quick scuba refresher

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Man, this is super last minute, but I meant to brush up on scuba knowledge before i go on my trip, since it's been 2 years since I last went, and I'm not sure I should dive unless I can remember. Is there any resources I could print out to refresh my memory? (I'm PADI Open Water certified only)

[Michael]

You could check local libraries. My local library only has one useful book for a refresher type thing, but it's free at least. Since you say it's last minute, I'd guess a refresher course is out of the question? Most scuba schools offer them for cheap. Most resources I've found online have been lacking at best.

If I haven't gone diving for a while and I feel out of practice, usually messing around at the surface or in shallow water refreshes my memory plenty (working on things like buoyancy control, switching to secondary regulators, mask flooding, buddy breathing, all that), but I guess it depends on just how out of practice you are.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Yeah, I planned really poorly this time. Had I thought ahead of time I would've taken a refresher course at a local shop. I figure if I do a dive that isn't too difficult, I'll be fine with a bit of reading. Unfortunately I JUST remembered I had a bunch of PADI videos on an external hard drive somewhere, though I dunno if I'll have time to watch them. Ah well, we'll see.

dlinfiniti

if you have specific questions you can ask them here, i have my books here

Druhim

I'd say the skills you'd want to refresh before going diving somewhere are your practical, in water skills like buoyancy control, removing and replacing your mask underwater, ditching your weight belt, etc.

If you're having trouble even remembering stuff from the books, I have to wonder how rusty your practical skills are.

Druhim

That said, basic open water cert should be enough for most chartered dives as dive boats are mainly going to cater to the lower end of the experience curve. And if a boat is diving locations that require more experience/skill, they'll straight up let you know and check that you have comparable experience.