What Is The Most Important Skill For A New Diver?

[molksmith]

I would say "NEVER USE YOUR ARMS" and Know your limitations!!!
Never dive above your level, It's not fun and you don't develop your skills.You just spend your time trying to keep up and you don't enjoy what is most beautiful about diving the actual feeling of weightlessness....
Enjoy shallow dives with little current for awhile, this will help you get your Buoyancy and build your fundamentals. Everyone always wants to quickly move ont on to difficult dives. Appreciate the learning process.

 

[molksmith]

Sorry I am kind of reading the thread backwards...
As far as panic is concerned, experience removes panic...
and this is a what a dive master told me and it's true.

Breathe Slowly and it is impossible to Panic.....

So if you feel strange Slow Down, get your breathing together and then move on.
Your lungs are everything in Diving. They are your personal BCD and they are your source of Life. Treat Them Well and Know how to relax...

 

[SeanQ]

Nuts! Senior moment. Guess I'm lucky to remember who my buddy is during a dive much less what I posted 6 months ago.

Thanks for pointing this out to me Sean.

Not to worry OE2X, I won't make fun of you for trying to bump your post count.

 

[Hank49]

Descending. You ain't diving if you ain't under water.

 

[Frog77]

I have to say, since I am a very new diver...I have to say the most important thing for a new diver is not to panic!! I tend to panic a lot, and I run out of air. I can use up a high pressure 120 in 25 minutes. Also to watch your surroundings...I almost ran into a Lion's Mane Jelly Fish on one of my dives. Luckily my dad is a ex USN diver and commercial diver..and pulled me back and saved potentially my life.
:monkeydan :scubadive

I agree with little diver, as a new diver myself, when you are new to diving there are so many new things you have to remember. Breathing properly and keep calm are my choices.

 

[yukoneer]

I was somewhat surprised to be the first person to vote for "dive planning"

I was stressed in class to "plan your dive, stick to it"

Planning your dive, you will not run into issues with air, navigation, and communication. Communication happens before the water with the buddies planning the dive to how deep, how far, how long, how far apart from each other, etc...

Buoyancy is important, yes - but its the planning that is important because you know in advance of what your and buddy's limitations are.

Thats what my opinion is, and i only have 25 dives under my belt.

 

[bubblelogist]

I was tempted to say buyoancy first... then if I remember when I was a newby and the couple of newly certified I saw one week ago I finally answer Buddy skills and communication. When you are a newby you just don't want to lose your buddy and get along. Buyoancy Is really important too and not enough teached by the instructors.

 

[jbd]

Descending. You ain't diving if you ain't under water.

Descending with control and finesse, looking like you are smooth as silk UW is part of true buoyancy control :dazzler1:

 

[freediver]

Yeah, gotta go with that breathing thing. When the "skill" of breathing correctly is mastered, diving and its components start to become more natural.

 

[pieohpah]

I'd say common sense regarding safety, comes first. Your personal safety first, your buddys safety after that. Your personal safety includes not rocketing to the surface (buoyancy control) and not running out of air (breathing, gas management). Your buddys safety includes having a diving plan and communication before and during the dive, keeping together.

To be a good diver you have to have more than the basic skills; I'd say better buoyancy, rescue training and navigational skills, and then all the rest.