Mike Bialecki
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Hey Folks,
I was certified (NAUI) in 1988 when I was around 16 years old. Within three years of my certification I got Openwater II, did several relatively deep dives (120ft), did some ice-diving, and dove in everything from cold Michigan muck-lakes to strong current rivers to tropical paradises. Unfortunately, it has been about 10 years since those golden times and I haven't been diving since. Now I'm 32 years old and am going on vacation with my girlfriend and a few other friends to Dahab, Egypt where we plan on doing a whole lot of diving. I have decided to retake the Openwater advanced class (PADI) with my friend. I figured this might help get my bearings again. I also purchased and completely read the PADI basic manual hoping that will help as well. My question is: Am I being over ambitious by taking the advance class with no 'warm-up'? I'd start with a refresher course, but we simply do not have the time for it. Apparently we are required to do some sort of pre-dive dive in order to check our buouancy and so forth. Will this be enough to quickly practice a few basic skills (i.e mask clearing). What are some of the skills you would suggest I practice a few times before hitting the real dives?
Thanks.
I was certified (NAUI) in 1988 when I was around 16 years old. Within three years of my certification I got Openwater II, did several relatively deep dives (120ft), did some ice-diving, and dove in everything from cold Michigan muck-lakes to strong current rivers to tropical paradises. Unfortunately, it has been about 10 years since those golden times and I haven't been diving since. Now I'm 32 years old and am going on vacation with my girlfriend and a few other friends to Dahab, Egypt where we plan on doing a whole lot of diving. I have decided to retake the Openwater advanced class (PADI) with my friend. I figured this might help get my bearings again. I also purchased and completely read the PADI basic manual hoping that will help as well. My question is: Am I being over ambitious by taking the advance class with no 'warm-up'? I'd start with a refresher course, but we simply do not have the time for it. Apparently we are required to do some sort of pre-dive dive in order to check our buouancy and so forth. Will this be enough to quickly practice a few basic skills (i.e mask clearing). What are some of the skills you would suggest I practice a few times before hitting the real dives?
Thanks.