I recently listened to an episode of Tec Clark’s Dive Locker Podcast where he interviewed Dan Orr about training older divers. In many of our classes we see a wide range of ages from pre-teen to retirees who are seeking their next adventure in life. I could definitely relate to the discussion between Tec and Dan. There are many articles out there that talk about aging divers but it also got me thinking about another question. Are you too old to become a scuba diving professional? We all know that there is a minimum age to become a dive professional but there is no upper age limit. As I did a little more research I found that there is little if any discussion related to becoming a dive professional later in life.
What do you consider to be old? Is it thirty something or maybe fortyish? I have read that some people consider 60 the new 40. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you have a passion for scuba diving and a desire to share that passion then you can pursue your dream of becoming a scuba diving professional. Beware however, it isn’t as easy as you might think.
I did not discover scuba diving until I was 49 years old. I wanted to challenge myself with a new sport before I turned 50. For many years I had been a competitive runner but found it difficult to maintain the rigorous training schedule. Additionally, the osteoarthritis in my knee forced me to give up running. I loved running and it was difficult knowing I could not do it any longer. I replaced running with scuba diving. It became an absolutely amazing life-changing experience. We were not designed to be on the bottom of a swimming pool breathing. Scuba diving was now a major focus in my life. It would be a couple of years later that I took the plunge as a PADI Divemaster and then just after I turned 54, I became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.
I can remember going through my PADI Instructor Development Course and Instructor Exam with a couple of young men. They were in their mid to late twenties. Now I am not going to tell you that I had no problem keeping up with the youngsters but I held my own. Yes as we get older we do slow down a bit but hopefully we make up for it with wisdom and experience. Well at least a little bit of wisdom and a little bit more experience. At the same time, you shouldn’t think that with your age and experience you have all the answers. You must open up your mind and be prepared to learn what it takes to be a scuba diving professional.
I saw an ad on TV that said “Age is just a number and mine is unlisted”. When it comes to being a scuba instructor, age is a consideration but only in the context of whether you can handle the physical and mental challenges of teaching and leading students. You can’t have a bad day and need to be physically able to handle not only your safety but the safety of those who have entrusted us with their training. Mentally, you must be able to remain focused, in the moment and able to anticipate any challenges. Patience is also critically important. Take it from me, the older I get it seems I have even less patience than before.
Over the past several years, we have had scuba divers turning pro as early as nineteen. We also had someone become a PADI Divemaster at age 70. Our majority of candidates looking to become a scuba diving professional are mostly individuals in their forties or fifties. This may have something to do with respect to the location of our shop in central Connecticut and our demographics. We are not exactly a diving mecca and the younger people looking to make a full-time career in diving would gravitate to other destinations for their training.
How old is too old to become a professional scuba diver is an interesting question and one that I don’t believe has been addressed in our industry. Whether you are a dive pro, scuba diver or non-diver, I would love to get your thoughts on this question. Please email me or leave a comment.
