Am I too old for this?

[caydiver]

Thats great advice. Also there are wonderful groups that teach special needs to individuals from military to kids that are always searching for qualified bodies to support the support teams and be spotters in the water. That might be a really awesome way to get more involved and even just being a buddy is an incredible learning experience.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Number one rule of life
Don't fail retirement

Basic guide for retirement

Do what you want to do
When you want to do it
With whom you want to do it
Where you want to do it
How you want to do it
Why you want to do it

But you are too old too inexperienced to become an effective UW instructor
Became a DM or just hang out at the local dive shop

Sam Miller, 111
(retired for 26 years)

 

[Soloist]

Here is a similar thread. Post #6 pretty much sums it up. Regardless it could be interesting.

How old is too old to start a career in diving?

 

[BradMM]

Glad I found this post because I was just getting ready to ask the same question! I'm 64 and retiring at the end of this month. I have no need or desire to make any money at it but would like to dabble in trying to help kids learn to explore the underwater world, especially ones who might not otherwise get the opportunity if I didn't help subsidize them.

I guess Sam Miller answered my question. Maybe I need more experience to be good at it. I paid for a class back in 2015 but dropped out in part because I didn't like MY instructor.

 

[Olddiver1950]

Here's my take on it. I am 68, been diving for about 20 years but only active for 9. Im a retired engineer and been retired for 5 years. Just finished my DM and started DM'ing for a local dive shop. While in the DM class I wanted to become instructor and investigated the heck out of it. Another DM friend of mine told me he would never become an instructor for several reasons. It wasn't going to be his career, too much money to continue the rating and insurance, too much paperwork. I decided to stay a DM. Why? After DM'ing for several classes I was there to help, to go where needed, to set up, to take down, to interact with students when asked but didn't have to interact with all the students. I watched the hours of paperwork that my shop goes through and after a career of paperwork I didn't have to do it for diving. So, I highly recommend becoming a better and more experienced diver whatever that means for you. Rescue diver was a breakthrough for me focusing on others rather than myself. DM really made me a better diver and made me realize a lot of things that I can do to help others without a lot of the legal and ethical responsibilities. I make zero dollars DM'ing. I might get a discount on equipment, free air, a ride with instructors to the test site, and thanks for helping out. But I did it not for the dollars but for the interest, the activity and the fun. BTW, I'm signed up to DM on warm water and 100' vis dive trips but that list at my shop is mighty long. I fear I am doomed to 6' vis and 65 degree water for a while. But if I can help I will. Keep blowing bubbles!

 

[flyboy08]

I don’t know?..all these DM are so young and in great shape it would be a relief to have a geriatric guide geriatrics I think. I’ve been tossing the idea around as well, but my dreams are in the Caribbean or Asia.....last time I retired (at 41) I taught part time at a local college aviation classes....I might just do that again, but sand, beach, clear warm water sure beats NYC in retirement

Life is SHORT! I say go for it!

 

[Islandheart]

I'm 67 now and retired from the US Navy in '94. I also worked in construction home building and retired from that in '02.

I am now an Instructor Trainer for SDI and run the Professional Development Center for Divers Supply here in Jacksonville, Fl. I run monthly Dive Master, Instructor Development and Course Director courses.

Today it seems the majority of our professional students are from the 35-65 age range. The videos of fancy free, bubble-ring blowing instructor candidates is a bit far from reality.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Islandheart

I guess you are successful according to my values

Number one rule of life
Don't fail retirement

Basic guide for retirement

Do what you want to do
When you want to do it
With whom you want to do it
Where you want to do it
How you want to do it
Why you want to do it

When I retired I had 28 years of instructing beginning in 1958 and terminating in 1986...Long before all the instructor alphabets came along - It was a great part time activity

Previously I had 4 dedicated magazine columns in regional and national magazines, so as a hobby I began writing "Dive Bubbles" for the local news paper - The first news paper in the US and possibly the world dedicated to recreational diving -- How about that !

Whatever you do in retirement don't fail retirement !






Sam Miller, 111
(retired for 26 years)

DD

 

[TMHeimer]

I DMd OW courses age 58-61 inclusive. Enjoyed assisting after a career as a teacher, since I got back into education without the buck stopping with me. I guess it depends on what shape you're in. I suppose you could DM for a couple of years and then go for instructor before mid-60s. Some instructors do a fine job without a decade of experience. Others not so much.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Here's my take on it. I am 68, been diving for about 20 years but only active for 9. Im a retired engineer and been retired for 5 years. Just finished my DM and started DM'ing for a local dive shop. While in the DM class I wanted to become instructor and investigated the heck out of it. Another DM friend of mine told me he would never become an instructor for several reasons. It wasn't going to be his career, too much money to continue the rating and insurance, too much paperwork. I decided to stay a DM. Why? After DM'ing for several classes I was there to help, to go where needed, to set up, to take down, to interact with students when asked but didn't have to interact with all the students. I watched the hours of paperwork that my shop goes through and after a career of paperwork I didn't have to do it for diving. So, I highly recommend becoming a better and more experienced diver whatever that means for you. Rescue diver was a breakthrough for me focusing on others rather than myself. DM really made me a better diver and made me realize a lot of things that I can do to help others without a lot of the legal and ethical responsibilities. I make zero dollars DM'ing. I might get a discount on equipment, free air, a ride with instructors to the test site, and thanks for helping out. But I did it not for the dollars but for the interest, the activity and the fun. BTW, I'm signed up to DM on warm water and 100' vis dive trips but that list at my shop is mighty long. I fear I am doomed to 6' vis and 65 degree water for a while. But if I can help I will. Keep blowing bubbles!

This is pretty much my take on professional level diving. I just signed up for Master Scuba Diver since it's a prerequisite for DM and hope to get more knowledge out of the class aside from just the dives. I've done all of the dives required on my own so none of that will be at all a new experience to me. But I honestly don't know that I have any interest in becoming an instructor. I think I might enjoy actually instructing, especially kids under 18. My son is currently doing the PADI Seal Team training and he absolutely loves it! And he's taken to it even better than I'd hoped he would. Kids seem to have a passion for such things and show much more readily than adults. They're excited to learn to dive! So I think maybe if I focused on instructing that specific group of new divers, that might be well worth it, and certainly not for the money. But the paperwork required, the insurance and ratings, hell even the initial cost of the Instructor course.....I just don't know that I want all of that. So for now I'm going to stick with DM and see what I can get out of that. After all, more than anything else, I just want to give back to the diving community and help guide others into this wonderful world we get to experience. And if I can maybe get gear discounts, free air, etc., well that might be nice, too.