At what age did this start happening to you?

[Insta-Gator]

Hi,

I turned 71 this year; my wife is a mere 66 and our best dive buddies are a couple who are 74 and 70. We consistently find ourselves the oldest divers on most boats. We still do shore dives so we can be the youngest on a dive--since we are normally the only divers!

All that said, we consider ourselves good divers: last week we did 6 dives and had bottom times of ca. 1 hour and 20 minutes at 65'. Not bad for OF's. In fact, we usually have the best bottom times on most dives since we tend to be the most relaxed divers.

So, guys, hang in there and keep enjoying the "wet"!

joewr

Good for you! We're only 60 yo so I hope I'm still going strong when I grow up.

 

[Twoblues]

I think it's that evil P.C. - Mike

---------- Post added February 3rd, 2014 at 05:55 PM ----------

Thanks for making me laugh,j2s -Mike

 

[drbill]

I've been diving for 50+ years. Anyone who thought I might stop due to increasing age alone certainly doesn't know me well. However, I'm sure I've been asked this question... but it was just too preposterous to remember.

 

[agilis]

I'm 71 and have been scuba diving for more than 50 of those years. I learned to swim before I was 3, and became addicted to snorkeling when I was about 8 years old. When I learned to swim WW2 was still raging, my father was still overseas, and wreckage from sunken ships still littered the NJ beaches. I have dim memories of my mother (a competitive swimmer) pointing out the huge fire blackened timbers and telling me about the German submarines..

Over the years I've had many diving partners and companions, none of whom still dive. These old friends will occasionally ask if I still dive, and this is fine with me; from them the question does not bother me in the slightest. I am less tolerant when I get the question from others, especially from the relatively new divers who tend to hang out in dive shops like lizards on a warm rock.

It's flattering when they assume I'm 10 or 15 years younger than my actual age, but then I remind myself that although 55 or 60 sounds young to me, to them it's ancient. I've had some kids refuse to believe me, mentioning relatives of theirs who are my age and who use walkers and suffer from all sorts of age related disabilities that I have been lucky enough to avoid. When I travel I dread the point at which I hand over my C cards. I've seen dive operators blanch. One result is that I avoid going to places or shops where I'm not already well known. It's not worth all the fuss and awkwardness.

 

[shoredivr]

I'm in my mid fifties. Last summer my crazy dive friends and I were on a boat in the St Lawrence with a couple, he was 78, she was in her early 70s. They were both diving steel doubles and drysuits. They work out, they come north in the summer and stay in Florida in the winter and dive, dive, dive. That is my goal, to be 78 and jumping off the back of a charter boat in the St. Lawrence.

Since I'm always asking about diving, nobody asks me "do you still dive?"

 

[Darkforeboding]

Ummm...55 :-(

DFB

 

[Sam Miller III]

Yes it has happened numerous times, numerous places on numerous boats by numerous late model tube sucking bubble blowing "dive masters." If requested I have on hand a number of instructor cards most are 2 digit some as high as 4 digits. After viewing the I instructor certifications I am immediately addressed as "Sir" and my wife who has been diving longer than most is addressed as "Madam"

I am some what older than all of you. I began my UW activities before most of you took your first breath.In the event you would like to know more me it is suggested that you refer to my post in the "Passing" thread about the late great "Art Pender; the king of sling"

SDM

I don't frequent this board and especially this thread very often

What about DivemasterDennis? He has huge amount of post but not one person said come on in!

4485 (four thousand four hundred eight five) hits and none positive!

It is assumed some of you read his 65 page "Book" and said "No Mas?"

SDM

 

[Bob DBF]

I've been asked this most of my life, 50 years on SCUBA, but it has been by acquaintances that knew I was diving last time they saw me and think I might have moved on to other activities. Anyone that knows me well understands it will take a real problem, if not death, to stop me. I'm only 66, but at this age...


Bob
----------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[TMHeimer]

I turn 60 in 2 months. We are doing our usual 3 "snowbird" months on the Gulf of Mex. (FL panhandle). There are what we call "Really" old folks in these particular condos. That is on average probably 10 yrs. our senior. Nobody in the condos dives of course. But a couple of weeks ago I got asked the very question by some old fart--"You still dive"? Holy crap, do I LOOK that old now?

 

[Donnah]

I'm almost 70, and my husband/buddy is 72. We are almost always the oldest on the boat. We'll be diving until one of us can't. We are now warm water divers -- no more Great Lakes for us. When I tell people I dive, they say "Oh, don't you mean snorkel?"