Do I need to refresh?

[gregort]

Hi all. Great site with loads of experts so hope someone can give me some advice?

My fiancee and I got our PADI open water qualifications in Egypt in September 03 and got a few initial dives in when we were there. We haven't dived since as we've been saving for our wedding and honeymoon in Oz this October. Will we struggle to get on dive trips with the likes of Quicksilver, Prodive etc if we don't have a recent enough dive or pool refresh stamp in our log books. Am I right in assuming that many dive companies expect you to have dived in the last 6 months or taken a refresher course before they they let you on the boat?

We know our limits as novice divers and are plannin to keep our dives basic so we'd like to avoid the refresher course if practical. How keen are dive companies in Oz to check your log books? Do you guys recomend doing a refresh anyway from a safety perspective?

Hope you can help?

 

[pipedope]

A refresher is a good idea anytime you have a long break from diving.

If nothing else it will help you be more comfortable in your diving.


Welcome to ScubaBoard.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Do you guys recomend doing a refresh anyway from a safety perspective?

I do.
In addition to brushing up on your skills, which translates to recent knowledge and confidence and therefore less stress and more fun right away on your trip, if you have any equipment issues that need resolution they're much more likely to show up with actual use than mere inspection.
Have a great, fun trip! We look forward to your report.
Rick

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Get in some pool time. Sounds like it will be about a year since you last dive when you get to Oz, and you'll still be real newbies. It's probably worth paying a DM to spend a little time with you reviewing things before you go.

Better yet, see if your local dive shop offers a gift registry. Then plan a skills review session to acquaint yourself with any new gear under supervision.

 

[dbeedle]

I'd recommend a refresher if for nothing else, to provide yourself with some peace of mind. It will also sharpen your skills and increase your comfort level on the trip. Finally, it should avoid any problems once you get there. I'd say the price of a refresher is cheap insurance compared to what you would spend on the trip.

It comes down to how comfortable are you with your skills? I'd also check with the operation you will be with to check their policies before you get there and find you can't dive or have to spend time on a checkout dive.

 

[Scubaguy62]

My first year of diving I spent about half that amount of time out of the water and before going in the ocean, I did one. Skills weren't as dull as I thought, but definitely dull enough to practice them in the pool first before going in open water. BTW, good luck on your impending marriage...lots of happiness!!!!!

 

[Roz Amos]

I would add that, in my experience, many of the boats up in Cairns and around that area, given your lack of experience, are likely to make you do at least the first dive with an instructor, and the liveaboards I have been on insist that anyone who has fewer than 20 dives or has not dived for 6 months do a check out dive where they refresh basic skills and buoyancy anyway, which may be sufficient as a refresher.

Other possibility is to wait till you are here and see if you can just tag along with part of an OW class with the organisation that you are booking the dives with, or have a practice in their pool - you may be able to do that for no/ minimal cost.

 

[PhotoTJ]

try a refresher. You'll be happier when you're doing your honeymoon trip if you've knocked the rust off.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Much of diving safety and satisfaction comes because the diver is confident. The mere fact you asked the question tells me you aren't confident enough to enjoy your diving experience.

So, it would be worth the money to spend a bit of time in the pool with mask, snorkle and fins just refreshing the basics like mask clearing. Then have a couple dives with an instructor who can make your dives fun, no DI types please, to get you up to speed on the rest.