When to do a Scuba Refresher after some inactivity?

[rhwestfall]

I now dive year round, but when the quarry closes in October and the weather in April would often be cruddy, there are your six months.

Only quarries close to here are over the border. Charters on the Lake begin (sometimes) in May, but normally June. There is no such thing as walk ons here. All trips are booked by shops, and mostly out of the area ones. All of this ends by October 1. Folks are pretty lame here with local diving...

 

[TMHeimer]

Years ago I got in the habit of infrequent short dives over the winter, since I dive wet. Usually one dive for 20 minutes every other week, sometimes longer in between due to weather. I have a method where I drive to and from the close by site with wetsuit on (plastic covers the car seat). So when May rolls around I'm not the least bit rusty. Gotta cut down on that stuff as I get older. At this point I don't have to do that as 6 months off wouldn't make a difference. Just a habit now.

 

[Bubblesong]

We had a trifecta of over a year without dives, all new gear, various physical changes from aging, so it made sense for everyone to get in the pool refresher. $99 each. It did not make sense to take the $350 course refresher, that would make more sense for someone that had not dived in many years.

 

[rick00001967]

Yeah and how many will check hydro dates on tanks? I stopped watching after that.

In many places tanks are never vipped or hydroed.

did you tag the wrong person ? i am sorry but i do not understand your comment.

 

[rick00001967]

Refresher prices can be tricky. Some are pool only, some include open water dive with instructor, some do not include third party materials from agency, some have no materials but no agency recognition.

since some have mentioned pricing.....we typically offer a refresher at the pool. i have never done one in ow.
there is no formal outline for the time spent. we will do as much or as little with the student as they want.
sometimes it is only a matter of being there with them to help if needed (when they forget how to attach the reg to the tank for example ), or sometimes they want to review all the basic skills. we only charge $50 per diver if they want to work with the instructor reviewing skills. tanks, weights, and pool time is included.

 

[boat sju]

since some have mentioned pricing.....we typically offer a refresher at the pool. i have never done one in ow.
there is no formal outline for the time spent. we will do as much or as little with the student as they want.
sometimes it is only a matter of being there with them to help if needed (when they forget how to attach the reg to the tank for example ), or sometimes they want to review all the basic skills. we only charge $50 per diver if they want to work with the instructor reviewing skills. tanks, weights, and pool time is included.

This sounds reasonable for $50. I've tried the refresher thing a few times over the last 30 yrs but, in my opinion, nothing beats a few shallow shakeout dives after any kind of layoff. Pools aren't the same as an actual open water dive. It's usually little gear placement issues that I find I need to tweak to be properly relaxed and they don't manifest themselves in a pool. Kind of hard to explain.

 

[rick00001967]

This sounds reasonable for $50. I've tried the refresher thing a few times over the last 30 yrs but, in my opinion, nothing beats a few shallow shakeout dives after any kind of layoff. Pools aren't the same as an actual open water dive. It's usually little gear placement issues that I find I need to tweak to be properly relaxed and they don't manifest themselves in a pool. Kind of hard to explain.

i agree. that nothing beats real world conditions.

 

[Aviyes]

As a vacation diver(2x week trips a year) I have yet to feel the need to do a refresher, even after 1.5 years in-between my last dives. It comes back really quickly. Usually helps to leave the camera on the boat for the first dive and focus on diving. Reading Scubaboard helps as well, scuba never leaves your thoughts as you dream up your next trip.

 

[poseident]

I was in an LDS recently and was told that within the industry, the recommendation is now for ANY diver who has been out of the water for 12+ months to take a refresher...that you wouldn't be allowed to rent tanks without a current logged dive. Smelled a bit funny to me.... Thoughts?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I was in an LDS recently and was told that within the industry, the recommendation is now for ANY diver who has been out of the water for 12+ months to take a refresher...that you wouldn't be allowed to rent tanks without a current logged dive. Smelled a bit funny to me.... Thoughts?

Total BS.