5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Refresher

Practice makes perfect. Really, it does. The more you do something, the better you get at it. Diving is no different, if you don't practice your skills you'll likely forget them. There is a solution - book a refresher! What is a refresher you ask? Really, you spend a couple hours in the pool with a Divemaster or Instructor, and they help you practice important skills you may have forgotten. Even beter, it gets you back in the water, and helps get those cobwebs out. There are a few ways that you can make sure you get the most out of your refresher:

1. Get an idea of what kind of skills you need to go over.

There are quite a few skills you do in your Open Water course. You may not need to practice a no-mask-swim, but clearing a fully flooded mask may be a good one. Telling your instructor "I want to review everything" means that they're going to do their absolute best to fit as many skills in as they can, and it may not quite fit in with what you're hoping to do. Give them some guidance.

2. Ask for help with your buoyancy and trim!

THE most important skill you need to master to be a good diver (other than breathing, duh) is buoyancy - as in, being neutrally buoyant - not bouncing off the bottom, and not bobbing at the surface (or shooting up and down between the two extremes. Ow, my ears). Buoyancy may very well be the toughest skill to master as a new diver, but it can prevent so many problems - most notably uncontrolled descents, and (the ever more dangerous) uncontrolled ascents. Ask your Instructor or DM for buoyancy practice, especially time to swim around the pool. Get their feedback, they'll likely offer suggestions or adjustments you can make to help streamline your trim and be more efficient in the water.

3. Show up a bit early to chat with your Instructor.

At bare minimum, don't show up late! It's not a very courteous thing to do, especially as your poor Instructor only has so much time to teach you your refresher, and a late student eats up into that precious pool time! Show up early, get settled, and have a chat with your Instructor. They will want to get a feel for your dive experience, where you're going (if you are going anywhere), and what sorts of skills you'd like a hand with. Let them know of any previous problems you've had with skills or previous dives. Plus, they may be able to give you some pointers based on what you tell them before you even get in the pool! Bonus!

4. Don't be afraid to ask the Instructor to s-l-o-w-w-w down!

Your instructor wants to give you as much knowledge as they can with the time they have, and that sometimes means these classes move very quickly. If you need them to slow down or repeat a skill, just ask! Chances are someone else in the class was thinking the same thing, and everyone will be grateful for a bit of extra practice!

5. Don't be afraid to admit you may need a private session, or that it might be time to retake your Open Water Course.

If you've never seen an octo on a standard regulator setup, or you haven't been in the water since Jacques Cousteau was onboard the Calypso - you MAY need to re-take Open Water. Standards change over time as more data comes in on diver habits, and gear advancements that make diving safer and more enjoyable get incorporated into updated training. The sad reality is that a lot of this data comes from diver accidents and fatalities; as a result courses change over time to incorporate lessons learned and best practices to avoid as many incidents as possible.

If you've been out of the water for just a few years, and you haven't been diving regualry (maybe you haven't been diving since your Open Water certification dives!), an evening refresher course may not be enough to get your skills back up to where you want them to be.

Do a refresher, and afterwards ask yourself the following:

-Do you feel comfortable (with your current skillset) going into an alien environment humans have no business surviving in?

-Do you feel comfortable that you can handle any emergencies you may encounter over the course of a regular dive in the conditions you plan on diving in?

-Do you feel that you would be capable of helping your buddy (or any other diver on the dive) with an emergency if they required it?

If, after a refresher, you can comfortably answer 'yes' to the above, then happy diving! If you're unsure, talk to your Instructor. They will be an excellent second opinion, and will be able to give you an answer based on how they felt your skills were. You might just need a second refresher, or even maybe a one-on-one private refresher so the Instructor can work with you specifically, and not have to worry about the other students.

Get the cobwebs out before you go on vacation, then spend your fun dives doing exactly that: having fun!

Happy diving!

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