kanonfodr
Contributor
Ya, definitely remember that we do this stuff for fun, not everybody is going to want to do S-Drills with you all day.
I'm a fan of The Law of Primacy: What we learn first is what is retained the longest. In order of importance:
Trim & Bouyancy - Practice turning yourself into a hole in the water. Stay in the same position at the same depth without having to move too much. Pools are great practice, a diver I know has been known to spend hours in her college's pool just hanging out to practice trim & bouyancy. That's part of why she's a way better diver than I am
. Basic Six - Mask Clearing, Mask Remove & Replace, Reg Remove & Replace, Reg Switch, Reg Recovery, and Mod. S-Drill (deploying alternate air source for buddy breathing, then re-stowing it. These are foundational skills that should be accomplished as a matter of routine rather than emergency. The key is to maintain trim and neutral bouyancy, while being smooth and efficient with the skill.
Propulsion - Non-silting kicks (Frog Kick, Mod Frog, Mod Flutter), helicopter turn, and back kick. I would recommend finding a knowledgeable mentor for these as you would not want to develop a bad habit that may have to be unbroken at a greater time cost later on. But at the very least the Mod Flutter should be fairly easy for any diver to grasp the concept of. All kicks should be accomplished while maintaining trim & neutral bouyancy, especially the helicopter turn and back kick.
Those should keep you going for several months, especially the kicks. I am still working on my back kick every dive. Be proactive and search your diving for opportunities to use those skills as opposed to setting a pure training dive, you'll have a larger pool of buddies that way.
Oh yeah, and go diving. Lots!
Peace,
Greg
