Top 10 Tips to Becoming a Good Scuba Diver
Here are our top 10 Tips to Make You a Great Scuba Diver
- Continue your diving education
Many people think that once you’ve completed the open water course then that’s it. The PADI system of continuing education is designed to keep diving fun and improve your skills. Our favourite courses are Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Deep Specialty Course, Rescue Diver and Divemaster.
- Practice, practice and more practice
There’s no denying it, the more you dive the better diver you will become. As well as diving on holiday consider joining us in the pool or there are some great dive sites in the UK and if you dive in a dry suit you never need to get cold.
- Own your own equipment
Owning your own equipment means that you become more familiar with it. This makes you more comfortable and know how to adjust it to suit your needs. E.g. how much air to add to your BCD to make you neutrally buoyant or how to efficiently breath from your regulators.
- Buoyancy control
If you can control your buoyancy then you will be more in control and ultimately be more comfortable, confident and your air will last longer. Consider the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course or just practice hovering on your safety stop.
- Keep fit
Fit divers tend to become less exerted and can control their breathing better. They are also less likely to suffer from Decompression Sickness.
- Dive in different conditions
Have a go at diving in different types of conditions such as fresh water & salt water, drift dives, different temperatures and using different exposure suits. This will make you a more accomplished diver.
- Be responsible
Don’t rely on your dive guide to make sure you are safe. Make yourself responsible for checking your air, your depth and no decompression sickness.
- Look after your buddy
Stay nice and close to each other, monitor each others air and NDL and also base your dive on the conservative side. Swim nice and slowly and check they are okay from time to time.
- Learn how to deploy a surface marker buoy
It’s really easy for the boat to lose site of you, particularly on a drift dive. An SMB is a basic piece of kit that often gets overlooked. Don’t try to learn to use it on an actual dive, either do an SMB course first of practice somewhere shallow first.
- Don’t be an idiot!
This may sound obvious but you’d be surprised by the number of divers who go deeper than there qualified depth, drink too much alcohol the night before, don’t drink enough water and become overly confident. If you are unfamiliar with a dive site then use a dive guide and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure about something on the dive briefing.