It's The Off-Season! Ok, Now What!?

That is one solid-looking lake (Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park)

For you lucky folks that live in the tropics (or near water that doesn't freeze over in winter), you can just ignore this little post. Why? Because you don't have an off-season, you get to dive year round (you lucky people!)!

Here in Alberta, we have an interesting 'off-season'. There's this point beginning in about November or December where the lakes have just started to freeze over - but they're not thick enough for ice diving. While we could shatter that little bit of ice and go diving, that wouldn't be the safest option for most divers with no additional surface support. Plus, at some point the ice just gets thick enough that it's not even doable. Plus plus - we really want that ice to get thick enough for ice diving, so don't mess with it!

What's a diver to do - not dive for a few months? MADNESS!

If you're not able to travel somewhere with a less solid body of water to dive during the off-season, you may be left scratching your head as to what you can do to keep up with diving, keep your skills going, and not dry out like a raisin. Well my friends, here are some suggestions!

Take Some Time to Take Care of Your Gear

It's still diving related! The off-season is the best time to perform bigger maintenance on your gear to get it ready for the next season. Need ideas? Here are some of the things I do that you may not have thought of!

Take A Class That Doesn't Require Open Water Dives

It's the perfect time to refresh your First Aid skill, or take Nitrox! Here are some classes

that don't require any open water dives:

-Emergency First Response (for non-divers too!)

-Enriched Air (Nitrox)

-Emergency Oxygen Provider (for non-divers too!)

-AWARE Coral Reef Conservation

-Equipment Specialist

You can also start courses online over winter, then get a hold of your favorite Local Dive Shop to schedule the pool sessions, and then the open water part once the lakes are opened up! You can do this with Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and even Rescue Diver to name a few! HOW COOL! I'd recommend calling your favorite shop ahead of time and asking them for more info, just to make sure they can accommodate you!

Take a Refresher to Keep Your Skills Current

If you're going to be out of the water for a bit, keep your skills current by booking a refresher! A refresher is a 2 hour session with a Divemaster or Instructor where you get in a pool, and review basic scuba skills. These sessions are awesome because they're prescriptive - you can get the instructor to go over certain skills if needed, and it gives you a chance to practice with a pro there to help!

If you know you need some extra attention, it's never a bad idea to book a private refresher to get one-on-one training and really be able to focus on your skills!

Book a Pool Session and Do a Pool Dive!

The majority of Dive Shops will allow you to book a pool session (we call it a Splash at the shop I teach at!) to get in the water and dive! Yes, it's a pool, no, there isn't much to see, but if the alternative is not diving at all? I'll take the pool! It's a great opportunity to practice buoyancy, emergency skills, or heck - bring a camera and some props to practice your photography skills!

Grab Some Non-Diving Friends and Introduce Them to Diving!

Seriously, grab some friends who are scuba-curious, and do a group Discover Scuba Diving session! Pool time for you, and you may just end up with some new dive buddies!

Read Up on Diving and Dive Safety

If you're a diver and not a member of Diver's Alert Network, you may want to get on that. They have an astounding amount of information on their website related to dive safety, and you will learn TONS! No, I do not get paid by them to talk about them. I just believe their archives are so invaluable to divers that everyone should have a look.

Read some dive books! Guidebooks for places you want to go, books on wrecks, different sea creatures, you never know what you might stumble across! One of my favorites is Shadow Divers - just read the description. It's SOOOOO good!

Join a Local Dive Club

Local dive clubs have events you can join - be it diver dinners, pool outings, or group activities - there are lots of fun things to do, and you'll inevitably meet more like-minded divers looking for buddies to hang out with! Around here we have the Underwater Outlaws and the Alberta Underwater Council. These lovely volunteer-led groups organize events year-round to help keep divers involved in the sport, and help divers meet new buddies at events province-wide!

Plan Out Your Next Adventure

It's a great time to plan out some diving for the year. Whether it's a trip, additional training, or heck - even what gear you plan on going diving for - winter is a fabulous time to chill out, relax, and prepare for a year of fabulous dive activities.

Don't let the off-season turn you into a couch potato. Keep your skills current, stay involved, and get ready for an awesome year of underwater adventures.

Happy Diving!

-Sab

#Diving #OffSeason #Maintenance #Training