Age Discrimination Forced Me to Lie

Health experts tell us to stay active, but ageism restricts our activities.

Age restrictions for hiking, snorkeling, and other activities have surprised me. I took this photo while hiking in Turkey.

“I’m not going on the snorkeling cruise. They say you have to be under 70,” said my brother-in-law, who is 76.

“They don’t really mean it. They’ll let us go,” I argued.

My spouse and I, both over 70, are reasonably active. We walk 5 miles a day, kayak, snorkel, and hike.

We had glanced briefly over the fine print when we scheduled a snorkeling excursion in Mexico, but we weren’t too concerned. Age restrictions said participants must be from 7 to 70, but we figured this was a formality. Surely if snorkeling was okay for a 7-year-old child, it would be fine for a 72-year-old grandmother.

We couldn’t convince my brother-in-law, who doesn’t care for snorkeling anyway, but the rest of us, my spouse, my sister-in-law, and I, pulled on our swimsuits, grabbed our towels, and headed for the boat dock.

This is when I was forced to lie.

“You aren’t over 70, are you?” The young man handing out release forms eyed us suspiciously. My sister-in-law, who is still 69, didn’t need to lie. She signed the form.

But I watched as my spouse, gray-haired and 74, a model of integrity under normal…