scrane
Contributor
69 years old. wtf? Let's dive!
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
O It occurred to me that according to PADI I'm now supposed to plan my dives as if they were 10 feet deeper.
OK, so I'm a tiny bit over 50, and one of my pools recently shocked me by saying I now qualify for a senior discount. Horrors... but I'll take it! It occurred to me that according to PADI I'm now supposed to plan my dives as if they were 10 feet deeper. I started wondering, how do you progress as a diver and at the same time scale back risk? Part of me feels like I could risk MORE now... less time left, gonna die anyway, you know. So old guys, how do you approach this?
Ah you misunderstand, it is quite the opposite: I have always wondered why young people, who have so many years before them, and perhaps dependent children and so forth, are expected to be adventurous and take risks, whereas old people, who have less time left anyway, are expected to be risk averse, perhaps to subside into a recliner with a TV remote, to step aside and let the busy young get on with their adventures. When I was young I wondered: shouldn't it be the other way around? And now that I'm getting older, while I find myself perhaps more cautious, which I consider wise, and the body has certain limitations, in terms of choosing to be adventurous I do think I feel MORE adventurous! However, I might choose different adventures now, and I'm curious what others choose.
Go warmer, more shallow and longer.OK, so I'm a tiny bit over 50, and one of my pools recently shocked me by saying I now qualify for a senior discount. Horrors... but I'll take it! It occurred to me that according to PADI I'm now supposed to plan my dives as if they were 10 feet deeper. I started wondering, how do you progress as a diver and at the same time scale back risk? Part of me feels like I could risk MORE now... less time left, gonna die anyway, you know. So old guys, how do you approach this?
Great advice! Luckily, just as some dream of the deep, I dream of the shallows: I love the photosythetic zone where all the colors show! I think it would be cool to do it in some offbeat places...Go warmer, more shallow and longer.
Good points about the tanks... gotta try sidemount! Other tips great too thanks Alexander!I`m not over 50 (but over 40), and for me I use some extra safety tricks:
I use sidemount, because I`m too lazy, and for me carry two 10L steel tanks is much better than one Al80. You no need to raise it over 10cm from surface, as for backpack, that you need to raise over 1m.
Also I try to use main tank with air and second tank with nitrox, and on the ascend I use nitrox, but follow air rules. Just for health. And on the bottom you can use even for 40m Nx32 without problems, in case of immediate ascent.
Also my VT-3 start to count safety stop from 6 till 4m, and I try to use Minimal Deco Tables rule - does not matter, how deep was your dive - you have stops 12m - 1min (but I verry rare follow it), 9m-1min (or I just slowly ascending from 10 to 8 for 2min), than 6m-3min, 3m-3min.
And when we dive in group, and when we are waiting for others, I try to stay at 1m as long as possible, just for bouyancy training - it is very good practice, because it most difficult depth for that.