Scuba: Diver Advice for Beginners
As New Scuba Divers I hope to detail our journey from beginning to intermediate to advanced. Currently we are new divers since we got certified just this July of 2019. A new diver may be overwhelmed by everything you have to learn going forward. We have to help your learning curve with this article. (Today is October/4/2019)
We have 15 dives in already and we have learned quite a bit from this experience, what to do and what not to do. If you are new or simply considering getting involved in SCUBA then read on so you can avoid the early mistakes we made.
However, what we have learned so far can save you time and money which will make SCUBA far more enjoyable for you in the long run.
Gear, over time, can be a very expensive part of your SCUBA diver experience.
We will try to run through some basics to get you best prepared with SCUBA gear that you do not have to replace often, or ever!
SCUBA Gear for the New Diver
SCUBA gear is a very personal choice, depending on what you plan to do with diving.
As a new diver you absolutely do not want to waste money on gear. Every nickel that you spend on SCUBA equipment is another nickel you cannot spend on actually participating as a SCUBA Diver.
We happened to begin with snorkeling. Our love for travel and the water kept us quite busy and entertained. However, after a year or two of snorkeling, we decided in July of this year (2019) to get SCUBA certified while we were in Roatan.
One of the best things we did while snorkeling is purchase gear that was suitable for diving! There is a difference and it does matter.
First of all, you should not be diving much soon before you fly back home. You will learn why as you progress in SCUBA training. This means that if you want to hit the water again on your last day of a beautiful vacation you will need your snorkel gear.
Not having to carry round multiple sets of gear is more efficient and cheaper. Even before we ever decided to dive we bought quality gear we could use for both activities.
You can see our mask, fin and snorkel set up here- Best Snorkel Gear
Which transitioned beautifully to diving.
Our SCUBA fins are both Scuba Pro Nova brand and they work extremely well, both on the surface and underwater.
Hers are PINK and mine are BLACK
She uses a Sharkskin skin suit to dive because she gets cold easily, so far I have not used any skin suits for warmth.
New Diver Advice – Your BC
A BC stands for buoyancy compensator. Buoyancy is going to become one of the most important things you will need to learn.
A BC basically keeps you afloat, allows you to sink and holds the gear you need for a dive, either via pockets or D rings that you clip other SCUBA equipment to. There are several styles of BC’s however and depending on your goals and your budget a BC can make all the difference.
This Hollis BC is a great piece of equipment for those that may look to advance their diving skills
One of the biggest mistakes we made is falling in love with certain BC’s without trying other BC’s. As a new diver you also have to consider why you dive and what you want to do on your dives.
We were trained on jacket style BC’s, which are quite easy to size and move around in. The downfall to that style is that when you start advancing in SCUBA skill you will likely want to switch down the road.
You have to consider your budget and the amount of time off to travel before buying a BC. You should also visit several SCUBA or dive shops before making a decision. We have found that certain shops carry certain brands, so do not stop at just one or two.
If you live in an area with very few dive shops, you can always look online. Many of the retailers have good return policies if you are not happy with the gear you selected. In fact, some online vendors have much better return policies than brick and mortar vendors.
More than a few brick and mortar vendors we have visited do not give refunds, simply store credit.
Zeagal Jacket Style BC
There is also a hybrid BC that has some of the benefits of both the wing and plate style as well as the jacket style.
Mares Hybrid BC
One thing to consider when buying your BC
Do you plan to advance from recreational limits or not? If you do, you should start with a plate and wing style, like the Hollis that I showed you.
We both personally own that BC and while we are not sure if we will advance later, our options are open to us. The BC is still fantastic for recreational diving by the way. Below is an image that will describe some of the differences between recreational diving and technical diving.
More Gear Considerations
The BC is probably the main piece of equipment you will purchase. A well made product will last you many years and you can swap in and out other pieces of equipment with your BC.
But what are some other pieces of equipment you will need?
- Dive Computer– A dive computer logs your dives, depth, temperature and time under water. If you have a transmitter it will track your air usage too!
- Regulator Set– A regulator set is what allows you to breath underwater. Certain sets perform better at deeper depths, so it is important to get an idea of how you plan to dive. A regulator set will often come with an Octopus which is the spare breathing apparatus in case you or your buddy needs it in an emergency.
- Scuba Gauges– We were trained without a dive computer but gauges give you much of the same information. The most important being depth and time. Some gauges come with a compass as well. I prefer to be cautious so our gear has gauges and we also use a dive watch with a transmitter set up.
This setup is a package that can get a recreational diver started ASAP
Training for the New Diver
My training advice for any new diver is to make sure you know what you don’t know.
Training is absolutely key for the best diving experience, even before your gear selection.
One thing we have learned, for the most part, is that instructors are there to make sure you have the basic skills necessary to pass the course. SCUBA instructors typically do not have the time to teach you from scratch and therefore you will be relying quite a bit on book study and practice.
When it comes to SCUBA diving there are a number of factors that can contribute to your dive experience.
- Buoyancy– Your ability to hover in the water at any depth is extremely important. If you are not adept at this skill you may find yourself up and down in the water, or worse, out of control.
- Trim– Underwater trim is basically your center of gravity underwater. Good technique and gear selection helps improve trim which helps reduce drag underwater. Reducing drag improves your ability to move as well as the amount of air that you use on a dive. There is nothing worse than having to surface in half the time of all the other divers.
- Breathing– Breath control is not just important because of the amount of the time you can stay underwater. It is also important for controlling your motion. A breath in should bring upward and a breath out should allow to you to sink. This technique should help you control your depth while diving.
Questions to ask
While I cannot possibly tell you everything you should ask, the information above should give you some idea of what to focus on learning for a pleasurable dive.
If you want to learn from our experience, I suggest you pick up the book below so that you get the proper training and your questions answered.
We did our certification in Roatan, so now that we are getting more dives in, it is impractical for us to get personalized training. That being the case, we are taking some personal lessons locally to improve the skills we are not 100% confident in., when we could have asked more questions while we were getting certified.
Remember, SCUBA instructors are there to confirm you have learned the written material. Yes they will show you and have you demonstrate physical skills underwater, but if you are not confident YOU have to make sure you ask the right questions.
When it comes to SCUBA, you are responsible for you and as always the #1 objective of any dive is to return safely.
In my quest for knowledge I read this article last week. I found it to be 100% accurate based on our experience. I suggest you all read it then educate yourself as you begin your diving journey so you don’t find yourself paying for additional basic level classes.
Make the Most of Your Time
As a new diver everything I have mentioned already is to save you time and money. And we all know, time is money right?
One thing we would have done differently would have been to take our Open Water PADI course before we went to Roatan.
The reason we did not is because we decided to get out PADI SCUBA certification the day after we arrived. We initially went there for more snorkeling fun and then we changed our minds.
The disadvantage to doing what we did is that there are several videos, book reading and a test to do in addition to skills testing in the water.
We ended up using up a couple of days on the books, quizzes and videos before we could actually work on our physical skills. My suggestion to you is do the entire book and video learning just ahead of your trip, if you decide to visit a dive resort for your certification, like we did.
You can find the PADI ONLINE OPEN WATER COURSE Here.
Or you can just click on the image below.
