Juli Cole’s story – My return to the ocean’s checklist!
Written by Juli Cole, September 2024.
I injured my leg in January this year. It has been a long recovery. Because of this I have not been allowed to dive until last month – hurrah! Seven long months away from the ocean. It got me thinking about divers who for whatever reason have not been underwater for a while and might feel intrepid about returning. I know I did! I was watching so many videos about diving emergencies, my dive buddy asked if I thought I was going to be one of those. Not that I was thinking that way, but I must admit there was some anxiety.
We dove in Perhentian, something we knew that was familiar and easy diving for me. It was sobering to see the extreme bleaching of the coral. Many fish species were missing on what remained of the reefs. I hope that with time it can recover. That aside, the happy news was I had a successful return to the water, and it was my dive buddy who had the emergency and not me!
So, I wanted to relate what I did that I felt leant itself to the success, hoping to help others get themselves back underwater.
First, picking the right location. My buddy and I have dove in Perhentian many times and so I picked it as a familiar location, as I mentioned, and knew what to expect. Because I am still recovering, I knew someplace challenging would probably not be the best location for me at this time. Going with friends certainly helps or diving with a center you feel comfortable with, will also give you a boost of confidence.
Second, I took advantage of our condo’s pool to practice a bit. I did not have a tank of air, of course, but I practiced finning techniques, tested my mask and so on. It also helped that this worked into my physio therapy. I practiced what I could, relaxing in the water and mimicking a descent, slowing my breathing. If you would like a better experience, you can rent a tank of air, and equipment if needed, from Flow and have a practice session on your own in the sports complex pool. Alternatively, you can also grab Flow’s yearly membership which allows you to dive unlimited times throughout the whole year! Yep! We are not lying!
Third, I got my equipment out a couple weeks before the dive and gave it a thorough inspection, blew air into the BCD, checked the hoses and connections. Just handling my gear helped me to remember much about it and how it sets up. It reminded me of procedures in using it. All that open water training came back.
Fourth, I did review dive training videos. Actually, this was serendipity. We were bringing five open water students with us and I was looking for good videos to send to them as preparation for their skills test. It was a good reminder for me of these same skills, especially some of those less used ones like sipping from a free-flowing reg. Because my dive buddy and I have completed Rescue Diver certification, I reviewed some of those training videos as well, thinking of diving with these new divers. The reviews were actually helpful as my dive buddy had an emergency and needed to share air with me when his tank of air turned out to have a foul taste to it, something he did not discover until halfway through the dive. I strongly suggest to those who are keen to know how to respond to emergency situations in the water, to take up the Rescue and EFR course or if you already have a valid EFR, just go for the Rescue Diver course.
Fifth, I did a “pre-dive” in shallow water. We arrived in time for the group with us to begin their lessons, but not enough time for a real dive. We had another friend with us who was newly certified last March and has had trouble descending. So, he and I were able to grab a tank of air and go out on the “house reef” – actually it was only a designated swimming area set apart off the beach – and practice in 2m of water so we could come up and down as we pleased. There were little things I had forgotten but through the experience, it all came back to me. On a dive trip, you may not have this luxury but as I mentioned above, you could go to Flow and rent some gear to practice in their pool.
All these things really helped in easing my anxiety and the next day, when we did go on our first official dive, I felt really calm and prepared. There were still a few things I forgot – like how to relate how many bars of air was in my tank – I couldn’t remember what fingers to use! – but I had the confidence to just get through it and not panic. Which is what all these preparations are ultimately about.
If you feel you need the extra training especially if you have less than 30 dives and it has been a while since you have been underwater, you might consider taking Scuba Refresher. This is required if it has been more than one years since your last dive.
So, if it has been a while since you have dived, don’t let that fear hold you back! With proper preparation pre & during dive trip – you will be able to get back on your fins – yes, pun intended!
If you need help or support, email or speak to Flow for more information on their courses and pool facilities, or if you have any queries after being out of the water for a while, they’ll be more than happy to assist!