I began diving aka "Goggling" in the mid 1940s as a result of a very serious eye infection that required eye protection while swimming. A pair of crude goggles opened up a new world for me and I never looked back.
I made my first "Lung dive" aka SCUBA on May 31 1951 at Divers cove Laguna Beach Caifornia. After service in the Korean war I returned to OC and resumed diving, becoming the third L.A. County Underwater instructor in OC which at that time had two dive shops. I established my own training program and as the shops increased taught for some of them, including US Divers company dive course, but spent about 15 years teaching Advanced Diving, Underwater Photography and Diving Emergency Procedures (aka Dive Med) at Orange Cost College in California as an adjunct instructor.
I retired from active SCUBA instructing after 28 years and my practice about ten years ago but not active diving so began seriously traveling the world over in pursuit of diving activities;
but I am the first to admit I am not as the gorilla diver that I once was.
With the publication of my first article in 1959, I began documenting diving and have been published in several languages and in many of the international, national and regional dive publications. What follows was authored eight years ago in my local news paper dive column "Dive Bubbles" which possibly answers many of the questions about senior divers, which at I suspect that with excess of over 6000 Scuba dives, unknown number of free dives, 60 years of experience and approaching 80-with the title of Doctor, I some how quantify as an
Expert--???.
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HOW OLD IS OLD???
By Dr. Samuel Miller
"I was having my usual Wednesday delicious cup of cafE latte at Andrinis’s cafe, solving the problems of the world with my senior counterparts, Don Pieper, Joyce Ward and the junior components of our jolly group, Mike Rees, Dave and Pam Carroll, Russ and Patty Fish and Deed Dee Float the founding members and loadstones of the group, Wally and Debbie Conger (as in Darva Conger! (His cousin).
I was casually out lining my dive trips for the rest of the year, Canada to present a program at Scuba 2000, some antique dive equipment trading, a north island kayaking trip and a dip in Tobermory bay to explore the many shipwrecks that have been suspended in time. Back to again to Egypt and the Red Sea, our second trip this year, for some more world class sightseeing and certainly some of the worlds best diving. Finally our Baja trip, which my dear red headed wife, Betty, and I have visited so many times, it is like going to our second country and second home. We will spend three weeks kayaking, free diving spear fishing, eating a heck of a lot of fish and tortillas and reconnecting with my Mexican heritage.
It was Joyce or Don who posed the question and opened the discussion, “Sam how long can you continue to dive?” Perhaps also imply why don't you mature and go on senior vacations, like cruises, perhaps tour the museums or cathedrals of Europe, or maybe even take up old man’s sports like golf, card playing or trot next door purchase every thing Pete Skarda has for sale and become a “Jenuwine worm drowning wishing stick fisherman. Well! That’ll be the day!
I was reminded of a conversation on a lovely day many years past- well over fifty years ago. I was relaxing between dives on my trusty boat “Miss Tish” enjoying the warm noon day sun with my diving companion of that time frame Harry Vetter. (NAUI Instr #4 -I am #27) “Boy this is the life” I though, “good boat, good diving, good companions.” “Wonder how long we can continue diving?” I ask Harry who was five years my senior and had about three years diving experience on me. “I don't know but the “old Walrus”, Charlie Sturgill, he’s 43 and still is going strong” was Harry’s reply. . “Look at that fish boil over there, might be Berries but could be Yellows!” Harry exclaimed breaking our trance like daydreaming as we placed the Green Churchill fins on our feet and the rugged homemade mask, Charlie had fashioned for us, on our face. With our tried and trusty shoot’ en irons firmly grasped in our hand we silently entered the chilly Palo Verdes water for a look see without the protection of a floatation device, warmth of a wet suit or knowledge of a diving class. (we used wool sweaters and long underwear for thermal protection)
Much has been written about the minimum age to begin diving, but very little about the seniors. What is the age that a diver should think about another activity? What is the maximum age a person should begin to dive?
There are very few adult active sports that are immune to some sort of long term serious effect, jogging, bike riding, tennis, golf, skiing, surfing, they all have a down side of injuries and human deterioration.
Diving certainly isn't immune; it targets the ears, bones and ancillary systems. At the "Fathers of free Diving and Spear Fishing" ceremonies in January this year (2000), the majority of the honorees, all in their late 60s, many in their 70’s, a smattering in their 80’s and a few kissing 90 had diminished hearing, many sported hearing aids, while others relied on animated gestures and strong booming voice for conversation. These were “Diving’s Greatest Generation,” the ones that free dove long before the introduction of Scuba, consequently had uncountable numbers of equalizations on their ear‘s delicate tympanic membrane, causing long term damage.
There is also that real problem of “external auditory meatus exostosis” a medical term of a condition that is seldom heard or taught in the modern abbreviated diving courses. It is a bony growth in the external ear canal caused by prolonged exposure to cold water. A sort of a bony stalagmite/stalactite growth in the external ear, when fully developed will obstruct the canal, reduce hearing and entrap water causing all sorts of nasty painful infections. Do not despair it is very common in veteran surfers, swimmers and creaky old divers. I’ve had a bilateral EAM Exostosis for at least 25 years; I must wash my ears with a solution of white vinegar and alcohol after every dive to prohibit infections. I also say HUH? A lot to my red headed wife Betty, and when she’s away I entertain all of Pismo Heights with my music selections.. There is a removal option; a sort of medical roto rooter type device that will remove these pesky little growths, but not quite yet!
Diving does have two affections that are almost proprietary, the bends and aseptic bone necrosis. In the beginning the dive tables was a chart of time and depth, one dive every 12 hours. Initially it was subscribed to as if Moses had carried it down from the mount, but then the law started to get bent, as did the divers at an ever-increasing rate. Interesting symptoms began appearing, tingling, rashes, coughs, irritated joints, but in a few days they disappeared and were forgotten. They had to be forgotten since there were very few recompression chambers available to recreational divers. The charts gave way to tables, to repetitive tables and finally the battery operated “bendomatic” computers, “no batteries no brains” as the number of bends case clogged the now ubiquitous decompression chambers
Associated with the bends is "Aseptic Bone Necrosis," a medical term when translated into human talk means the death of a bone in the absence of bacteria. How does that happen? World-renowned experts are yet to agree on its etiology, some say prolonged exposure to the depths, others insist that it is the frequency of dives; current buzz is improper surfacing from any depth. That is one of the major reasons to momentarily stop around the ten foot mark for a few minutes when surfacing from any depth. There are only 206 or so bones in the body and not one to spare! When your out of bones you’re out of a body skeleton
With all these wonderful diving affections along with the other wonderful senior events, strokes, heart attacks, joint replacements, skin cancer and cataracts affecting “Diving’s Greatest Generation” when should seniors stop diving?. Cousteau made a dive on his 80th birthday, his naval commanding officer and his diving inspiration (who introduced him to free diving) Philippe Tailliez made a Scuba Dive on his 92d birthday. When even they damn well please! They have earned the right and privilege of diving as long as they wish.
When then should it be appropriate for the grandparents to start diving? If they are athletically fit and realize their limitations, just about any age. They must recognize that the other senior divers who began with the sport are products of the SAID principle. SAID is one of those wonderful acronyms; Specific Adaptation to the Imposed Demands. To illustrate, an individual who has had a long-term adaptation to a specific activity has developed the skills, muscles and know how to perform the requirements of a given activity indefinitely with minimum ease and impact upon his body. Or even simpler a novice can never out perform the master.
The prostate Poseidons and menopause mermaids, those arthritic athletes who were members of Diving’s Greatest Generation were privileged participants in an era that will never be experienced again up on this earth. Few in numbers they are, like the call of the running tide, dwindling in numbers.
Editors note: Dr. Miller was one of 88 pioneer divers in the world to be honored as an “International Father of Free Diving and Spear Fishing” at the first induction ceremonies in January (2000) of this year in San Diego."
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Since that meeting about 50% of the inductees are now diving in that big reef in the sky
Your comments?
sdm
