Haven't gone diving in 3 years, do I need to take a course?

[rozner]

Hi,

I did my PADI open water and advanced open water about 3 years ago. I logged roughly 15 dives. I'm going to be in the south of Spain next month and I'm planning on doing some dives. I seem to recall there being a requirement to dive at least once every 6 months (or some time period). What do I have to do in this case since I don't want to retake the whole course. One of the dive sites that I was looking at actually does require advanced open water padi and I'd like to do that one (maybe not the first dive... but by the end of the trip ). Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[stu_in_fl]

Dive operators usually offer a "refresher course" - it's not the full OW course, but goes over the basics again. If you have a local area that you can dive you could do this before your trip, otherwise contact the dive center you are planning to use in Spain and schedule it with them.
For the more advanced dive, you can also see if you can dive with the Dive Master (they may charge for this).

 

[Jasonmh]

You should be able to take a refresher course, and not have to retake the whole course. I was in a similar position after I first got certified (< 10 dives), and I didn't dive for 2-3 years. I did a dive while on vacation and it did not go very well at all. I should have taken a refresher, and that is what I did as soon as I returned home. I would recommend it, even if you don't "need" it, it is going to help you feel more comfortable and enjoy your dives on your trip even more.

Good Luck,
Jason

 

[rozner]

Ok, well I live in Paris so there's not much to dive here... Maybe the Seine but it won't be very pretty. But maybe there are dive training centers that use the swimming pool. I'd rather do it here and not have to worry about it on vacation since I won't have too much time there. Anyway thanks for the replies, that was quick

 

[SkimFisher]

No swimming pools in Paris? That's where you need to start.

 

[B.L. Justice]

The basics of diving haven't changed a lot. A refresher in the pool will bring you up to speed. I was out almost 10 years and my LDS suggested I take OW again because things had changed. I chose to take the refresher then jump into Advanced. The instructor did a good assessment of my skills and knowledge base and helped fill in gaps where things had changed. The basic skills came right back once I was in the pool. Buoyancy skills were a little harder to bring back but that just takes time and diving.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

Also, beyond skills, re-reading your OW manual might help refresh a lot of the concepts that you originally learned. I was in a similar predicament after a much longer hiatus, but magically it all comes back to you just like riding a bike

 

[piikki]

The main thing is of course the safety - for you and others, not the official requirements. So, in short, it would be good to take a refresher after such a long break.

You should also be aware that some resorts etc have their own rules that have nothing to do with agency-related recommendations/requirements. If their dive shop/op 'requires' you had dives in X months then that is their rule. If not they might require you to pop into the water with an instructor/DM before they allow you on the real dives/boats. Or they might require you to pay for personal DM for every dive because of your rustiness.

If I was you I would do what's smart safety-wise but also always find out what is good financially and time-wise. I would way rather spend time at home doing refresher if at the location it takes time from real diving. And I would certainly like to know if they'd require possibly pricy baby-sitter - if that is not what I wanted anyway.

 

[dhuskins]

Find a local dive shop and ask for a scuba review. It's a two hour review of all the knowledge and pool work you did in your open water class.

I give these refresher classes often and have discovered that most people come in having forgotten just about everything. After 30 minutes of knowledge review they start saying "oh yes, I remember." Getting in the pool is much the same. By the time they are done with the class, they realize they only needed the reminder and they feel comfortable again.

I recommend refresher classes as a once a year thing to any open water diver with less than 10 dives a year or less than 75 total dives. I am amazed how the same material seems to sink in when they come back after some experience.

 

[WoodyLompoc]

Rozner,

Stop by Decathelon and ask them. A couple of them in Paris have scuba sections, so the staff there should be able to direct you to someone who could do a pool session. (Then head directly to Colliure and go for a dive.)