5 Tips For The Scuba Diving Refresher
Getting back into Scuba Diving after a long stint away can be very daunting.
Whether it be a couple of months or even a couple of years, there’s probably a few thoughts racing through your mind - ‘I can’t remember how to put my equipment together!’ Or ‘I’m feeling so nervous!’
Trust me, been there, done that! It took me an eye-watering 14 years to get back into the world of scuba diving and boy, was I nervous for my refresher!
So here are 5 tips to get you back into the swing of things and start diving straight away!
1. Take the PADI Reactivate Course
As a PADI Professional, I feel like I should definitely include this one.
The PADI Reactivate Course is specially designed for those who want to get reacquainted with Scuba Diving.
It’s more than a refresher and it’s more than a quick dip in the ocean. If you’d rather a more intensive course that will help you get back to basics and feel far more confident in your skills then I’d give this course a go.
2. Read Through Old Material
Any certified diver will have been given course material to study at home with at some point. So if you can, it’s a good idea to fish the books back out and just have another read through.
Any old course material you may have at home, like the Open Water Manual, will definitely help you to get back into the flow of things.
Maybe go back and complete all the knowledge reviews again, then it’ll soon start coming back to you for sure.
3. Listen To Your Instructor
You’ve obviously learnt the basics before but who knows, maybe you had your mind on other things at the time? Think of this as another chance to learn all over again.
Listen to your instructor, ask them questions and discuss any concerns you may have with them, that’s what they’re there for!
A good instructor will always provide you with detailed instructions, good briefings and most of all, will always be available to help.
4. Re-familiarise Yourself With Equipment
Whether you’ve got your own equipment or you are hiring from the Dive Centre, take a few minutes to re-familiarise yourself with it.
It might take a moment to remember where everything goes, how to secure everything properly, which part goes where and what each part does but your instructor should be on hand to help.
They might even make you put it all together and take it apart several times like mine did, thanks Russell!
5. Don’t Put Pressure On Yourself
Lastly (and arguably the most important tip) is to take it easy! Don’t put yourself under any pressure!
It doesn’t matter that you’ve learnt everything before, nobody is ever perfect the first time (or the second time, as the case may be). Try to relax and enjoy yourself!
Think of it like riding a bike, all you have to do is take the first step by putting your foot on the peddle and it’ll soon come back to you. Diving is the same, you never ever truly forget.
There you go, that’s my list people!
Hopefully, these 5 Tips For the Scuba Diving Refresher have helped a little bit to get you jumping straight back into the world of diving.
The deep blue is waiting for you! What are you waiting for?!
