Long time between dives

[mcf57]

I recently got certified in SCUBA diving back in 9/07. I recently went diving on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean this past June. All went well and it was a blast. I plan to try and really get into this newly discovered hobby of mine & have been investigating some other destinations for the future.

I have a sister-in-law who also has gotten her certification. Since hearing my stories from Grenada and future plans, she is thinking of trying to get back into diving and go with us. She hasn't gone in probably close to 20yrs though and got ceritfied sometime back in the 80s. I was telling her that I think she needs to take a refresher course of some sort before any place will let her dive. At least I remember my dive instructor mentioning this.

Is this true? If so, any recommendation or route to go that I can tell her for trying to get back into diving after being out for so long?

 

[ScubaSpicher]

A lot has changed in the past twenty years... I am sure some of the more senior board members can attest to that! My advise would be to go to a local dive shop and see if they offer a refresher course. If they do not, I might even consider sending her back through an open water course. The certifications are good for life, but the knowledge and experience can be forgotten. It would be sad to see her get back into SCUBA and dislike it, because she is uncomfortable with the equipment / experience. I definitely feel at least some kind of refresher course is necessary in this situation!

Have fun diving!

 

[TASims]

I agree with ScubaSpicher. she should speak with an instructer at least. I dont know how diving was 20 years ago. it seems like a long time to not be diving. There was so much to learn in my OW class, i imagine she cant remember everything from 20 years ago and the skills to.

 

[Walter]

A lot has changed in the past twenty years...

Like what? Safety sausages are around now, but that's the only major change that comes to mind. OTOH, it's a very good idea to take another class because she has likely forgotten most of what she did learn back in the 80s and the average class wasn't any better then than now, so odds her her class wasn't all that good anyway.

 

[robint]

absolutely, get her to do a Refresher course or we have here locally a "extended refresher" which means she would go through the whole classroom and pool sessions with an OW class. We recommend it for anyone who has been out of diving for more than a few years (and she definitely fits into that catagory). It will get her comfortable with the gear again and help her relearn the tables, diving theory, how to equalize, how to clear her mask, etc. Plus a few hours in the pool swimming around will do her a world of good for her confidence.
Make sure she has her C-card, too. If she can't find it, she can get a new one issued before you go on a trip.

 

[mcf57]

Yea, I would think it would be good to take some refresher course anyway. She even mentioned how she still had her snorkel, mask and fins from back then and would have to try and find them for diving again. I kind of laughed at that idea & told her to basically pitch that stuff in the trash cause chances are VERY high that they are probably basically no good and have dry rot throughout. The minute she tries to put the mask on, it will break. I would think this is safe to say, right?

 

[Walter]

She even mentioned how she still had her snorkel, mask and fins from back then and would have to try and find them for diving again. I kind of laughed at that idea & told her to basically pitch that stuff in the trash cause chances are VERY high that they are probably basically no good and have dry rot throughout.

Not necessarily. A quick examination will tell if they are still any good. I know I still use equipment that is a few decades older than hers.

 

[Paco II]

Refresher dives/courses are great any time, but especially after an extended 'break' in diving. It provides a comfortable atmosphere for the diver to ask questions, without worrying about 'sounding dumb' or anything like that. I had a 2 year gap in diving a while back, and took a refresher dive and I was very glad I did.

 

[Teamcasa]

She should brush up on the books and take a dive or two with an instructor and learn how to use a modern computer . If she was a competent diver in the past, chances are her skills will come back very quickly. Other than the computers, the gear has not changed much in functionality but it is more efficient and expensive.

 

[mcf57]

Well, if the equipment hasn't been used AT ALL in close to 20 yrs, wouldn't it probably be no good though?. However, we'll definitely inspect.

I guess maybe it also depends on the quality of the equipment as well & whether it is still good. If it was a Walmart mask (which I doubt), then it probably is no good, but some other better equipment could possibly still be good.