Keeping your experience up to date

[paul cairncross]

I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.

My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?

Any thoughts?

reggards
Paul

[Chris Tibble]

I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.

My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?

Any thoughts?

reggards
Paul

Paul,

It depends on how much you dive and what sort of diving you are doing. Personally I like to get in the pool every week to keep my skills in trim. My regular buddy and I go over Valve Drills (not so important if you dive a single cylinder) Out Of Gas Drills, diver lifts, finning, neutral buoyancy and trim. We generally try to get about an hour in. It's very good practise, as it makes our regular dives a breeze. We are always 'dived up' and also means we get to avoid being one of the Easter Weekend 'Lemmings' that give the Coastguard and the RNLI their first major workout of the year. I also like to get up to a quarry or other protected waterhole and run through some deeper water training as well, especially in the winter.

Too many people have the attitude that once they have the ticket they stop learning and never need to practise. Sadly looking on the average boat on a weekend down here (South Coast) indicates that that isn't so!

My advice - if you are a member of a club that has access to a pool, use it. Chances are you are paying for it anyway. Pool sessions aren't just for novices and trainees. If the people that usually hang around the side of the pool chatting actually bothered to get in and practise there'd be fewer incidents. Pubs are the perfect place if you want to have a chinwag, with the added advantage of not making you stink of chlorine...!

As ever just my opinion, which as usual is worth what you paid for it. ;-)

Chris

[Rich]

:=I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.
:=
:=My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?
:=
:=Any thoughts?
:=
:=reggards
:=Paul

I'd like to say, rather than just 'keep' your skills up to date, you will push a little more and continue to pick up new ones. An occasional brush up will certainly do no harm but if you can actually get in the water (salt or fresh not chlorine) then this is undoubtedly superior in my book. You cant simulate the cold or low viz in the pool.

Enthusiasm seems the catalyst for the motivation to maintain good practice, therefore I suppose you could say, the keener you are then utlimately the better you will be. And we all know what they say about the big 'E' word - Experience.

now, will you be breaking the ice over christmas?

regards,
Rich.

[matt]

I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.

My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?

Any thoughts?

It does depend what you are expecting to do. If your happy doing 10 to 15m bimbles off the shore you can probably get away with less commitment than is required for more adventurous diving. The thing to remember is that your current dives should reflect your current skills and training level. The more you put into diving the more you get out of it. If your skilled and practiced your confident, comfortable and in a position to enjoy yourself.

I like to do some adventurouse diving when the weather allows so during the Summer I dive every week in order to keep my skills up and training fresh.

In the Winter I dive at least once a month to keep 'wet'. Being part of a club is a great way to keep the interest going. There are usually a number of trainees keen enough to want to dive in a dark cold murky puddle and they know if they badger me I will go along. The diving may not be up to much but a day outdoors with a few mates is a good crack.

I think that it is a good idea to set yourself training goals each year. For instance, do your next instructor exam, complete Dive Leader or whatever.

[Chris Tibble]

:=:=I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.
:=:=
:=:=My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?
:=:=
:=:=Any thoughts?
:=:=
:=:=reggards
:=:=Paul
:=
I'd like to say, rather than just 'keep' your skills up to date, you will push a little more and continue to pick up new ones. An occasional brush up will certainly do no harm but if you can actually get in the water (salt or fresh not chlorine) then this is undoubtedly superior in my book. You cant simulate the cold or low viz in the pool.

Enthusiasm seems the catalyst for the motivation to maintain good practice, therefore I suppose you could say, the keener you are then utlimately the better you will be. And we all know what they say about the big 'E' word - Experience.

now, will you be breaking the ice over christmas?

regards,

Rich.

Why bother simulate cold? If you dive with the proper insulating gear you don't get cold!

As for poor viz - take your mask off or close your eyes. Nothing like buoyancy practise with your eyes shut...

Don't dis the pool - if you can do all your skills with perfect neutral buoyancy in 2-3m, and I don't mean when you are kneeling on the bottom, you can do it anywhere. And if you do do your skills kneeling on the bottom what difference does it make how deep you are?

In the pool I always go in in my drysuit (no undersuit needed as I am as warm in the pool as I am in open water in winter with a proper undersuit on) and gloves. I may get some funny looks, but who cares when it means I don't look like a muppet in open water?

Regards,

Chris

[David Tombs]

I am a sport diver and have been diving for around two years.

My question is how much diving/training should I be doing per year to keep my skills and up to date and to be safe when diving?

Any thoughts?

reggards
Paul

It is certainly not just the number of dives that count. Obviously though the more diving and practice the better. But it is the type of dives that are done,with a variety of conditions that improve the skills. As many people say on these pages,no one should ever assume that the know it all,thats when problems can occur.
Safe diving everyone.