Back To Diving?

Few steps to follow.

Dear readers,

I hope you are well.

I am sure most of you are planning to return to diving very soone, or let's say the soonest. At least for those of you who don't have dive spot in their neighbourhood and need to travel for that. The good news is that the world is re-opening gradually.

So this picture looks like you and your dive buddy ready to make your Giant Stride Entry? This is great, but do it safely. Your skills could be a bit rusty.

Need a reminder? There is nothing wrong with that, and every (serious and honest) diver know it. Ask! Don't stay silent because you feel ashamed asking for information or advice. You probably have a friend who dived more recently and he can help. Not the case? Here a few key points to consider.

• Are you healthy?

Have you had an issue recently? Or you are just unsure? Visit a physician first. It won't take long a might be worth it.

• How is your fitness level?

You don't need a six pack and you don't need to run 10km in 45mn to dive we all agree on that. Nevertheless, have a good or say a minimum of fitness level helps. Not only to make you look good in your dive gears (hey don't laugh, you know it too that a diver likes to look pretty or handsome with its gears on) but to avoid other -potential issues. I won't go into details here since it is not the topic of this post.

• Your equipment

Remember to have your Regulator set examined by a professional if you haven't used it for a year or more.

Remember to check (and ideally test) your dive computer. Have it inspected or have the battery replaced as necessary.

Do a visual check of the rest of your equipement.

I presume most of you dont possess their own tank so I skip that.

• Your skills

You are a hero of diving? No doubt. But still, why don't you spend few minutes testing your memory: hand signals, how does your dive computer work, how to use your compass, where at the releases on your BCD. Remember BWRAF?

• Your flight ticket

Last but not least: your travel route. Tickets, bookings, appropriate luggage to carry your dive equipment, visas, hotels etc. Ok its not exactly part of the diving checklist but you don't want to ruine your trip because of poor logistic planning.

Too much information to remember?

Do not worry, Dives Alert Network (DAN) prepared (again) a cheat sheet. Dowload if from here: Return-To-Diving-Handout-v3 (dan.org)

Happy diving.

The Diving Bear