Many first-time divers feel apprehensive before a dive. Let’s face it - you are entering a world that you weren’t designed for!When teaching Scuba Diver and Refresher courses, we often come across students who say that they feel claustrophobic... that they have problems breathing or that something feels wrong with their gear. With unrushed, patient instruction; more diving and carrying out the following important tasks, that nervous feeling will soon be replaced by one of excitement and eagerness for the next dive:
You must know how your equipment works. If you know that your gear is working fine, the less you have to worry about it during a dive.
If you have your own gear, make sure you know how it works. Your BC becomes part of your body when you are diving so try it on and play with all the bells and whistles until you don
’t have to think where the dump valve toggles are – where the inflate and deflate buttons are on your inflator hose or where your clips are.
If you are renting equipment, make sure you check your gear out before it is stowed on the boat and before you make your way to the entry point when doing a shore dive. Connect everything and check the o-rings, breathe in and out of your regulator and octo, inflate and deflate your BC and check the dump valves. If there is anything wrong, it can be sorted out before the dive and before you hit the water. Do it yourself, even if the operator has done it too!
Do your buddy checks – make sure you and your buddy know each other’s gear.
Get to know your buddy! Practice your hand signals together – know (and agree on!) the signals for “OK”, "Going down", "Going up", "Something’s wrong (point to what’s wrong)", "How much air do you have left?", "I need air"... you can even make up your own if you like. We’ve noticed a couple that dives with us have an “I love you” signal which is very cute....
Ask questions and listen to your Dive Master / Instructor. NEVER be
too embarrassed or too proud to ask questions. We are here to make every dive the best you ever had. If you feel we haven’t covered something, or if you forgot to listen (!!) ASK! Ask about the dive site, the entry, the exit, the depth, currents, anything you need to be aware of and (of course!) what you should look out for. And if you feel nervous, tell us. Rather be honest than try to hide your anxiety. DMs and Instructors have a sixth-sense and we’ll probably know you are feeling anxious before you do!
Do a Refresher Course if you haven’t dived for a while. Do this before you leave for that diving holiday to Mozambique. You will enjoy your diving far more if you have practiced your skills and feel confident that you know how to clear your mask, how to equalise, how to inflate and deflate your BC and how to get your buoyancy right before you hit that coral reef! You don’t want to be worrying about anything whilst you are watching those mantas gliding by, do you?
You must WANT to do the dive. You must feel happy to do the dive and the conditions that you will be diving in. If you are not keen to do the dive, then don’t do it. Rather skip a dive than do it and ask yourself miserably throughout the dive “why am I doing this?” only to never dive again! There will be plenty of other times to go diving.
At the end of the day, the more comfortable and relaxed you feel, the more you will enjoy your diving. Get to know your diving gear, your buddy, the dive site and the people you will be diving with and you will feel less nervous and more excited for every dive.
If you would like to be taught to dive by patient and caring instructors, or do a refresher course before you take that holiday of a lifetime, contact us today and we’ll make sure you become a safe and confident diver, able to enjoy every dive. We want you to enjoy scuba diving as much as we do!
If you have your own gear, make sure you know how it works. Your BC becomes part of your body when you are diving so try it on and play with all the bells and whistles until you don
’t have to think where the dump valve toggles are – where the inflate and deflate buttons are on your inflator hose or where your clips are. If you are renting equipment, make sure you check your gear out before it is stowed on the boat and before you make your way to the entry point when doing a shore dive. Connect everything and check the o-rings, breathe in and out of your regulator and octo, inflate and deflate your BC and check the dump valves. If there is anything wrong, it can be sorted out before the dive and before you hit the water. Do it yourself, even if the operator has done it too!
Do your buddy checks – make sure you and your buddy know each other’s gear.
Get to know your buddy! Practice your hand signals together – know (and agree on!) the signals for “OK”, "Going down", "Going up", "Something’s wrong (point to what’s wrong)", "How much air do you have left?", "I need air"... you can even make up your own if you like. We’ve noticed a couple that dives with us have an “I love you” signal which is very cute....
Ask questions and listen to your Dive Master / Instructor. NEVER be
too embarrassed or too proud to ask questions. We are here to make every dive the best you ever had. If you feel we haven’t covered something, or if you forgot to listen (!!) ASK! Ask about the dive site, the entry, the exit, the depth, currents, anything you need to be aware of and (of course!) what you should look out for. And if you feel nervous, tell us. Rather be honest than try to hide your anxiety. DMs and Instructors have a sixth-sense and we’ll probably know you are feeling anxious before you do! Do a Refresher Course if you haven’t dived for a while. Do this before you leave for that diving holiday to Mozambique. You will enjoy your diving far more if you have practiced your skills and feel confident that you know how to clear your mask, how to equalise, how to inflate and deflate your BC and how to get your buoyancy right before you hit that coral reef! You don’t want to be worrying about anything whilst you are watching those mantas gliding by, do you?
You must WANT to do the dive. You must feel happy to do the dive and the conditions that you will be diving in. If you are not keen to do the dive, then don’t do it. Rather skip a dive than do it and ask yourself miserably throughout the dive “why am I doing this?” only to never dive again! There will be plenty of other times to go diving.
At the end of the day, the more comfortable and relaxed you feel, the more you will enjoy your diving. Get to know your diving gear, your buddy, the dive site and the people you will be diving with and you will feel less nervous and more excited for every dive.
If you would like to be taught to dive by patient and caring instructors, or do a refresher course before you take that holiday of a lifetime, contact us today and we’ll make sure you become a safe and confident diver, able to enjoy every dive. We want you to enjoy scuba diving as much as we do!
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