SCUBA Refresher Course – Essential Confidence in SCUBA Diving – 1/2 Day

SCUBA Refresher Course

Not been diving in a while? Can you remember how to do a buddy check? Feeling rusty on your diving skills?

Don’t worry! It happens, especially if you only dive on vacation, and haven’t had chance to travel as much in recent years.

The SCUBA Refresher course can help you to become water-confident again and help your open water training come flooding back to you, so you can dive in confidence. 

Who Needs A SCUBA Refresher Course?

SCUBA Associations like SDI or PADI recommend that, if you have been out of the water for more than 6-12months then you need a refresher.

At DivePoint we know there are different levels of divers, and that ‘dry-spells’ can be a tricky way to measure a persons need for a refresher course.
For instance, if you’re a vacation diver with less than 20 dives, and it has been 12 months since your last dive, then we would highly suggest a refresh.
For a rescue diver with several hundred dives, who was diving regularly but took a year or two out for some reason, it may not be as necessary.

It’s certainly a grey area, but if in any way you feel a little apprehensive, then a refresh will help to calm your nerves before heading out on your ocean and cenote dives.

Why Do I Need A SCUBA Refresher Course?

So, yes you may be qualified to dive, but if you cannot fully remember all of the diving procedures, such as how to descend, or what to do if you lose a buddy, or what BWRAF stands for, then it simply won’t be as safe for you (or for your buddy) to dive.

Especially as a lone diver, you may be placed with a buddy, and if you struggle, it shouldn’t be the responsibility of a buddy to babysit you on a dive, simply because you are rusty.
For your own confidence AND to allow everyone to have a better dive, the refresh course will be all you need to be able to dive safely.

You have close time with an instructor where you can ask any and all questions and work on your skills.

What Do I Learn on A SCUBA Refresh Course?

A refresh course is a short recap of the dive basic skills that you learn during your open water course.
You revisit them in a pool with an instructor, at your own pace.
You have time to ask your own questions and really practice those skills that may have caused you problems before.

What is the Benefit of a SCUBA Refresher Course?

After completing your refresh course you’re going to feel super confident to dive in the ocean and Cenotes. Often on dive boats the Instructor or DM may have a few people to supervise, and you may not have the special time needed if you really can’t remember your procedures. This isn’t fair on the instructor, or the rest of your group.

As well as being able to be responsible for yourself, as divers should be, you will also benefit from a longer dive time. Nervous divers who haven’t refreshed are more likely to breathe through their air faster.
You can also hone in on buoyancy skills and anything else you’d like to work on, such as finning techniques and using your dive computer.   

How Long Does a SCUBA Refresher Course Take?

A refresh course usually only takes a couple of hours and can be completed as a half day in either the morning or afternoon.
If you do it as a morning session, you can tag some ocean dives on later in the afternoon to put into practice what you’ve learnt immediately!