I was just wondering....my husband(age 57) and myself(age 56) are newly retired have been talking about the idea of learning how to scuba dive.
We got the idea 2 years ago in Cozumel after we enjoyed the snorkeling there.We are in good health and love to try new things. ARE WE TOO OLD TO LEARN ???

Gail

You are by no means too old to learn to dive. I'm 55 and plan to keep on getting with it as long as my maker alows me to. Diving will keep you in shape better than the best gyms. The adventure is just an added bonus. So I say dive right in there and have some real fun. You have earned it.

It's all in how old you feel. Are you in reasonable good health? If so, you should be just fine. We taught a 64 year old women and she did beautifully. Better than some of the young bucks in class. Enjoy. Theres a whole new world waiting for you to explore.

Go for it! I hae taught a 56 yo with absolutely no issues... their age never crossed my mind!

Your age should not be a deterrent at all.
Everyone should have a physical once a year and if your doctor O.K.s you for for SCUBA, you should be good to go. Recreational diving is not a high impact activity, but opens the doors to another world entirely. Check out www.padi.com or www.naui.com for training near you. Alot of people get certified on trips also. If you've got something planned, call ahead and see about getting certified while you're somewhere exotic.

Diving is by far the most fun you can have with your wet suit on. Age is not a factor if your are in good shape. Before you start your training you will have to get cleared by a MD. in most cirt.programs that I know of. So I the Doc say's your good to go by all means take those classes and enjoy your retirement. Good luck and great diving!

There is a medical questionaire given to every student upon enrollment for training. If none of the questions apply, then generally, you are in shape enough to begin training. If any of the questions are "YES" answers, then a doctors clearance is required for the confined water and open water portions of the training.

Diving and fish tanks both are actually on the top list of things to naturally relax people and lower blood pressure. Diving is not a physical hobby unless you wish for it to be. It ranges from "Scott" who has no use of his lower body. To me who wants to try it all. If you can walk to the end of the street you can dive in a manor of speaking. Most diving is mental and preparation more than physical. Emergency and extreme situations can arise anytime you are under but if you practice it and are prepared for it you can both remain calm and go on with it. Do what you feel comfortable with and if you don't like it don't do it. I took my mom skydiving a couple years ago. She was 52 at the time and loved it. I have tried to get her to dive but she will not yet and I don't push it. She hated water when I was young but we had a pool and boats. We all learned to water ski, kneeboard, etc. Not mom she didn't like it. Then she seen some pictures of us diving and went snorkeling with us. She is now hooked on it but still not diving but one step closer. She has played in my pool with dive gear but still isn't comfortable enough to go do it for real. I don't think it's far but I could be wrong. I myself am upset that I didn't start sooner in life. I feel as if I missed something and could have seen more. I am only 30 and hopefully have many dives to go but wish I had done it when I was younger. However I was a bit stupid in those years so it all worked out for the good most likely.

The one thing to remember is that you should never stop going and never miss out in life. Who cares how old or young you are. If you are healthy and want to try it, GO FOR IT. Besides all else it would suck to die wondering how fun something was rather than die know how fun it was.

My Outlook to diving...
I love it beyond anything I have ever tried. The list grows from drag racing, monster trucks, tractor pulling, ATV racing, MX racing, dirt track racing, sky diving, and plenty more extreme sports. I have never found a more intense sport that was so relaxing. If I die underwater hopefully it was somewhere warm and I sink so I provide some more food for the little fish. That would be a dream come true.

I am 60 and just did my open dives last weekend to become certified. I had no problems at all

I'm 54 and just started diving 2 years ago. I just got back from a dive trip and met a visiting instructor who is about 70 as near as I can figure, and he just became an instructor at about age 62. If you can do it, go for it.