Is It Time for a Scuba Refresher Course?

Every scuba diver goes through their certification process before they go for their first dive. They learn the fundamentals of a dive, how to use the equipment, and learn essential hand signals they need to know while on their dive. While your scuba certification itself never expires, it's a life-long certification; you can take specialized courses to help give your skills and fundamentals a refresher. These courses become essential in the event of long layoffs between dives or if you have a big dive coming up that will test your limits. Long story short; you want to cover all of your bases before diving into the water. 

Why A Refresher Course Can Do A World of Good 

When divers take the PADI eLearning Open Water Course during their certification process, the course's theory portion lays out some tips for divers to utilize. Some key factors go into whether you should take a diving refresher course before your next dive, and the following infographic gives a brief summary of some of those reasons: 

Time Out of Water

One such tip involves getting a refresher course if you have been out of the water for six months or more. While this may seem overly cautious on the surface, it is a practice that is rooted in ongoing diver safety. The longer you spend out of the water, the higher the likelihood that you begin to forget important pieces of the fundamentals. It is natural for humans who go long periods between doing an activity as intricate as a dive to forget important details that were once second nature. The refresher course allows the diver to reestablish their fundamentals and be fully prepared for their next dive. 

Confidence Levels

For scuba divers, confidence is everything. Having the confidence in your equipment, dive mates, and even your own skills can have a seismic impact on your dives. This confidence builds over time and through multiple dives. If you haven't been out diving as much as you used to, possibly during the current COVID-19 pandemic, you may have lost some of that all-important confidence. A refresher course can help you rebuild that confidence and get yourself ready for your next dive. 

Physical Changes to Your Body

Everyone's natural buoyancy is different. When you first took your diver certification, your body had a specific buoyancy you trained to accommodate during a dive. If your body went through significant weight changes between dives — whether it be a gain or loss — those changes would affect your buoyancy. While you may be able to make the adjustments during the dive itself, you can make these critical adjustments through working within the controlled environment of a refresher course and get reacquainted with how your body reacts once in the water. 

Register for a Refresher Course with Scubadelphia Diveseekers

Not only does Scubadelphia Diveseekers offer the finest scuba gear, including wetsuits, in the Philadelphia and New Jersey area, but we also provide an array of scuba courses to refine and refresh your skills. We offer scuba reviews and refreshers at the pool (confined water), as well as an open water refresher course at our Dutch Springs location. Additionally, PADI offers its Reactivate program, allowing you to receive a new certification card while brushing up on your knowledge. Register for the PADI reactivate program or for a refresher course with Scubadelphia Diveseekers today!