MASTER THE OPEN WATER SCUBA SKILLS.
Scuba Diving is easily figured out when divided into key elements, or open water skills. These open water skills will follow a diver whenever he dives, and prepare you to handle the most simple tasks underwater, and emergency situations that ,if trained right, you should easily avoid.
Learning new skills in a confined underwater environment.
On the Open Water scuba diving course a diver must complete and master a few skills prior to certification. All open water skills are practiced initially at a confined water training session, where your instructor will demonstrate the skills critical attributes, and you’ll perform the skill back, and practice it until both you and your scuba instructor feel comfortable with your performance.
During the open water dives, some of those scuba skills will be practiced again, this time without the demonstration of the instructor, to check your independence, confidence and skill level.
We’ve summed up all the information needed to master the art of scuba diving.
Following each skill’s link you’ll find:
-Scuba skill full description
-Open water skill objectives
–Open water skill recommended location and depth
-Open water skill tips and tricks from our scuba instructors
-Open water skill tutorial video
On Land Scuba Skills:
1. Equipment Assembly – Proper scuba diving equipment set up and inspections.
2. Donning Equipment – How to safely and comfortably don you scuba diving equipment set.
regulator clearing
3. Buddy check- pre-dive safety check – Making sure you and your dive buddy are geared up correctly, and ready to dive.
Confined Shallow Water Scuba Skills-
Clear and calm water, shallow enough to be able to stand in.
4. Regulator Clearing – How to clear a regulator underwater
5. Regulator Recovery – How to locate and recover a regulator dropped from you mouth
6. Partial and Full Mask Clearing – flooding and clearing a mask underwater
7. Mask Removal, replacement and clearing. Removing a mask, breathing underwater for at list 1 minute, replacing and clearing the mask
Mask Clearing
8. Air Depletion – experience what it feels like running out of air
9. Alternate Air Sourceemergency ascent procedures. Learn what to do when out of air with your buddy’s assistance
10. Free Flowing Regulator– Breathe effectively from a free flowing regulator for not less than 30 seconds
Confined Deep Water Scuba Skills-
clear, calm water, too deep to stand in. this allows more maneuverability in buoyancy and swimming skills and requires a diver to swim to the surface
11. 5 point controlled Descent – ascending safely and comfortably to the surface
Improve your buoyancy scuba skills
12. Fin Pivot – practice buoyancy. ascend and descent only by using your lungs.
13. Hovering– practice buoyancy. Stay motionless in mid-water using your lungs.
14. Weight Belt Removal and Replacement underwater–
15. BCD Removal and Replacement
16. Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent – emergency ascent procedures. Learn what to do when out of air without any assistance
17. No Mask Swim – swim underwater with no mask with your instructors assistance
18. 5 Point Ascent– ascending safely and comfortably to the surface
optional open water course skill- Buddy Breathing Ascent.
Surface Scuba Skills
learn what to do when you're out of air
19. Snorkel/Regulator Exchange
20. Tired Diver Procedures
21. Cramp Removal
22. Weights Removal
23. BCD Removal
24.
I’ve also seen “surface compass navigation” and “underwater compass navigation” on other lists, but I don’t see these here – is that an optional skill? or am I missing it here somewhere…