one is more likely to do stupid and inadvisably risky things when one is young and 'immortal' than when one gets older and, hopefully, a bit wiser.
Yes though one also seems to get a bit more careful in general with age. The idea of struggling into a dingy in a cold sea is a bit more daunting if one is older/stiffer/heavier.
IMHO a lot less would get done if the young didn't go out on the edge from time to time.