Ultimate skills list

[Curly]

Definitely buoyancy control -- it's something that you always need to be aware of, and the fine-tuning of which is something that varies in different conditions and as you change gear.

But -- to echo art.chick's response -- I thought the ditch & don exercises were great, in that you became more *comfortable* with the equipment. My instructor was a Marine Corps diver, moonlighting at the LDS, and he placed a lot of emphasis on those types of exercises. I'm glad he did.

Another thing you might want to consider is an equipment specialist course. This makes you more confident with the stuff that are using.

Naturally, an advanced course is a the logical follow-up. This allows you to work on buoyancy, navigational skills, and things like night diving, deeper dives, and rescue diving.

 

[Uncle Pug]

I would have to agree with the buoyancy control suggestion... and add that it should be coupled with proper horizontal trim & without the use of hands for maintaining position.

When you get to where you can maintain depth and position without using you hands then subtract finning as well... maintaining position without any movement or touching the bottom is the acid test.

When you get to where you can do that then add in the other drills such as mask remove & replace, safety sausage/liftbag deployment, OOA drills, valve shutdown drills, ect. all while maintaining position and without hand waving or finning or touching the bottom.

When you can do all that then practice horizontal ascents stopping every ten feet without overshooting and hold your depth for a minute +/- one foot.

When you can do that then add in the equipment and OOA drills while doing the ascents.

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

I echo the early comments about bouyancy. I think a lot of factors go into good bouyancy so you might want to evaluate your gear fit, weighting, breathing rate and style and misc nervous movements. I think the good news is that bouyancy almost always gets better with practice and getting more relaxed in the water.

Additional comments that I will add...

Navigation - it can save your life!

Boat Diving courtesy - this is the subtle art of sharing a small space on a crowded dive boat with many others for a week long trip and not getting on anyone elses nerves. I believe the basics of this involve keeping your stuff stowed, your mouth shut during divemaster briefings and other normal common courtesies to your fellow human beings. This is an aspect of diving that many could still work on.

Gear failure - This is a big category but I group everything from tank slipage to gauge flooding in this category. Talk about it with your buddy and have a plan. Its not the fact that the gear failed, that happens, it is how you react to it. I did a 45 minute night dive in January with my husband where I couldn't see 5 inches in front of my face because I discovered that my new prescription mask that had been working wonderfully all week on day dives was not working for a night vision problem that I have. I conveyed the problem to him and hung on to his arm for the rest of the dive. Because I have night vision issues, this was something that we had discussed in the past and had a plan prepared.

Congrats on your certification and remember that you are always learning as a diver.

KC_Scubabunny

 

[HDrider]

I will have to agree bouyancy king here. Once you get comfortable with your equipment you will likely be able to drop a few pounds of weight and trim yourself properly. It just takes a little practice. Learn how to get all the air out of your BC I have seen many students during OW dives that have trouble decending, ask them if they have all the air out of there BC and they say yes, but really there is still air in it. Again this is something that will come with practice.

Have a great time diving!

Tom

 

[devilfish]

Uncle Pug is correct. The skills to practice are those that almost never are practiced during a basic course. Mask removal, reg retrieval, disconnect/connect power inflator, sharring air, etc. WHILE MID WATER WHILE SWIMMING!!!
Would it not be nice if every time a diver needed to deal with those skills could kneel on the bottom? That's not the real world. It is kind of hard to kneel on the bottom on a wall in Cayman or other wonderful places with abbys below. Bouyancy control for sure is needed to practice in order to deal with those minor things while not shooting up to the surface or landing on the bottom.

 

[ChuckT]

This is a lot of great info! Maybe this stuff will help someone else who is considering learning to dive and stumbles across this site like I did. To answer Texas Mikes question I was certified through NAUI.

Chuck

 

[ChuckT]

This is a lot of great info! Maybe this stuff will help someone else who is considering learning to dive and stumbles across this site like I did. To answer Texas Mikes question I was certified through NAUI.

Chuck

 

[Lance Gothic]

Brothers & Sisters of Certification,
ChuckT, TexasMike et alia,

The best certification is to become an instructor!

Every instructor is a bit different in his/her demeanor, presentation and personal style. As an instructor, and absolutely while enroute to becoming one, you'll discover how much you almost thought that you knew about your profession. Ask art.chick about her significant other.

I'll wager that the discussion around the house, car, dive site, library et cetera has frequently criss-crossed the same paths taken while beginning diving. A re-assessment of equipment, don/doff, precursors to dive planning, expanded situational awareness training, alternatives to notifications in the event of an emergency, (or other serious occurrence), boat handling techniques, power squadron training, greatly enhanced involvement out-of-water so that the period submerged has been well prepared and variables are reduced to minimum stress levels.

When someone asks you the - who, what, when, where why, how and how much of the sport, your answer will be seriously considered. Your resource management will be readily available. And with sublime confidence you'll withdraw your business card that states "Certificated Instructor".

Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi