Even if you’re excited about taking your Open Water Course, you may be a bit intimidated about your first-time diving. Fear not, though, as the experience is sure to be a fun and educational one that will get you ready to explore the undersea world in no time. To ease into the course and gain some insight into how to make the most of it, continue reading.

The open water course will start with some theory. Photo Credit: Blue Marine Dive Resort

Just Relax

Relaxing and staying calm can be difficult for a novice diver, but it’s the key to your success. Enjoy the experience, and know that all beginners have the problem of being unable to take it easy when they begin learning how to scuba dive. It’s expected, so accept it, but try your best to go with the flow.

Remember the Details

Everything you’ll learn in your Open Water Course is taught for a reason, even if you may not realize what that reason is yet. Pay attention, as your instructor will usually tell you exactly why you’re learning how to do something and why you need the equipment and gear that he or she is teaching you to use. Don’t take anything for granted and remember the details.

Also read: Why Should I Get Certified as an Open Water Diver?

Watch the Instructor Closely

If your instructor is demonstrating something, make sure you listen and watch closely. Even if the instructor is merely lecturing or showing you a video, watch and listen attentively.
Again, don’t miss the details that could be the difference between life and death once out in the water. Learn from the experts so that you, too, can be an expert someday.

The open water course includes pool training. Photo Credit: Blue Marlin Dive Gili Trawangan

Work with Your Instructor

If you’re ever experiencing difficulty in mastering a technique or skill, or if a concept just doesn’t seem to be clicking in your mind, don’t hesitate to ask your instructor for further clarification and assistance.

Don’t be shy, don’t feel negative about yourself, and don’t think that you’re the only one not understanding things, as everyone goes through this at some point. Your instructor is there to assist you until you nail everything.

Also read: 3 Great Alternatives To PADI You Should Know About

Ask Questions

Again, ask plenty of questions, and never be afraid to do so. You won’t appear ignorant; rather, you’ll appear motivated and concerned about learning all there is to know about scuba diving safely. If the instructor needs to clear something up or repeat something, just ask him or her to do so.

Don’t Compete with Other Students

This isn’t the time to compete with other students as everyone learns at different rates.

If someone else is grasping a concept or skill more quickly than you can, it’s not a big deal. In fact, when it comes to diving, the concern isn’t how quickly you learn a theory or complete a task. Instead, what matters is the ability to complete this course knowing what you should know before your first real dive.

Also Read: [Differences between PADI and SSI: this is what you should know

The open water course is fun! Photo Credit: Bali Scuba Diving

Don’t Quit

Many people think that what they’re experiencing in the Open Water Course is what diving is like, but this is very far from the truth. During the majority of normal scuba dives, you wouldn’t be taking your mask and regulator off underwater and performing fin pivots, as a couple of examples.

What you’ll learn in this course is what you’ll need to be a confident and adept scuba diver. Even if you think that diving isn’t for you, get through the course and experience open water diving for yourself when you’re done, as that’s really the only way to determine if you like diving or not.

Enjoy the Experience

Again, enjoy the time you’ll spend on your Open Water Course. Don’t let it intimidate you or make you uneasy. Scuba diving is a lot of fun, and people love it for a variety of reasons. Once you complete this course and get out into open water, you’ll understand why diving is so popular.

Did you pass your open water course already or are you planning to do so? Let us know in the comments below

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This article is published by The Scuba Page, the online magazine for Scuba Dive lovers around the world. The Scuba Page is part of RUSHKULT: the online booking platform for adventure sports. Visit the RUSHKULT platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip and accommodation.

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