11 Scuba Diving tips for beginner divers

Every experienced diver has made mistakes they learned from, and if you're self-aware enough, you have probably noticed some mistakes you make yourself. Learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways to become a better and more confident diver - another way to become a better diver is to learn from others' mistakes! For this reason, here are 10 tips, learnt through years of learning, teaching, and repetition, that you can apply during your dives, and will make you a better diver:

1. Buoyancy is important

Buoyancy is more important than you would think, and the way you apprehend buoyancy depends a lot on how it has been ingrained in you since you started diving: ideally, your instructor taught you the open-water skills while neutrally buoyant rather than kneeling down, and made an important point of buoyancy during the course.

The reason buoyancy is so important is that it makes your dive experience smoother, makes you more nimble in the water, is better for the environment (if you have bad buoyancy and drag your fins all over the reef, the fish won't be happy), and most important of all, make you a safer dive underwater: you should be able to clear a mask, or to check your pressure without losing control over your buoyancy and popping up to the surface.

There are some habits you can pick up to improve your buoyancy, such as actively thinking about it during the dive rather than passively; avoiding using your arms/hands to swim; and remembering to slowly deflate when you ascend, and slowly inflate when you descend. In the end, buoyancy is a matter of habit and experience, and although we can't expect everyone to be a pro when they start, they should always try to improve.

2. Weight yourself properly

This is also an issue that can stem from a lazy instructor: as an instructor, it is easier to give a diver too much lead and have him over-weighted, rather than find out how many weights they actually need. The issue is that doing that will create a diver who is used to taking much more weight with them than they actually need: this can lead to unnecessary energy expenditure, excessive air consumption, and general discomfort during the dive.

The perfect amount of weight you need is the one that will keep you neutrally buoyant during your safety stop at the end of a dive without needing to inflate your BCD (keep in mind, at the end of the dive, your tank becomes 1-2Kg lighter because of the air you used).

3. Breathe slowly

The way you breathe controls a lot of the aspects of diving: when you learn to dive, the first thing that is taught is usually never to hold your breath. However, never holding your breath doesn't mean breathing erratically: Diving should be a relaxing sport, and your breathing pattern should reflect that. As you relax your breathing, you will find that your dives will become more serene. In a stressful situation underwater, focusing on your breath should be your priority, as breathing slowly is the best way to remain calm.

On top of making your dive more relaxed, controlling your breathing rate will also improve your buoyancy: Because your lungs expand when you inhale and shrink when you exhale, your goal should be to control your buoyancy by relying primarily on your inhale/exhale.

4. Safety first

Never skip buddy check - even if your buddy insists it doesn't matter, it does! And if you feel uncomfortable before a dive, don't be afraid to call it. Anyone, anytime, is allowed to cancel a dive they don't feel comfortable doing.

During the dive, monitor your pressure and follow your guide: stay nearby and don't go deeper than they do, they are here for your safety!

5. Cameras come after

It is common to see a new diver excited to bring their GoPro or other small action camera with them. Although the excitement to share your new adventures is understandable, what can actually happen when you bring a camera with you underwater is that you shift all your focus from you and your safety to the camera. From personal experience, I already had to tell a diver to stop using their camera as they were breathing through their air twice as fast, all the while forgetting to monitor their SPG. Additionally, being in control of your buoyancy is important before picking up a camera; otherwise, the task loading can become overwhelming.

6. Prioritize experience over more certifications

This means that when you are freshly certified as an open water diver, getting some real experience on fundives can be as valuable as doing more courses (if not more valuable). Of course, some specialties can be interesting depending on what you are looking for - for example, deep, nitrox, and navigation are courses everyone should look into doing at some point - but don't rush it. Take your time to apply what you've just learned before going forward. For example, you don't want to sign up for a wreck course if you are still struggling with your buoyancy!

7. Stay attentive during the dive

Staying attentive to your surroundings during a dive and staying aware will make you a better diver. It is very common for new divers to lose their focus as soon as they submerge themselves. This can lead to tricky situations - for example, losing their guide or ignoring a low-on-air SPG. Although it sounds obvious, it is a skill that needs training, and will allow you to enjoy the dive to a greater extent once mastered.

8. Feeling anxious is normal

Especially if you are a brand-new diver, feeling stressed before a dive is very common. In case you feel apprehensive before a dive, talk to your buddy/guide and let them know how you feel, and if you feel like it is too much to handle, backing out is always an option; however, understand that most of the time, it's just your brain playing tricks on you.

9. Don't overestimate yourself

While some people can feel anxious, others can feel invincible before a dive. Although a bit of adrenaline is never bad, exceeding your certification level (for example, going beyond your maximum depth or exceeding your no-decompression limit) should never be encouraged. The Ocean is still a force of nature that should be respected.

10. Stay Hydrated!

When diving, you can dehydrate yourself quickly: the air you breathe from your tank is dry, and while you are breathing it, your body will produce a lot of saliva to try to humidify your mouth, which will make you lose a significant amount of water. If you combine that with the fact that you are probably diving in salty water and in a warm place, you can imagine why staying hydrated is important. Dehydration is one of the most common risks amongst divers, and is also an aggravating factor for DCS.

To stay hydrated, don't chug a liter of water right before a dive (it can become counterproductive), but instead, drink a glass of water every 20 minutes.

11. Practice makes perfect

There's no need to explain much for this one - The more you dive, the better of a diver you will be! However, just diving might not be enough: if you want to seriously improve, actively thinking about the things you want to improve during the dive will make a huge difference. For example, if you want to improve your breathing, actively focus on it during the dive.