Scuba diving, or rather, the thought of breathing underwater can be intimidating. Scuba diving for beginners on Oahu can be quite challenging. After all, as humans, we are bound to become rather apprehensive when stepping into the unknown. Fortunately, if you are a beginner at scuba diving, you have nothing to worry about. We have listed 5 helpful tips for first-time scuba divers on Oahu! Have a look!
Tip 1: Of Course, You Must Learn To Breathe
Before diving into the ocean, it is advisable for you to focus your mind on breathing. Doing this will keep your mind calm and prevent it from wandering around. You can also consider taking a few meditation classes to help you practice continuous, steady breathing, allowing you to breathe properly in difficult situations. Breathing slowly will help you relax and control your buoyancy better.
Tip 2: Always Be Prepared with Spares
Scuba diving requires extensive planning. And, there is always the chance of something going wrong on the trip. For instance, your gear could stop functioning during the trip; your mask straps or fin straps could break and ruin your entire adventure. Therefore, it is advisable for you to bring spares along with you to the trip. Talking about spares, you should especially carry along an extra mask defog, spare o-rings, and tank o-rings as these gear are quite fragile and can break easily.
Tip 3: Surface Carefully
Diving correctly is undoubtedly important, but it is also essential for you to surface carefully. The general rule of thumb implies that you should come up at a minimum speed of at least 30 feet per minute. So, how do you know if you are surfacing carefully? Well, you shouldn’t travel faster than the slowest bubbles you’re exhaling. It is also advisable for you to do a safety stop at 15 feet.
Tip 4: Don’t Panic
No matter what happens, you should never panic when in the water. You should understand that you do not have the luxury of getting emotional when in the water. You will only put yourself and others in harm if you panic, cry and rush to the surface. You should consider holding an eye contact with your partner if you feel that you are starting to get worked up. Doing this will help calm your heart rate.
Tip 5: Extra Tips
It is dangerous for you to go diving in a big group. If you do so, it can get extremely difficult for the instructor to manage the group. You should also know that you lose a lot of water when you dive. Hence, it is of paramount importance for you to drink plenty of water before and after your diving sessions. Just because you’re surrounded by water doesn´t mean that you won’t need to hydrate. After all, scuba diving is a form of exercise that is more exhausting than you think. If you are one who gets dizzy during boat rides, it is recommended for you to take dizziness pills.
