Refresher After 20 Years...

[StephanieGrace]

I find it hard to believe that only PADI is available in Australia. What about NAUI, CMAS, SDI, SSI, etc.
I just found 6 SDI Dive Centers in New South Wales, 3 in Queensland, 4 in Victoria around Melbourne, and if I had time could likely locate more as well as individual instructors. Whoever told you only PADI was available was mistaken or ......
not being entirely truthful. Mum would not like that I think.

Sorry. But I don't live in those areas and the only dive centre Mum is willing to travel to only offers PADI. Thankyou for your research though.

 

[OldPhotog]

I would encourage Mum to go for it. I certified in the mid 1960's, dove through the mid '70's, then took a 40 year break. When I decided to go back, I went through the entire OW course. While the laws of physics have not changed, our knowledge of gas and it's effect on the body has. For me the gear had changed somewhat. Had to learn how to use a BCD, and get used to fancy stuff like an SPG, depth gauge, etc. Regs haven't change, but now I need two second stages apparently. It's kinda like riding a bicycle. I wish her the best and she needs to go for it - at whatever training level makes her happy.

 

[They call me Tater]

Nothing wrong with starting over. I didn't and it worked out fine. I originally learned in a horse collar. 30 years later a lot had changed but with a good instructor and a couple hours in the pool, most of it came right back. I followed up with some quarry dives and was a better diver than I had been the first time. Maturity and attitude makes a big difference. With the right instructor and a refresher she will be fine although I would recommend re reading the whole OW manual before the classes.

 

[northernone]

My mom picked up diving after a 35 year surface interval.

Refresher did it, with a little extra time on introducing a modern bcd. She appreciated the modern training standards in regards to safety as the promoted a sense of security. Her instructor in the 70's was former military.

She recommends starting on a few easy dives, take time for your body to adjust again and gain conference.

Glad she's returning underwater, please update us on her progress and observations!

Enjoy the dives!
Cameron

 

[EFX]

Hi StephanieGrace. Like your mom I started with NASDS and took a PADI refresher after 31 years. I was surprised at how much theory I retained so the academic portion went fast. When I started diving I never dialed in my weight or cared anything about trim. So I started as a brand new diver over weighted and badly out of trim. The equipment also took time to get used to. Your Mom has more experience than I had when I started again and this should help her. I would advise her to take it easy and slow. She shouldn't be afraid to tell the instructor her concerns. This is important as some instructors may assume that since she is (was) an instructor that she may not need as much coaching as someone like me. Well, good luck and I hope she gets back into it. I'm glad I did.

 

[rx7diver]

Hmmm. Several people have written that a lot has changed in the intervening years. I have been diving for about 30 years. I personally can't think of much that has changed re the fundamentals. Maybe the "mandatory" safety stop. Maybe the 30 fpm ascent rate (versus the 60 fpm). Maybe the ubiquity of the personal dive computer. That's it—unless I'm missing something. And none of these three things really affects the way I have always dived and continue to dive.

I'm thinking that some initial "seat time" in the pool with snorkeling gear (mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt), swimming and practicing skin-diving skills will pay huge dividends as far as reintroducing your mother to scuba fundamentals. After these skin-diving skills have been sufficiently restored, then add tank and regulator. If your mother was an instructor, I'm sure she will recall how to work the dive tables. (She can forgo a PDC. I do.)

Upshot: I don't think a refresher course is necessary for everyone who fits your description of your mom.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Phil_C]

I had a 'break' of nearly 25 years - I dived professionally on a search and rescue team, starting around 1979/80 for a couple of years, but then promotions meant I couldn't dive any more. That was all fairly extreme, cold water low/no visibility, hazardous entry and exits, overheads and plenty of health and safety risks.

I came back to diving six years ago and really did not feel confident to just jump in and go after just a scuba review, and that was diving in warm water, wetsuit/rash vest and 100' visibility .

I made a conscious decision to retrain completely from scratch, rather than try to work out what had changed or I had forgotten, so I started out with CMAS doing their open water equivalent. Although I picked most of it up intuitively straight away, and the theory really was so straight forward almost just a refresher, what it did do was give me time in a controlled environment to break myself back in, learn to be comfortable and neutrally buoyant again, and gave me the reassurance that I did actually know everything I should know in order to be safe.

Personally I didn't stop there because I wanted to push myself fully and prove I could do it in my 'later years'.

If I were in your mums shoes I would do an open water from scratch, but be honest and tell the instructor my background, treat those parts that come back easily as a refresher, and concentrate on things that either I don't know or remember or 'age' had made difficult or requiring of a different technique. At OW level it really doesn't matter too much which agency, PADI is fine, those basic level skills are pretty much the same across all agencies.

Provided everything goes well, and there is no reason why it would not, then you both at least know that your mum has refreshed or relearnt everything she needs in order to be safe.

I hope you have many happy years of diving together - P