| As a newly certified diver you have many skills to | | | | you fin along. You must keep all that stuff gathered |
| master, and internalize. | | | | close. Anything that touches coral kills coral. |
| Going through the certification course of your choice | | | | Responsible divers just don't let that happen. |
| only gives you the basic knowledge you need to | | | | Breathing control is one of the most important skills |
| minimize your chances of injury while you explore the | | | | you'll learn. Very often mastering this skill takes time, |
| underwater environment. | | | | and practice over many dives. If you're as thrilled as I |
| Only through repeated dives, and practicing your | | | | am every time you dive, you'll want every |
| various skills do you truly become a scuba diver. | | | | underwater experience to last as long as you can |
| When you make your first 20 dives or so, you'll feel | | | | make it last. The quicker you drain your air, the |
| nervousness because you're in an alien environment. | | | | shorter your underwater day. |
| (At least I did.) | | | | Monitoring how much time you spend at individual |
| The art of successful scuba diving requires | | | | depths directly effects whether you live to dive |
| multitasking abilities. All at the same time your mind | | | | another day. |
| must be aware of many things: | | | | Let yourself run out of air, and you give yourself an |
| - You lock your position with buoyancy control. | | | | opportunity to feel how a fish breathes. |
| - Visually absorb the sub-aquatic view. | | | | Knowing where you are depends on water |
| - Maintain equipment so it doesn't contact the coral | | | | conditions, along with your attention level. If the |
| (and kill it). | | | | visibility is low, or cloudy, you may swim on the |
| - Control your breathing so you don't empty your | | | | surface getting back to your exit point. Surface |
| tank too fast. | | | | swimming with scuba gear on is tiring because of the |
| - Monitor the time length of your dive. | | | | drag as you fin along. Ocean currents quickly sweep |
| - Monitor your air pressure so you don't run out. | | | | you off course if you let them. This happens without |
| - Keep track of your exit point for the end of your | | | | you even realizing it. Some divers find themselves |
| dive. | | | | miles away from their dive boats by not paying |
| - Sometimes you're even watching a compass point | | | | attention to their position. |
| so you don't fin off course. | | | | As divers we often use our underwater compass to |
| Proper buoyancy control alone keeps you busy with | | | | plot the way we'll travel during our dive. Compass |
| buoyancy control device inflation level, method of | | | | navigation is a learned skill by itself. Divers always |
| breathing, and distance between you and the coral. | | | | have one leg that's stronger than the other, which |
| Taking in the view is the biggest distraction of all. | | | | causes us to turn to one side with each fin cycle we |
| You don't want to miss any of the sea life, or the | | | | execute. |
| abundance of color. After all, isn't this the real reason | | | | All these distractions constantly assault your |
| you dive? | | | | attention, and to become a skillful scuba diver you |
| Your gauge console, writing slate, flashlight, camera, | | | | must practice each, and every, skill until you make it |
| and various other equipments hang from your | | | | automatic habit. |
| buoyancy control device, and float around you as | | | | |