Been away for years

[Stacts]

Howdy!! I'm a little twig of a guy, weigh 105 pounds soaking wet. I got my open water cert in [checks card] 2010... Wow... And I haven't been in the water since about 2011. I did several dives after the certification (mostly boat dives in the Atlantic), but then high school and college punched me in the face. Earlier this year I decided I wanted to get back in the water and so took a refresher course, but a family emergency happened and I was unable to go diving.

I finally scheduled a charter dive in a week in Pensacola (assuming weather permits), but I'm panicking trying to decide if I have everything ready. My reg was serviced before the refresher course, the BCD was repaired just after, I have a 7mm farmer john wetsuit, mask-fins-snorkel-dive watch all accounted for.

Looking for anything I've missed, any tips, any NEVER-DO-THIS nuggets of information.

Thank you!!
(posted in Introductions since this is my first post)

 

[rjack321]

It's been over a dozen years since you dove, you might want to consider a refresher course. Or hiring a DM for your charter at a minimum

 

[Stacts]

It's been over a dozen years since you dove, you might want to consider a refresher course. Or hiring a DM for your charter at a minimum

You're absolutely right!! Which is why I did it this past summer.

 

[The Chairman]

Have fun. Relax. You were trained. You did a refresher. Just go have some fun.

 

[Stacts]

Have fun. Relax. You were trained. You did a refresher. Just go have some fun.

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[The Chairman]

Thanks for the encouragement.

Yeah, you got this.

 

[Green Frog]

While I’ve never waited that long between dives, it had been 4 years since my last dive, so I took a refresher course in the Spring before a June dive trip in Nassau. I was amazed at how quickly everything came back to me. Unless you’re going to jump right in to some sort of super strenuous or extreme diving, I think you’ll be pleased with how quickly your skills return.

As the Chairman said, “Have fun. Relax.” You’ve got this. Just follow your training, do what the DM says in the pre-dive orientation, and enjoy yourself. I know I sure did!