scuba diving tips Cheat Sheet

1. When choosing your dive school, check to see if you’ll be diving in warm or cold water, what sea life the area is known for, and how much the accred­itation costs. Getting your open water certif­icate takes three full days of training or longer, so you’ll want to be somewhere both comfor­table and memorable.

2. Safety should be your number one concern when choosing a dive school. Before you go, check out online reviews to see if other divers write about consistent issues like disorg­ani­zation, missed safety briefings, or faulty equipment. A safe dive school maintains a low student to instructor ratio, never leaves equipment on the floor, and commun­icates clearly with its students.

3. To maximize your confidence and comfort underw­ater, practice swimming and yoga for a few months leading up to your dive course. Yoga helps you learn to focus on your breathing, one of the most important elements of scuba diving. Swimming helps you maintain control of your body underw­ater.

4. Learn about different scuba diving agencies to find out which one is best for you. The two biggest are PADI and SSI. Here’s a pro and con resource from Scuba World on

Before you go underw­ater, always check your dive equipment. Warning signs of faulty equipment include broken buckles, strange smelli­ng/­tasting air, air leaks, and a jumping needle on your air gauge when you take a breath out of your regulator.

6. One of the most common mishaps while diving is having your regulator, you know, the device that you use to breathe underw­ater, knocked out of your mouth. Though this is rarely serious, it can cause divers of all levels a lot of stress. Practice reaching towards your lower back and recovering your regulator (just like your instructor taught you) until it becomes second nature.

7. Avoid diving with an underwater camera for your first few dives, even if the school allows it. Beginning divers tend to get distracted with playing with the buttons, often causing them to ascend without realizing!

8. Take seasic­kness pills ahead of time if you’re prone to getting seasick

9. Never be afraid to ask your guide or instructor questions, no matter how silly they might seem. Remember, everyone started as a beginner once, and it’s better to dive with confidence instead of confusion