With the advent of long summers and great diving on offer, it’s surprising how much underwater time you can clock up and in no time you can feel there is nothing that can go wrong.  This is true if you are following safe diving practices and using common sense so we’ve put together some of our top tips for safe diving:

Keep your knowledge and dive skills fresh

There are a couple of different ways to do this like,  re-reading your Standard Safe Diving Practices every few months. You’ll be surprised what comes to mind that you might have let slip.  You can book in for a Scuba Review or Re-Activate session with an online knowledge section, pool skills and join us for guided dives.

Check your health

Have you been sick or had any other changes to your health?  Check the Diver Medical | Participant Questionnaire.  It is recommended that you review the Diver Medical Questionnaire annually or if you have been sick then visit your doctor as per the instructions.  This document is compiled by the Recreational Scuba Training Council for dive course participants and divers alike, used world wide to improve diver safety.

Get the right training

Yes this is a sales pitch, but more importantly, it is because we know the right training goes a long way towards safer diving.  Keep up the good habits and follow the procedures you learn too.  These are there to keep you alive and enjoying a lifetime of diving.  Dive conservatively; as an example, Advanced Open Water Divers are certified to a maximum of 30 meters, remember that is a MAXIMUM.  This means that ideally you would dive shallower that this until you are certified to go deeper.  This is called being conservative and often overlooked or forgotten with a little experience.

We recommend the core courses: Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver for every scuba diver.  Being certified beyond the level required for you diving plans is a great safety precaution.

Get local advice and check the conditions.

Every area is different and the weather can change quickly and unexpectedly.  Talk to your local dive store and even check in before you go abroad.  Who knows, we might already have a trip planned to your desired destination and vetted the operation.  Join the Dive Crew on a dive trip!

Listen to the Pro’s

Practicing SCUBA instructors are checked regularly in NZ by Worksafe and monitored by PADI.  We keep up to date with trends and plus our experience and training has taught us what works.  If you are concerned or not sure of something, ask us.  If it sounds odd, double check with another member of the staff or crew in case the answer or question was misinterpreted.

Check your dive gear.

After diving, rinse your gear and check things over for damage or anything that looks out of place, ask your dive buddy if they saw anything odd about your gear during the dive too.  Bring your gear into our Store to get checked by one of us or for a service – the worldwide industry recommendation for regulators and BCD’s is annually or every 100 dives, whichever comes first.  Check your fin straps, mask and snorkel regularly too along with any accessories.