Getting back into scuba after 4 years?

[glbtrekker]

I am a newly certified diver, but due to a number of circumstances I haven’t been able to dive in the last 4 years. However an opportunity has opened up recently to go on a cruise to the Western Caribbean and I would love to get back into the water. Since the trip leaves in less than 2 weeks, I don’t have time to do a refresher course locally and I’m trying to determine my options.

We will be visiting (in order), Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Grand Cayman. Between all these ports, there is one option for someone who’s been out of the water for as long as I have, it’s a shore dive at Grand Cayman on our last day. However, I would hate to miss out on some of the other opportunities.

I don’t think Cozumel or Belize would be a good option for me at this stage, so I’m looking primarily at Roatan or Grand Cayman. I contacted the dive shop in Roatan and they said that I could participate in their 2 tank excursion if I hired a private dive master for the day, which seems reasonable to me.

In addition, my 14 year old daughter wants to try one of the discover scuba excursions and if she does I will join her and let it be my “refresher” course. I know it’s not as good as an actual course, but I still have all my training manuals, etc. and intend to refresh my knowledge of tables, dive science, etc. before leaving.

So, I’m thinking about maybe doing the discover scuba course with her in Roatan and then signing up for a 2 tank dive in Grand Cayman. They require that you’ve logged a dive in the last 2 years…would the discover scuba on the day before suffice?

So…what do you think? Option #1 private dive master in Roatan plus a discover scuba with daughter the next day? Or option #2 discover scuba in Roatan, then 2 tank dive the next day in Grand Cayman without private dive master?

 

[mrdre]

I'd be on the safe side: take the private dive master. Request that you redo all the skills OW divers do: mask removal, air sharing, cesa, controlled ascend, etc. The rental equipment is usually not in a good shape, so malfunctioning regulators, BCDs, leaky tanks is pretty much common. If you are diving with a group of "not so experienced" divers there is a high chance of somebody kicking off your mask, regulator, pushing you, grabbing you. It's not a problem though if you know what to do.

Request to take you deep. Most of the dives in Belize/Roatan (that reef system) are going to be deep: around 100 feet. The danger of diving in Caribbean clear warm water is that you may end up very deep without noticing it. So, monitoring the gauges, understanding the no-decompression limits, knowing gas consumption at depth are essential. It's not hard, but just make him go with you at least once.

That's what I would do.

 

[HJeffreyM]

If you have two weeks, and there's a dive shop in your area, it seems to me that if you explained the situation to them they should be able to arrange a private SCUBA refresher for you at a local pool, lake or quarry. The course itself only take about an hour. If you are willing to pay a few extra $ you should be able to find someone to do the course with you within the needed time frame. It really is your best bet to be safe and to have the dive ops on your trip allow you to do all the dives you want to do.

 

[cdemith]

You say that you do not have time for a refresher. Why is that? my LDS runs a refresher once a month, and will do a private refresher on request.

Monitoring gauges is one important aspect, but the buoyancy and safety skills are very important too. Those are what you cant brush up on by reading the manuals. With very few dives done 4 years ago you should treat these upcoming as a brand new diver.

I would do anything I could to at least take the refresher.

Regarding the locations, our shop in Roatan held depth shallow as my buddy did not have AOW. We never went below 60. In GCM they took us below 100 and there were clearly some people with us that shouldnt have even considered that depth. I have not been to Belize. In Cozumel stay shallow, it gets deep quickly. Ask your DM about what to do on a drift. It scared the hell out of me my first time. I sucked down my tank fighting the current. Wben I asked the DM in Coz about it he showed me. Now I love drift.

Take a refresher, you'll be glad you did.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I know of an operation in grand cayman that took a pair of newly certed divers on a planned 100 ft wall dive. One came back to states in a coffin. I would certainly never let my 14 yr old daughter do an intro outside of a pool. But then I am highly risk averse after having looked at a number of fatalities involving new divers. As well as being consulted by attorneys on some of them. My primary recreational dive agency doesn't allow intro's in open water.

 

[glbtrekker]

I'd be on the safe side: take the private dive master. Request that you redo all the skills OW divers do: mask removal, air sharing, cesa, controlled ascend, etc. The rental equipment is usually not in a good shape, so malfunctioning regulators, BCDs, leaky tanks is pretty much common. If you are diving with a group of "not so experienced" divers there is a high chance of somebody kicking off your mask, regulator, pushing you, grabbing you. It's not a problem though if you know what to do.

Request to take you deep. Most of the dives in Belize/Roatan (that reef system) are going to be deep: around 100 feet. The danger of diving in Caribbean clear warm water is that you may end up very deep without noticing it. So, monitoring the gauges, understanding the no-decompression limits, knowing gas consumption at depth are essential. It's not hard, but just make him go with you at least once.

That's what I would do.

Thanks, I didn't know that I could get the dive master to help me practice my skills...figured it was a more follow the group with a baby-sitter kind of thing (not that that's bad).

If you have two weeks, and there's a dive shop in your area, it seems to me that if you explained the situation to them they should be able to arrange a private SCUBA refresher for you at a local pool, lake or quarry. The course itself only take about an hour. If you are willing to pay a few extra $ you should be able to find someone to do the course with you within the needed time frame. It really is your best bet to be safe and to have the dive ops on your trip allow you to do all the dives you want to do.

You say that you do not have time for a refresher. Why is that? my LDS runs a refresher once a month, and will do a private refresher on request.

Monitoring gauges is one important aspect, but the buoyancy and safety skills are very important too. Those are what you cant brush up on by reading the manuals. With very few dives done 4 years ago you should treat these upcoming as a brand new diver.

I would do anything I could to at least take the refresher.

Regarding the locations, our shop in Roatan held depth shallow as my buddy did not have AOW. We never went below 60. In GCM they took us below 100 and there were clearly some people with us that shouldnt have even considered that depth. I have not been to Belize. In Cozumel stay shallow, it gets deep quickly. Ask your DM about what to do on a drift. It scared the hell out of me my first time. I sucked down my tank fighting the current. Wben I asked the DM in Coz about it he showed me. Now I love drift.

Take a refresher, you'll be glad you did.

We leave in 11 days and between work schedules, location and other issues, I don't think I can fit in a refresher, but thanks for the suggestion.

I know of an operation in grand cayman that took a pair of newly certed divers on a planned 100 ft wall dive. One came back to states in a coffin. I would certainly never let my 14 yr old daughter do an intro outside of a pool. But then I am highly risk averse after having looked at a number of fatalities involving new divers. As well as being consulted by attorneys on some of them. My primary recreational dive agency doesn't allow intro's in open water.

That's alarming...and certainly something to consider. Thanks for the warning, I will take it into consideration. Any advice for my situation?

 

[cdemith]

Work schedule vs your safety, and possibly your daughter's. I get it, but please consider.

 

[The Chairman]

Wow... so much fear being mongered. I didn't know I was in that much danger!

I would take the dsd with my daughter and see how you feel after it. It will count as a dive. As a certified diver, you'll be able to determine the instructor's level of competence. Remember my second rule of diving: You can call a dive at any time, for any reason with no questions asked and no repercussions. If you aren't comfortable with a situation, give it the thumb. Don't let finances weigh in on the decision.

 

[tkaelin]

Take the time to do it right and be safe. Don't rush it especially with your daughter. Enjoy your cruise. When my teens said they wanted to learn how to dive, they took the courses and did the pool work locally and we went to Bon for their open water. My wife was certified but hadn't been in the water in a long time. We had a great time and with the easy shore diving in Bon at a resort reef, all three developed and refreshed there skills in a safe beautiful stress free environment. We have taken many trips since and all now love diving. Rushing it especially in the context of trying to fit it in with a cruise ship schedule does not seem the way to go and may lead to a bad experience.

 

[The Chairman]

Oh yeah, if your daughter likes her dsd, then be sure to enroll her in a class and see if they'll let you audit the class with her. We actually encourage parents to do that so that everyone is on the same page with signals and protocols. Scuba's more fun with a special buddy.