LI-er
Contributor
Special thanks to @John C. Ratliff for giving me the idea for this thread.
Scuba diving is like driving. The license gives you the right to do it but doesn't mean you're competent, or if you are, that you'll stay that way.
Most dives, especially the more mundane, present opportunities to work on skills that were either never properly learned or mastered, or they were, but without practice will get rusty.
Here's stuff that I like to do periodically.
1. Intentionally do not look at tank pressure for say 10 minutes, then guess what the pressure will be when it's checked, and continue to do this over time to improve accuracy. Obviously don't do this towards the end of the dive when tank pressure is low.
2. Estimate depth and then confirm with computer.
3. Estimate elapsed dive time including when to turnaround, and then confirm with computer.
4. Remove mask, replace and clear it. During this drill you can practice a related one, see #14 below.
5. If so equipped, switch to backup tank and regulator and breathe from it for a bit to make the switch and the entire process more comfortable and reflexive, my stony bottle regulator is intentionally detuned to avoid freeflow and therefore it's a bit tougher to breathe from it.
6. Stop moving. Completely. See where your body wants to go and make adjustments to weights as necessary (more, less, move to upper or lower pouches) to get to the place where you don't move at.all without input from arms or legs.
7, Typically done at a safety stop with a near empty tank (volume only matters with aluminum not steel tanks). Stop moving, completely. Empty all the gas out of your BCD, squeeze, contort, vent but get every single bit of gas out of there. Check if you sink, ascend or remain neutral. Many divers will find themselves too heavy. Lose a bit of lead on the next dive. Rinse and repeat until you get neutral or perhaps better, be slightly negative (to compensate for any gas left in the BCD as well as shallower depths). Jot down the weight for your configuration as well as any changes with different configurations (primarily a heavier exposure suit, aluminum vs steel tanks, and fresh vs salt water, weight gain or loss over time). I keep these numbers on my phone for easy reference along with photos of my certifications and Nitrox MOD tables for easy reference.
8. Use the compass, take a bearing to an object then swim in that direction, or take a heading on your current direction and maintain it.
9. Deploy gear that isn't typically used during a dive, especially stuff that is stored in an out of the way place such as the bottom of a BCD pocket, in my case that's a backup computer, & compass/slate combination. Same goes for a foldable snorkel in a pocket.
10. Estimate the current strength and direction and compare it to what others say after the dive or ask a crew member what they thought of it.
11. Try to set a personal record as to the number of consecutive dives without making contact with anything including but not limited to the bottom, the reef, or a wreck.
12. If a reel is carried, deploy the smb from depth using the reel. If a reel isn't carried, consider it, or at least a finger spool.
13. When returning to the boat, unless instructed otherwise, if current and visibility isn't an issue try to avoid using the line to control your ascent. I usually swim to the boat ladder (from well below the boat) and on many dives never even touch the line. If conditions allow, the same goes for the safety stop, get to a place where you can hover effortlessly for the entire duration.
14. As per @John C. Ratliff a good skill to master is being able to function underwater with mask off and regulator out of mouth for brief periods, my only issue here is that when done in salt water it's really going to sting the eyes for a few minutes.
15. Re-evaluate your gear every few dives and see if any changes can be made to the configuration to streamline it, reduce weight, or be more effective.
Did I miss any good ones?
Scuba diving is like driving. The license gives you the right to do it but doesn't mean you're competent, or if you are, that you'll stay that way.
Most dives, especially the more mundane, present opportunities to work on skills that were either never properly learned or mastered, or they were, but without practice will get rusty.
Here's stuff that I like to do periodically.
1. Intentionally do not look at tank pressure for say 10 minutes, then guess what the pressure will be when it's checked, and continue to do this over time to improve accuracy. Obviously don't do this towards the end of the dive when tank pressure is low.
2. Estimate depth and then confirm with computer.
3. Estimate elapsed dive time including when to turnaround, and then confirm with computer.
4. Remove mask, replace and clear it. During this drill you can practice a related one, see #14 below.
5. If so equipped, switch to backup tank and regulator and breathe from it for a bit to make the switch and the entire process more comfortable and reflexive, my stony bottle regulator is intentionally detuned to avoid freeflow and therefore it's a bit tougher to breathe from it.
6. Stop moving. Completely. See where your body wants to go and make adjustments to weights as necessary (more, less, move to upper or lower pouches) to get to the place where you don't move at.all without input from arms or legs.
7, Typically done at a safety stop with a near empty tank (volume only matters with aluminum not steel tanks). Stop moving, completely. Empty all the gas out of your BCD, squeeze, contort, vent but get every single bit of gas out of there. Check if you sink, ascend or remain neutral. Many divers will find themselves too heavy. Lose a bit of lead on the next dive. Rinse and repeat until you get neutral or perhaps better, be slightly negative (to compensate for any gas left in the BCD as well as shallower depths). Jot down the weight for your configuration as well as any changes with different configurations (primarily a heavier exposure suit, aluminum vs steel tanks, and fresh vs salt water, weight gain or loss over time). I keep these numbers on my phone for easy reference along with photos of my certifications and Nitrox MOD tables for easy reference.
8. Use the compass, take a bearing to an object then swim in that direction, or take a heading on your current direction and maintain it.
9. Deploy gear that isn't typically used during a dive, especially stuff that is stored in an out of the way place such as the bottom of a BCD pocket, in my case that's a backup computer, & compass/slate combination. Same goes for a foldable snorkel in a pocket.
10. Estimate the current strength and direction and compare it to what others say after the dive or ask a crew member what they thought of it.
11. Try to set a personal record as to the number of consecutive dives without making contact with anything including but not limited to the bottom, the reef, or a wreck.
12. If a reel is carried, deploy the smb from depth using the reel. If a reel isn't carried, consider it, or at least a finger spool.
13. When returning to the boat, unless instructed otherwise, if current and visibility isn't an issue try to avoid using the line to control your ascent. I usually swim to the boat ladder (from well below the boat) and on many dives never even touch the line. If conditions allow, the same goes for the safety stop, get to a place where you can hover effortlessly for the entire duration.
14. As per @John C. Ratliff a good skill to master is being able to function underwater with mask off and regulator out of mouth for brief periods, my only issue here is that when done in salt water it's really going to sting the eyes for a few minutes.
15. Re-evaluate your gear every few dives and see if any changes can be made to the configuration to streamline it, reduce weight, or be more effective.
Did I miss any good ones?
