Gear too heavy to walk on boat/climb ladder

[Crass3000]

I'll be in Bonaire sometime in the next few months and my mother has the same problem. We might try some boat dives where she jumps in the water after I am in and have her BCD. It worked well before but we had a horrible time with all the current in off of Florida using this method in January. We normally shore dive in MN. We might try the boat dives in Bonaire since there really isn't much of a current (where we would be diving). But I plan to just bring all our gear to the shore, get her out deep enough in the water where she can put her BCD on without hurting her back, and then we dive with her safely having no back problems. Basically I'm her Sherpa. My back has been giving me some problems lately though so I'm in the gym. It would suck if my back couldn't do the job. Diving Bonaire is so nice. That's why I want her to dive there.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Crass, you are a prince! your mom must have really raised you right.

 

[oldogre]

I am 82 and going to do a Sidemount class this month, to see if the system will help my dodgy right knee. (Wear and tear).
I also ask (and pay) for help with my tank.

 

[Centrals]

I am 82 and going to do a Sidemount class this month, to see if the system will help my dodgy right knee. (Wear and tear).

Wow!!!! Have fun.
BTW, which side would you cast your vote?

 

[Rich Keller]

My back has been giving me some problems lately though so I'm in the gym.

If you want to build core muscles outside of the gym try kayaking. Once you learn the proper way to paddle 80% of the stroke is done by using your core muscles not your arm muscles. It is great exercise and will get you out to places you would otherwise never see.

 

[EastEndDiver]

So what do you think about these:
The International Association for Handicapped Divers(IAHD), Handicap Scuba Association(HSA) and how about diveability.org?
Scuba diving is a recreational sport!
I have seen dangerous skiers.
And I won't mention lousy car drivers.

I think they are wonderful associations.If you read my post I did not single anyone out for any specific "deficit" .I have seen too many people diving who should NOT be in the water because they are a danger to themselves and someone else.

Just because someone is missing a limb or has a has a physical disability does not preclude them from diving in fact I think some of them try harder and become better divers than the average diver.

 

[KathyV]

I'm almost 60 and have done one week in Bonaire. I can't walk safely to jump off point with all the heavy gear on because of an old neck injury. In Bonaire, some captains were fine with helping (letting me sit on boat edge and bringing me my gear, and also letting me take off my gear in the water and hand it to them before climbing the ladder), and others were resentful. I don't really understand the scuba culture and could use guidance on how to approach this. Am I asking too much? About to do a colder dive in Catalina and it will be even harder with more lead on. Thank you for your insights.

We are in our 60s and we have similar issues; I have a bad back and a tricky knee and my husband has shoulder problems, but we still love to dive and want to continue for as long as we safely can do it. We would love to go back to Bonaire but we have hesitated because of all the gear hauling and long walks.

We are going back to Cayman Brac again this year. As others have mentioned, Reef Divers - the dive operation at the Brac Reef Beach Resort and the Little Cayman Reef Resort provide true valet diving.

When you check in the hotel they will give you a numbered net gear bag and instruct you to place your gear in it and leave it outside your room door. They come and get it and set up your tanks on the assigned boat - every day and every dive. (We always carry our camera and computers but let them take everything else.)

After each dive we just put the gear we want to take off the boat into the net bag (fins, mask, snorkel, etc.) and then dunk it in the rinse tank and set it in the storage room to dry and then rinse and hang up our wet suits. They will set up your bcd and regulator on fresh tanks and rinse down the boat and the gear.

When you are at a dive site, you just move to a seat at the back of the boat, they bring your gear to you and help you put it on and then you step off and dive. When it is time to exit you hand up your bcd and tanks to the divemaster to haul out of the water.

It is truly valet diving, my husband jokes that "they practically put the regulator into your mouth"! And the diving off Cayman Brac and Little Cayman is fantastic and the hotel is great - wonderful food!

The prices that the dive operation charges are consistent with other Cayman dive operators, but I agree that you should tip very well for the level of service that you receive.

I wish more dive operations in other locations would offer similar services at reasonable prices to attract aging Baby Boomers and other divers with physical limitations.

 

[Six Feet Under]

I'm only 24, but I have a bad elbow due to a gunshot wound I sustained about five years ago. Because of that, sometimes I have an issue with getting my BC and tank on when I'm still topside and I end up having to ask another diver near me for help to keep the whole system from twisting around until I can get my right arm through the harness. My whole distal humerus was shattered into literally dozens of pieces, and while it was repaired successfully, I lost some range of motion from it and it makes putting stuff with harnesses on a PITA sometimes... I run into the same issue whenever I go backpacking, I have to completely release all slack in the shoulder straps of my pack and adjust the whole shebang every time I want to put it on or take it off.

Life is so much easier once you're actually IN the water...

 

[tracydr]

I apologize if this is a repeat of another post, but I tend to agree with TS&M here. I too am approaching 60, dive primarily in the Great Lakes and exclusively wear double steels, a drysuit and haul a 30# camera around with me. I too have a gimpy neck, crippled wrist, chronically sore back (wonder why), and pull myself back into my RIB (without tanks of course). I certainly don't expect anyone on a charter to have to schlepp my crap for me.

Chicagolady, if you're having trouble with the gear, then respectfully, get thee to the gym and begin a weight-training program! Diving can be a strenuous activity and if you aren't up to the rigors of it, you should probably consider taking up bridge.

I know in my case (I will be 59 in November) I am certainly finding diving more strenuous and tiring as the years go by. I did three dives today, each in the 130' to 150' range, in 41°F water. I'm beat, and ready to go to bed! (That's why I didn't read every post in the thread!) None-the-less, I have just ordered a new drysuit, and have every expectation of continuing diving for at least another 10 years here, before a limit my diving to the Caribbean!

I mean no disrespect... being strong and fit are critical for diving. Because the "sport" doesn't require fitness 99.9% of the time, I believe it attracts older people more and more, as well as obese and out of shape people. However, when the excrement hits the oscillator, those that aren't prepared pay the price. I am aware of two fatalities in the past few weeks in these parts of older, unfit divers dieing of heart attacks.

I should add (and in case I have completely misunderstood the situation) but if you are a tiny wiff, then making sure that the dive operation has the right size of gear helps too. Mrs Stoo is 5'3", 100# on a "fat" day. Before we go someplace where we don't take our own gear, we inquire about, and reserve if possible, a smaller tank. An AL 80 comes down to her knees on land, so if the shop has a 65 or something, it really helps. Similarly, she has worked hard to reduce the lead she carries by really working on her buoyancy skills. I think she wears 8# of lead in a 5mm suit and hooded vest, down south. She also has trouble climbing ladders though, due to a skiing injury years ago. If the ladder isn't great, she doesn't hesitate to ask for some help, and she has never received anything but helpful cooperation.

Good luck, but get on that weight machine!

I'm 61" tall and hate using an AL80. I always request an AL 63 or, if cold water, I have an HP 80 for cold water as it is even shorter than the AL63. My biggest gripe using an HP tank is that many small dive shops can't or won't fill above 3,000 which gives me less gas.
For cold water, switching to a steel weighted backplate and a steel tank made a huge difference in comfort and ease of diving.

---------- Post added September 2nd, 2014 at 12:52 PM ----------

By "neck injury" she means spinal injury so no amount of exercise is going to help that, in fact that may make things worse. It might be a good idea for you to not just read but also comprehend what people are asking for before you comment.

---------- Post added August 25th, 2014 at 03:25 PM ----------



Oh good! Another amateur diver who is positive that he knows everything. I was beginning to worry we were running short of those.

---------- Post added August 25th, 2014 at 03:30 PM ----------

She is looking for a safe way to dive within her limitations. If you have ideas that might help thats fine, otherwise move on and bother someone else. There is no need to be rude in the New Diver thread or anywhere else for that matter.

I disagree that no amount of exercise will make her stronger. I fractured C-7 in 2001. The lengthy healing process required me to be in almost a body cast for 4 months and a smaller Philadelphia collar for 2 more.
My biggest source of pain was the weekend muscles of my neck, as well as core weakness. I do have some cord damage but the only thing it causes is some tricep and hand weakness.
Any time somebody has a significant injury of the neck or back it's important to do rehabilitation. I have found yoga, rowing and especially swimming greatly relieves a lot of my pain.
13 years later, I'm actually able to lift almost as much as when I was younger, although I do get neck pain when I do too much. This would be expected, especially since I have disk herniations above and below my fusion.
this morning I spent 2 hours fighting a large rotiller, trying to prepare my new garden, it wasn't easy but it makes me feel alive since I also know what it's like to be stuck in a wheelchair or body cast for months.

---------- Post added September 2nd, 2014 at 12:58 PM ----------

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a trip to the gym could reverse all those conditions that result from the aging process, it may help but doesn't fix lost cartilage, damaged tendons, damaged discs, arthritis and a host of other conditions that you acquire as you get older. Sometimes it is necessary to make accommodations for them and if that requires asking for assistance or switching to another dive configuration such as sidemount so be it. I am 67 and my diving has been curtailed this year due to shoulder surgery but I don't plan on hanging up my gear for at least another 10 years and I am sure I will be looking for assistance at some point during that time as I did during my recent dive trip with a shoulder that could not take much weight.

this is true however, keeping the muscles that support the damaged spine or joint stronger can greatly help to relieve pain or prevent further injury.
No amount of exercise is going to take away my joint disease or neck issues but it certainly does allow me to do more of the things I love to do.

---------- Post added September 2nd, 2014 at 01:08 PM ----------

This is for the OP: if you'd like to read something inspirational click on TSandM's blog and read her experience as a not so young beginner diver. It's a great story, which I think she alluded to when she said she couldn't lift or get out of the pool with an AL 80 when she started. She now dives doubles in cold water and caves!

 

[cdebbie]

I have been to Bonaire and most OPs will help. You do, as everyone else has mentioned, need to communicate your needs ahead of the dive. I would also make sure that you are properly weighted with lead. I have over 1000 dives and I have seen countless people who are really badly overweighted. I learned an easy test at a FREE buoyancy clinic at CoCo View Resort in Roatan Honduras. At the 15 foot safety stop, with all the air out of your BCD, cross your legs and see if you sink or rise. If you sink drop 2 lbs before your next dive then do the test again, until you drop enough weight to almost rise. The reason to do this at the safety stop is the have less air in the tank therefore making you lighter. You may have trouble going down, but there is no law that says you can't swim down or push down with your hands. This test applies to all diving, salt or fresh, cold or warm water. This test really helps and you may be surprised at how much lead you don't need.