TRAINING When is it Time to Stop Teaching? – by Patrick Hammer, PADI CD-4325, Chicago, IL & Phoenix, AZ
I find this interesting as I meet older instructors that ask about the correct time to hang up their fins. We can all look at a pro athlete that went beyond their time and, once at the top, retired way down the ladder. As a pro you made it to the
65 or older saying, “I have done these dives for years, and I will be fine at 120 feet.” They feel they need to prove some- thing to their buddies, or maybe even to themselves. This is not a sport to take chances. If you are aging well, be grateful, and if not, be proud of what you have done and slow down. Do dives and teach classes you know you have control of. I personally try not to go past 100 feet after I turned 60. Twenty years ago, I never cared about how many ascents I did in a day. Today I watch it and spread out those skills, or have another instructor help. I have nothing to prove to oth- ers, and you should not either. Your safety needs to come first.
top – you may have had years of training and still love teach- ing. But you might find it hard to walk back up a steep hill, a boat ladder, or even dive in cold water. Okay, that’s hint one: time to slow down, but not stop. I like to think of the saying, “What I used to do all night, now takes all night to do.” As
we age, we should not expect our bodies to do as much as we did when we were 20. So, when do I need to stop? I hurt my shoulder a few years ago, and the doctor gave me a prescription. When I asked him about taking it and diving, he was not sure but stated If I am ok on land, I should be fine underwater. He has no idea. So, I did not take the meds and was ok. I am sure as we all get older, most of us will start some meds. I might suggest asking DAN about the effects, not a non – diving doctor.
A few years ago, a good friend of mine taught me a valuable lesson. He dives Enriched air all the time, however he plans all his dives with air tables. This creates a nice safety margin. If older divers and instructors slow down, back off the deep dives, and stop worrying about proving themselves, they just may stay diving longer. When the time comes, you will know when to drop the twins or 100s and dive an 80. I had a dear friend who, near the end, dived with a 50CF tank. He did that for years.
Know When It’s Time to Ascend For The Last Time
Adjusting Dive Plans for Longevity: Personally, I love diving and teaching, but I understand a day may come when I can no longer teach. That day will be hard to accept. My thought is: you know your body best, and if you do not think you could help someone in need, especially a student, it’s time to stop. I have friends that do not handle cold well and have stopped training in cold water or even backed off from deep dives in inland lakes, where it can be very cold. When a diver enrolls in a program, they expect the instructor to be there for anything and everything. We can’t expect them to help their instructor. Recognizing When to Slow Down: It is also important to encourage older divers to slow down. I see those that are
Give Back When You Hang Up Your Fins: A day may come when we all need to stop hitting the water, but there are all kinds of other things you can do. Public speaking is a good one – you’ve surely built up a lot of knowledge over the years. Offer a class to keep active at the local store. If you are getting up in years, I suggest training staff to help you to keep your training program going. They work for you today, but tomorrow you may be working for them – yet still diving. That is important for you and the industry, we hate to see an experienced instructor hang up their fins. Happy diving and I hope you age well and dive long.
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