Diving after 65

[MargaritaMike]

Amen to keeping your legs fit. Many is the time throughout my life I have said, " Legs don't fail me now!" and because I have always kept my legs strong and flexible I survived to tell (or not tell) the tale. The other side of that coin is try to keep your core and upper body flexible. The answer is to "move it or lose it".
Therr is no real answer. Your body will tell you when it isn't ready to dive. Listen to it.

Cheers - MM

 

[BoltSnap]

At age 67, I agree with this. I am not in the best physical condition in the world, but I do exercise a lot. This enables me to keep up with the youngsters with whom I do tech diving, and it enables me to teach tech diving to those youngsters. In that world, I do all my share of the physical activities, like carrying gear and setting up facilities. No one does any of my work in consideration of my age. My gear includes Worthington LP 108 doubles, which weigh over 100 pounds with the manifold and tank bands. Add a backplate, regulators, canister light, backup lights, etc., and you are starting to talk about real weight.

Most of the diving I do these days is technical. I will still do two deco dives a day in the 200 foot range, but if we are going much deeper, I will only do one. I will do a 250+ foot dive in the morning and then shallow, training dives in the afternoon. I am planning to do a trip to the south Pacific next spring, so I will get in a good load of regular, recreational diving. I will do those dives with two friends my age. We dived together in Bali last year, doing three dives a day while we were there. Before that we were on a liveaboard in Australia, doing 4 dives a day.

This the most inspiring and comforting post I have read in a long while (there are others from other people, but this is the most ). Thank you so much and I wish you many more decades of safe and enjoyable diving!!

 

[BoltSnap]

I have a comment for those who are suggesting sidemount as a recommendation for an aging population. While it has its advantages, it has its disadvantages, too. I know this will sound like heresy, but for most diving, I prefer backmount.

I had an experience that might be instructive.

I started to have arm problems following dive trips--both arms, the right one especially, would get a strange combination of numbness and pain. When I had the same experience after carrying my granddaughter on my shoulders during a long hike, I decided that carrying my doubles on shore at the dive site or on the boat was the problem. I went to a spine specialist, and I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. They said that was definitely my problem. I got sidemount certified, but it didn't seem to be doing me all that much good. As my problems increased, I went to a different doctor and got a completely different diagnosis. Oh, I had the spinal stenosis all right, but that was not what was causing the problem. My problem was carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist, and the pain and numbness were the results of a weekend of carrying gear around. He did a surgical release, and the problem went away completely. It even cured the problem in my left arm--apparently the brain sometimes has trouble identifying the source of pain.

So now I have no problems at all with backmounted doubles, even my anvil-like Worthingtons. IMO, the most important thing you need for the weight of scuba tanks is reasonably strong legs. Keep your legs strong, and your scuba life will be good.

You are awesome tonight @boulderjohn!! Excellent information again!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have a comment for those who are suggesting sidemount as a recommendation for an aging population. While it has its advantages, it has its disadvantages, too. I know this will sound like heresy, but for most diving, I prefer backmount.

Agree in theory, but in practice it really depends on the circumstances, the problem you're trying to solve, and the type of diving you're doing. Sidemount has proven to be a significant solution for many aging divers in my area, primarily because it allows them to move gear to and from the water independent of getting in or out themselves. The drawback is multiple trips ... and a sometimes significant increase in preparation time. But the benefit is less strain walking between the water and wherever they're staging their equipment (we do mostly shore diving here).

In my case, the reason for going to sidemount was that my aging body just isn't as limber as it used to be ... and managing backmounted valves became an issue. Sidemount allows me to continue doing dives where doubles are appropriate, which I would not be able to do in backmount due to the valve management issues.

There are, as you say, disadvantages to sidemount ... but those can be managed. It really depends on the type of diving you're doing as to whether or not it's an appropriate solution ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[boulderjohn]

There are, as you say, disadvantages to sidemount ... but those can be managed. It really depends on the type of diving you're doing as to whether or not it's an appropriate solution ...

I absolutely agree with this. You use the right tool for the right job. I originally chose sidemount for the reason you describe--getting the tanks down to the water more easily and putting them on whilst in the water. When I discovered that the physical problems that I thought made that necessary no longer existed for me, that reason went away. There are other reasons, though, and I still dive sidemount from time to time. When I am doing a deep dive with stage and deco bottles, I much prefer backmount.

 

[george_austin]

Proper diet, exercise, sleep and don't drink - especially before or after diving

 

[boulderjohn]

don't drink - especially before or after diving

Definitely do not drink immediately after diving. Be sure to wait until you are completely off the boat ladder to avoid costly spills.

 

[wildbill9]

But it's ok to drink while diving.......makes taking a pony bottle much more fun!

 

[MargaritaMike]

Be sure to wait until you are completely off the boat ladder to avoid costly spills.

The costly spills are otherwise known as alcohol abuse. I was wonder how I was going to manage. They normally deliver me to the boat straight from the alcohol detox ward at the local hospital. I didn't get my name by accident.
Cheers - MM

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Hummm,

Can't drink before diving (how many hours? Days?). Can't drink after diving (how many hours? Days?).

No wonder it's hard to get young people interested in scuba diving!