AD 2017 Q4

MEMBER TO
MEMBER
GUIDELINES
FOR SENIORS
By Adrian Hill
Every diver must
determine his or
her own tolerance
for risk, and
it’s absolutely
appropriate
for one’s risk
tolerance — and
risk mitigation
strategies — to
change over time.
As divers get older, DAN® recommends
getting annual physicals, staying active
and fit, diving within physical limits
and avoiding difficult or dangerous
diving conditions.
There is little concrete advice for
seniors, however, about planning routine dives. At age 61 I
had a serious case of cerebral decompression illness (DCI)
after a relatively benign dive. Following that experience,
I developed my own rules to reduce my risk of DCI, and
since 2011 I have made 1,600 more dives, all without
incident. Some of my personal rules may be helpful as
guidelines or suggestions for other older divers.
• I like to be at 40 feet or shallower no later than 40
minutes into the dive. I often spend another 30-40
minutes underwater.
• Unless there is something very special to see, I
rarely dive much deeper than about 80 feet. I limit
my bottom time at depth and use the balance of
the dive to relax and offgas.
• My safety-stop routine is pretty extreme, but I
actually love the view from near the surface. My
dive computer recommends a three-minute stop at
18-20 feet. After that, I do two minutes at 15 feet
and two more at 10 feet. I usually spend a final two
minutes getting to the surface. The process takes
about 10 minutes and accounts for nearly half of
the eagle rays I see. I always deploy a safety sausage
to the surface before I begin my ascent.
• For any dive deeper than 60 feet, I do a oneminute
stop at half the maximum depth (a
“deep stop”).
• I always use nitrox 32 (32 percent oxygen) if I
am doing more than two dives per day or diving
deeper than 80 feet for 10 minutes.
• You get older, you get colder. I typically wear a
7 mm wetsuit and a 3 mm hooded vest in
Cozumel, and I typically wear a drysuit in Canada.
Sufficient thermal protection is one of the easiest
protective steps you can take.
• I realistically assess the stress associated with
photography. If the conditions are rough, if there is a
strong current or if I’m tired, I take a break
from my camera. I love to dive — everything
else is secondary.
One enjoyable outcome of these guidelines has been
a newfound interest in reef corals, creatures and fish,
and that interest has facilitated my commitment
to adhering to the guidelines. I study marine-lifeidentification
guides and use my time in the shallows
to find new creatures. I’ve developed an appreciation
for slender filefish, tunicates, sea slugs, zoanthids,
shrimps, gorgonians and whatever other fish or
creatures pass in front of my eyes. And the light is
always better near the surface.
I plan to do another 1,500 dives in the next few years.
Although divers can’t completely eliminate their risk
of DCI, I will follow my rules on each of those dives to
keep my risk to a minimum. AD
SHARE YOUR STORY
Do you have tips, advice, travel strategies, dive techniques,
lessons learned or other words of wisdom to share with
your fellow divers? Alert Diver wants your story! Email it to
M2M@dan.org, or mail it to “Member to Member,” c/o Alert
Diver, 6 W. Colony Place, Durham, NC 27705.
STEPHEN FRINK
110 | FALL 2017