s. Some of the jackets and shirts I stole from the Army are badly faded and worn, but still fit. So does my beloved narrow brimmed boonie, but that really doesn't count. My blood pressure is a pretty steady 115/75, and I have no serious health issues other than tinnitus. I still enjoy the company of women. I do fairly well without any blue pills, and if nature failed me I'd call it quits because I really dislike taking medications. Some recreational drugs, OK, but no statins or other nastiness.

I handle all my own equipment without effort, although the HP steel 80 is a bit of a strain. I no longer clamber down the rocks on my favorite jetties and inlets with the same agility as years ago, but I still manage. I usually dive solo. You learn to adapt and to compromise.

I'm 73. and I'm an active diver. Starting in my 60s I began dialing back the risk factors. For a few years 100 fsw was my new depth limit. Now it's about 80 fsw maximum, preferably less than 70. There are abundant statistics and a few studies that strongly indicate increasing age as a risk factor for DCS. One study indicates that this risk increases over time starting at age of 42. There are other things that go wrong with increasing frequency as we get older.

I usually dive with nitrox but set my computer on standard air. Even then I leave comfortable margins, never coming close to the ND limits. I use the tables assuming a square dive profile even when the dives are not, and cut them by almost a third anyway. I don't dive in cold (<60F) water anymore. I do long safety stops and ascend very slowly for those last few meters.

I leaned to swim before I could walk. We had a summer house on Barnegat Bay. I was a breath hold diver at seven. I'm completely comfortable in the water, but I'm very careful. If I feel even a little under the weather I call the dive. Naturally, my dives are shorter and fewer. I almost never do repeat dives unless they are very shallow. I've been scuba diving for about 50 years, and hope to squeeze in a few more. I think I'll know when to quit. I learned a long time ago not to kid myself.