90 years old female diver. World record?

[Wingy]

Leni has an amazing story. I had some old sports diver magazines with Leni on the cover and a huge article about a boat opening up a new dive areas....Raja Ampat...the boat being Pindito - I'd dived Edis Black Forrest on Tambora before I did Komodo on Pindito and found Edi on board and learnt about the boat and the people who really did pioneer diving in RA.
I gave Edi the magazine as a keep sake and he immediately asked me "And who is this woman on the cover?"...Val Taylor?...wrong! So I got to learn how Hitlers Film maker became a scuba diver and was still diving well into her 90s. Amazing story.

 

[drbill]

Please refer the following page from a Scubaboard thread for discussion about Leni Riefenstahl - 50+ year old divers

I was wondering when someone would mention Leni

 

[AdivingBel]

Several years ago I dived with a lady in the Lower/Slower Keys that was in her late 80's at that time and she was diving doubles off the boat. She was a local and the DMs knew her. They dropped her rig over the side and she geared up in the water as she had a bit of a difficult time making it to the dive platform (without her rig). At the end of the dive she doffed in the water and they hauled her rig up as she painstakingly made it up the ladder. She was an absolute mermaid in the water. She was inspiring.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

About 7 years shy

Dottie Mae Frazier
The worlds first female LA Co UW Instructor in 1956 -
in a very demanding course and a time that most thought no female could possibly pass
Dottie is 97 and going strong ...
dives when the mood strikes her

Dottie was followed by Barbara Allen 82-- doing great

The next year Zale Parry 86 -- only 4 years shy and still very active in diving

Dottie has been an LA CO UW Instructor for 63 years, Barbara for 62 and Zale for 61 years
3 other diving records which will probably never be broken

Sorry to burst your bubble

SDM

Wow, I would have loved to be certified by one of these women. Of course id be part of a large group with that many years instructing.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@ScubadriverDale
"Wow, I would have loved to be certified by one of these women. Of course id be part of a large group with that many years instructing. "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were all great instructors -- All very through and demanding instructors, They individually and collectively produced top quality divers via the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructor program , the worlds first and at the time of their training the only instructors program in the world

Dottie is small petite but very athletic and grew up in a commercial fishing family , Very water oriented
first female member of the Long Beach Neptunes Spear fishing club (Her granddaughter worked as a PA for my son who is a ER& Hyperbaric Doc)

Barbara is very tall over 6 foot very athletic and accomplished in every aspect of water sports
She visited with me two weeks ago

Zale is extremely small petite but also very athletic. In 1954 she set the women's world depth record, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and appeared in a number of Sea Hunt episodes and several Hollywood movies.

All are retired in sea side communities along the Pacific coast. We all remain in contact via visits and e mails

Sam Miller, III

 

[NAUI Wowie]

I can only hope to be in that shape at 90...or 85 for that matter.

@ScubadriverDale
"Wow, I would have loved to be certified by one of these women. Of course id be part of a large group with that many years instructing. "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were all great instructors -- All very through and demanding instructors, They individually and collectively produced top quality divers via the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructor program , the worlds first and at the time of their training the only instructors program in the world

Dottie is small petite but very athletic and grew up in a commercial fishing family , Very water oriented
first female member of the Long Beach Neptunes Spear fishing club (Her granddaughter worked as a PA for my son who is a ER& Hyperbaric Doc)

Barbara is very tall over 6 foot very athletic and accomplished in every aspect of water sports
She visited with me two weeks ago

Zale is extremely small petite but also very athletic. In 1954 she set the women's world depth record, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and appeared in a number of Sea Hunt episodes and several Hollywood movies.

All are retired in sea side communities along the Pacific coast. We all remain in contact via visits and e mails

Sam Miller, III

Mr. Miller thank you for that reply, that is really cool info! Barbara is very tall! Zale being in movies and TV, Dottie being the first ever female in a male dominated club that long ago wow

I love reading these types of messages

 

[lowflyer]

All you people who think it's so cool to dive with an old person, give me a call; I'm available

 

[AdivingBel]

All you people who think it's so cool to dive with an old person, give me a call; I'm available

LOL...don't want to dive with just any old old person ...just hope to dive AS an old person and found it a source of optimism...
Anyway, hope you're enjoying diving and I would be happy to dive with you.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@ScubadriverDale
posted
"Mr. Miller thank you for that reply, that is really cool info! Barbara is very tall! Zale being in movies and TV, Dottie being the first ever female in a male dominated club that long ago wow

I love reading these types of messages "'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those three extemporary women lead the way so long ago for all the women divers of the world to follow and emulate.
The women divers, basic divers to instructors, on this board and all female divers of the world owe a huge debt of unbridled gratitude to then for leading the way

They are truly "American Diving Treasures"

SDM

 

[DandyDon]

We dove with one ancient fellow once off of Marathon key I think it was. I was not rude enough to ask his age, but he was up there. He dove a homemade, wooden backplate, used a cutup 2½ gallon jug for a gear bag. Watched him in the water some, and he did breathe - rarely.