How do I get back up to speed after 35 years out of the loop?

[MrMitch]

After 7 years as instructor and dive guide I hung up my regulator in 1982. Nothing but vacation dives every few years since then.
Please suggest something I can read or study to familiarize myself with current equipment and practices.
I know NOTHING about mixed gasses, rebreathers, the 2,475 new categories of certification, and don't know if I should still use the Navy tables.

These forums are a cornucopia of information and opinions but forums are tough to jump into as a newcomer. I can't even get through most of the posts here just because of the unfamiliar acronyms. It is information overload without context.

I need something with a progression that will help me understand not just where we are but also how we got there.

Any recommendations?

 

[Kevrumbo]

 

[MargaritaMike]

Brace yourself. You're going to get inundated with suggestions. Mine is simple. Find a dive shop you like, an instructor you like, and work with them to refresh your skills and knowledge. Take an Enriched Air Course and any specialty courses you want. Again, find a good LDS (local dive shop) and work with them. I think there is a couple of thread which have dictionaries. Don't feel alone. I was sort of in your spot not too long ago. It comes back faster than you think, but I'm only talking a few years.
Good luck and welcome back!
Cheers - M²

 

[Caveeagle]

Lots of new stuff, but nothing should really stop you from picking up where you left off. Mixes gasss and all the tech stuff is cool, but not at all necessary to get back in the water.

Regulators have really stepped up. Now there are several good options that perform extremely well.

You don't really need nitrox, but in some areas it's very common. You might find an instructor who will bundle a check-out refresher with a nitrox class to help get your started.

Computers are also not needed, but are really nice.

*I have seen a dive charter that required nitrox and computers to maximize surface interval and keep the whole group moving well on repetitive dives.

 

[Bubblesong]

Welcome to the obsession that is SCUBABOARD! What this participant did was readathon on themes, first all the threads on computers, for example, next on latest in Backplates. Acronyms get googled to “Reveal their secrets”. use the search symbol to get past threads and you see some info start to repeat.
Eventually, by reading a whole lot, all the info starts to sort itself into what applies to me and my diving, and what is just somebody else’s concern.
Biggest adrenaline is reading accidents and incidents, by which i now know it is a High Holy Miracle that I survived my first 30 years of diving given all that could have gone wrong that I was unprepared for. Second are the awesome money saving tips that are not always about saving money, but also about streamlining and simplifying task loading.
Since you were diving prior to 1982, you may find the vintage diving equipment fanatics quite interested in the dive equipment stored in your garage.

 

[gcarter]

Find a LDS, rent some current gear, jump in the pool with them and do a refresher! Welcome back!

 

[MrMitch]

WOW! That was quick.

Thanks for the suggestions. I won't be taking any classes for a while since I am working out of town managing storm cleanup work, but when I get back to Freeport NY I will certainly look for something.

Later this month I'll be on a 3 tank day trip out of Phuket and expect to get an earful from the other divers on the boat.

 

[northernone]

Welcome back!

Friends have taken a similar surface interval. They return to the water diving like it's the 70s again. Find a buddy, rent equipment (or dust off and service their old gear) and refresh skills.

Once they are comfortable they eased into some of the new popular configurations and purchase some of the niceties that have developed in their absence. Not all that's newer is better either. I'm recently enjoying a scubapro D300 regulator and my go to work horse regs are the conshelf regs from your instructor era. Better in my opinion than the majority of what's sold in shops today. (there are a few notable modern exceptions both in terms of quality of design and customer service)

Welcome to the forum, we'll try to be a friendly bunch. We all have our own favourite opinions on everything dive related and there are some remarkably articulate and knowledgeable people here willing to answer any question imaginable or discuss any nuance of any idea. Post away happily.

Navy tables are popularly considered to leave too little safety margin given the various body types and physical conditions of the modern recreational diver. I have buddy's trained to use them and swear by them still do to this day. It's still my back up go to tables in my head I'll enjoy as a sanity check against what my computer is telling me. (provided the dive isn't written down on a slate first with the decompression profile planned from a table generated by a software).

Regarding acronyms, we love acronyms as the agency name's suggest. PADI instructor manual is available to download unofficially off a Google search . It might be in a format familiar to you that would give you a basis for what's different from when you are training.

Regarding breathing helium blends and rebreathers they are wonderful tools, still not mainstream or common with most divers. You'll find you can enjoy straight air fills everywhere globally and people diving easy dives.

The big development might be dive computers. The ability to easily stay below the surface longer if the dive profile isn't straight to depth, stay at depth, ascend. Perhaps think of it as an automatic 1000 level multi level dive planner. Not vastly different but the convenience is nice. I still dive tables with my computer as back up redundancy.

Thus concludes my rambling. I'll think on where I've seen a few good posts regarding the modern history of diving. There are some excellent discussions with links to greater exploration.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[wildbill9]

I concur, find a local dive shop, talk with dive master and spin them your tale of sadness. Your not the first that had to take a break. I did when my son was born (Disney time). After spilling your guts, sheading a few tears and talking about how it was check out some of the advances. They are pretty cool, integrated bc's instead of a manual inflated horse collar, computer instead of a dive table, small regulator over a dual hose. Try some out in their pool and maybe local dive or 8. Then see if they have a trip to little cayman, sign up and go to rediscover why you loved diving before. Soon you will be speaking in "scuba board tongue' and giving advice to people who never got to experience what diving was like 40 years ago. I also was baffled when I got back into diving and found this site. Heck, when I started diving there was no internet. Welcome back and welcome aboard! Bill

 

[MrMitch]

Thanks again to all who are responding. Maybe these forums are not as intimidating as I thought.
I have never for a moment forgotten what I love so much about diving and am still more comfortable underwater than I am on land, but I've a long way to go getting back to the cutting edge on all the new gear.