Classes to become a better recreational diver?

[NYCNaiad]

Since you mention classes I won't. I'm sure everyone will give you a list of available skills classes.

What I would suggest is to dive with buddies who are a LOT better than you and willing to mentor. Nothing will help your diving "level up" faster than that.

R..

This is a great idea! One problem with this is I do the majority of my diving while traveling. (I usually do 6-7 weeks of dive trips a year.) Because I travel solo, I often end up hiring someone at the destination to dive with me. (The other times I either instabuddy which is a crap shoot or dive with my best friend who is fairly new.) But a better way might be to leverage at least 2 of my trips to choose a location based upon a great mentor to work with instead of just a great location. Thanks for the suggestion!

Do you really have 200+ dives ?

Why you don't start with what specialities have you done so far ?

Yep, I do. I just firmly believe in additional training to get you to the next level. I do the same for my career though I'm a VP. It's very easy to become complacent if you do something enough. Additional training can sometimes show you better ways of doing things.

I mostly took specialties when I was early on in my diving so my choices weren't as good as they could be today. lol Naturalist, Night Diving, Drift, Fish ID & Nitrox are what I have. However, I also monitored a Peak Performance Buoyancy class though didn't participate. And I took Emergency First Response Primary & Secondary Care in prep for Rescue Diver. I have tried 3 times to take the Rescue Diver course & all 3 times something odd came up preventing me from doing the class. But it is my intention to take this sooner rather than later. I also took an Intro to North East diving class through my dive club. (It is not an official specialty, but prepares you for the more advanced diving of the North East US.)

 

[NYCNaiad]

You said you want to become a better recreational diver. Better in terms of skill or better meaning more fun ?

Maybe it is a photo or video class. Maybe it is a class for specific skills that are lacking.

I think a big question is what is it about diving you enjoy most. From that point of view, how do you make diving even more fun for yourself ?

I figured I would leave this open so others could just fill in their blanks giving me a larger breadth of answers to choose from. Aside from the conservative diving aspect, I love all diving...reef, wreck, muck, large animal, macro, etc. It's all glorious to me. I do occasionally dive cold, but that's only locally. If I'm going to travel to dive, I prefer to dive in warm water. I have done a little bit of underwater photography & love photography on land. I've been tempted to take a class for UW photography, but I'm not sure I want to focus on it as I'd rather enjoy the diving itself. At this point, I'm not really interested in video.

 

[AZNetEng]

When I saw the thread title my response was "just do more dives" but obviously that isnt what is lacking here. "Better" as already pointed out is subjective and in your case likely needs some self evaluation. If the itch is improving in specific areas you feel are lacking that is a different ask than perhaps a "I dont know what I dont know... Is there a class or some training that is known to improve people's diving???

Having learned to dive in the 80's in the service, and now PADI certified after a long gap between diving, and having over a half dozen instructors teaching me in that time Im of the opinion that it is less about training, skills, etc, and more about mentoring.

There isnt a doubt in my mind that when I complete Rescue Diver that I will feel like I am a better diver. What I get out of the class that will have me feeling (and believing) that is the quality of the instruction.

As as VP I am sure over the years you have had great contributors that could be relied upon to get a task completed, even excelling at it. I know I have. I can honestly tell you though that some of the best that worked for me are NOT people I would ask to mentor or train someone. IMHO (and experience) it takes a certain type of person that can take what they know and teach it effectively. It takes an even more special person to transfer the passion and feeling they have for something and have that come across.

All this to say... My advice is to find an instructor or an accomplished diver who can teach you what they know. Better still if it is something you dont know.

 

[uncfnp]

This is a great idea! One problem with this is I do the majority of my diving while traveling. (I usually do 6-7 weeks of dive trips a year.) Because I travel solo, I often end up hiring someone at the destination to dive with me. (The other times I either instabuddy which is a crap shoot or dive with my best friend who is fairly new.)

Ok. Based on this tidbit I am going to recommend Solo. Do the others as suggested for skills if you think that will make you "better" and Rescue if you don't already have that background to make you more aware but take Solo for you, to maybe show you a slightly different mindset and way of approaching dives. Not that you plan to dive solo but to get you thinking more like a solo diver.

 

[NYCNaiad]

Ok. Based on this tidbit I am going to recommend Solo. Do the others as suggested for skills if you think that will make you "better" and Rescue if you don't already have that background to make you more aware but take Solo for you, to maybe show you a slightly different mindset and way of approaching dives. Not that you plan to dive solo but to get you thinking more like a solo diver.

You're the 2nd person to say Solo. While I don't think I'll ever dive solo, I think you're right that it is a good idea to become even more self sufficient since most of the time I don't have a trusted buddy I'm diving with...just a buddy. Thank you!

 

[drrich2]

The solo mindset may give you a different perspective on buddy diving. You may ask yourself what you get, or expect to get, out of the buddy system. For example, while I'm not adverse to buddy diving, I tend to think...

1.) Some may advocate a buddy 'checking you over' - seeing if your low-pressure inflator is hooked up, air valve turned on, etc... Good when you're new. After awhile, though, if I, who know my gear setup and where I'm historically 'weak' (screwed up before) can't count on myself to run through preparation to get in the water, what makes me think I can count on somebody else to do it for me?

2.) Yes, it's nice to have a redundant gas supply swimming around in my vicinity. If I really want that, I can arrange to carry one, but it is nice.

3.) Am I so concerned about risk of heart attack, entanglement, some sort of bizarre one off narcosis episode or other 'bad lottery ticket' event that I feel the need for a monitor to watch me on all my dives? Before anybody starts in about divers dying solo, people have terrible car wrecks and die in quite a number of other solo-optional actives; I'm willing to take on a little more risk in life to live free. Can hardly imagine refusing to drive without a 'co-pilot' riding shot gun and a 1st aid kit in the trunk.

Here's the short version; if you can't capably, comfortably dive alone, just how secure are you diving with somebody else? Wouldn't it be an asset to know you're good with the former, even if all you ever do is the latter?

Richard.

 

[NYCNaiad]

The solo mindset may give you a different perspective on buddy diving. You may ask yourself what you get, or expect to get, out of the buddy system. For example, while I'm not adverse to buddy diving, I tend to think...

1.) Some may advocate a buddy 'checking you over' - seeing if your low-pressure inflator is hooked up, air valve turned on, etc... Good when you're new. After awhile, though, if I, who know my gear setup and where I'm historically 'weak' (screwed up before) can't count on myself to run through preparation to get in the water, what makes me think I can count on somebody else to do it for me?

2.) Yes, it's nice to have a redundant gas supply swimming around in my vicinity. If I really want that, I can arrange to carry one, but it is nice.

3.) Am I so concerned about risk of heart attack, entanglement, some sort of bizarre one off narcosis episode or other 'bad lottery ticket' event that I feel the need for a monitor to watch me on all my dives? Before anybody starts in about divers dying solo, people have terrible car wrecks and die in quite a number of other solo-optional actives; I'm willing to take on a little more risk in life to live free. Can hardly imagine refusing to drive without a 'co-pilot' riding shot gun and a 1st aid kit in the trunk.

Here's the short version; if you can't capably, comfortably dive alone, just how secure are you diving with somebody else? Wouldn't it be an asset to know you're good with the former, even if all you ever do is the latter?

Richard.

Yep. I already have a pony & frankly, I don't trust a buddy to look my gear over better than I would. Re: #3: I'm not sure I agree with you, however, what really drives me to dive with a buddy is it's just nice to have someone around to discuss the dive afterwards. But I do agree with taking a solo course as I noted above because "while I don't think I'll ever dive solo, I think you're right that it is a good idea to become even more self sufficient since most of the time I don't have a trusted buddy I'm diving with...just a buddy." I have also been reading some solo materials as well which I've found interesting.

 

[drrich2]

what really drives me to dive with a buddy is it's just nice to have someone around to discuss the dive afterwards.

That's part of why we have Scuba Board!

Richard.

 

[KevinNM]

I had looked into this before & it seemed really interesting, but the gear changes made me leery.

Extreme exposure will rent you all the needed gear for a pretty reasonable daily rate. Part of fundies is setting up the gear, so they will go over fitting the Bp/w to you. Meredith is great, but I haven't run into any GUE instructor that wasn't really good.

 

[RyanT]

What's involved with an intro to tech course?

Here's the description from TDI's website. I think this sums it up pretty well, but it can be tailored a bit. With a good instructor for example, you could probably work on shooting a DSMB as well.

Who this course is for:

• Certified open water scuba diver who wants to expand diver knowledge
• Certified open water scuba diver who is considering technical training
• Certified technical diver who is seeking a refresher course

Course prerequisites:

• Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
• Minimum certification: SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent
• Proof of 25 logged open water dives

What you can expect to learn:

• In-depth dive planning, advanced buoyancy control, gas management, situational awareness, proper trim, gear configuration and selection

What’s in it for you:

• Exposure to in-depth dive planning, introduction to more advanced technical diving and equipment
• Opportunity to become a more proficient diver and expand on diver skills and knowledge

TDI Intro to Tech minimum requirements:

• Execute proper gear selection and preparation as well as buddy gas matching
• Mastery of S.T.A.R.T, trim, finning techniques, body positioning, and diver skills
• Overall demonstration of mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution