Dive Skills you can Practice at Home

October 19, 2020

COVID-19 has forced people from different parts of the world to go on self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the disease. Being cooped up inside the house has not been easy for many people, especially those who enjoy nature and the outdoors. For divers who love exploring the marine world, the quarantine period has been a tough time.

With diving restrictions gently lifting in many places, divers can look forward to visiting the marine world again. If you’re planning to go scuba diving UAE, you can get in touch with Nemo Diving Center. Our dive center practices stringent safety procedures to protect our divers and staff from the Coronavirus.

While you’re waiting for the perfect opportunity to get back into the water, here are some dive skills that you can practice at home.

Ability to navigate

Navigation skills are important to find your way in the water but in order to maintain this skill, you need to practice regularly. Sometimes being supervised by a divemaster or professional guide makes you less concerned about navigation skills because you can just follow that person. Whether you have a guide or not, it’s important to know the basics of navigation, especially how to use a compass.

Use this opportunity to hone your navigation skills while you’re at home. All you need is a compass and a little imagination to practice this ability. The basic compass techniques are usually taught during your open water scuba training. On land, you can practice compass techniques without worrying about buoyancy. You can go through different patterns such as the U-pattern, square, or a designated point-to-point route. When you get used to following your compass bearings on solid ground, you’ll find it easier to navigate underwater.

Breathing techniques

You learn how to take long, deep breaths during your scuba diving training. Although breathing may seem simple, proper breathing techniques underwater takes getting used to. When you’re in the water, you have to breathe in deeply and fill your lungs. Then you have to breathe out in a slow, controlled manner.

Practicing conscious breathing at home can help reduce your breathing cycles. You can do this through yoga and meditation. They are not only good for your health, but they can also present you with great breathing exercises to prepare you for diving. Honing this skill will make it easier to master breathing techniques underwater.

Putting together your dive gear and vice versa

If you have your own gear, you can practice putting it together. Use this time to inspect each component to check if it might need service. Practice putting your dive kit together and disassembling it until you are confident doing it even without looking.

Brush up on fish names

Do you have fish cards lying around and collecting dust? Might as well put them to good use by reviewing the different species of fish and familiarizing yourself with their physical traits. You’ll find that it’s more rewarding when you can identify the types of fish that you encounter.

Review diving materials

While waiting for the next opportunity to dive, you can spend your time wisely by reviewing your PADI e-learning materials and other references. Refresh your memory by going through important dive concepts.