Vandit Kalia, 11 January, 2025
So you’ve recently gotten certified and are about to head off on a dive trip – awesome! The Open Water course is just a gateway to the sport, and using that card to do diving lets you explore more of the magnificent underwater world.
To help your trip go smoothly, here are (in no particular order) a few common mistakes that new divers make, and suggestions on how to avoid them:
1) Being too dependent on the dive guide for everything: The nature of the Open Water course means that instructor is always there, watching over the divers. But once you are certified, it is time for you to spread your wings and take air (or water), butterfly! And that means taking ownership of your dive – your depth, air, time, NDL and more importantly, making sure you are not getting stressed (and taking steps to address that stress, if you are). Don’t blindly follow the dive guide and expect them to handle your dive for you.
2) Being too nervous to ask questions: it can be intimidating for newer divers when on a boat with more experienced divers, who seem to know everything about what to do and what to expect. Many divers hesitate to ask questions at that point, preferring to either just observe and follow, or just wing it. “Observe and follow” isn’t necessarily a bad thing if applied to good diving behaviour – but it can also lead to bad habits if following the wrong examples. However, it is more important to make sure you get all your questions answered before the diving – ranging from “where do I keep my gear” to “I dont understand this aspect of the dive plan”. Simply trying to wing it with incomplete information is a recipe for problems on the dive.
3) Not checking the gear early enough: This is common across divers of all experience levels – you get on the boat, you start chatting with your friends, watching the dolphins off the bow or maybe trying not to get seasick. Then, when you get to the dive site, you start to assemble your gear and oh no… your mask strap is broken or you forgot to pack your booties. At this point, it may be too late to do anything about it and your dive day has just come to an end. Avoid this by checking your gear as soon as you get on the boat. Make sure everything is there – and if possible, assemble and test your gear early.
4) Waiting to kit up: I see this a lot – the boat has reached the dive site and some people are still chatting, having a snack or peering at their phone. Now, if you are an experienced diver who knows how much time you need to get ready, I totally get it. No point getting kitted up and waiting 10 min for others while overheating in a wetsuit. But for newer divers, waiting too late means that you may end up delaying others (which is not very courteous) or getting rushed (which can lead to problems if you forget something). This is easy to avoid – just start to kit up early, which lets you do so at a relaxed pace without feeling rushed.
5) Not being on time: this, unfortunately, is a national trait for us Indians – 9am departure means strolling in a few minutes past. For one, this is very discourteous to everyone else on the boat. Second, this may cause you to then rush and get everything together for the dive. Third, if the delay is long enough, you could miss the optimum diving conditions or not be the first group on the dive site, thereby missing the manta or whatever. Don’t be That Person – be at the dive boat a few minutes earlier. This also applies to getting up early enough to have breakfast and go through your morning routine without being rushed: a rushed start is not a great way to start a day of diving zen.
6) Getting too distracted in the water: diving is awesome. That’s why we all do it (it certainly isn’t the wealth, that’s for sure). And for a new diver, it can be a sensory overload – so much awesome stuff to see and also so much to track. As a result, it is very easy to get distracted and lose track of your depth, air, NDL or buddy. And that can then cause further issues. The solution is easy: dont. Easy to suggest, anyway – it is admittedly harder to follow when you actually are in that underwater magic land. But you need to have the discipline.
7) Not keeping track of your stuff: you’ve come up from a dive, handed up your fins and possibly your weight belt, after which you march off to remove your kit, dry down and have some samosas as a post-dive snack. Then, when it is time to dive again, you start looking for your stuff. Divers may already be kitted up and ready to jump in, but your weight belt or mask is missing, or you can’t find your fins – others are getting delayed and you are getting stressed at delaying others. Not a pleasant place to be… and also easily avoided: after each dive, make sure you collect and keep all your personal stuff next to you. It simplifies getting ready on a busy dive boat and reduces your stress level – all of which result in a more enjoyable dive.
8) Not drinking enough water: without getting too graphic, your pee should be clear when you dive. Too many divers forget to drink enough water while diving – being dehydrated increases your risk of DCS but also can contribute to headaches while on the dive boat. Stay hydrated – carry a refillable bottle, keep it topped up and drink regularly.
9) The wrong sunblock: do not use regularly available sunblock, which is supposed to be toxic to coral. Even most sunblock marked as “reef safe” really are not. Use sunblock containing zinc oxide (this is the pasty stuff that makes you look like a zombie). Here is a list of ingredients to avoid in your sunblock:
- Oxybenzone
- Avobenzone
- Octinoxate
- Octocrylene
- 4-methylbenzylidene camphor
- PABA
- Parabens
- Triclosan
- Nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium (if it doesn’t explicitly say “micro-sized” or “non-nano” and it can rub in, it’s probably nano-sized)
- Any form of microplastic, such as “exfoliating beads”
Better yet, stay in the shade and dont bother with a sunblock until the dive is done. Embrace the tan.
10) Not getting enough rest: ok, this isn’t just a new diver thing. A lot of divers do this, especially when diving someplace with a fun nightlife or things to see/do (I am forever grateful my trip to Cozumel happened before the era of smartphones and social media!). Save that for the end of the trip – ensure you are well rested, well-fed and well-hydrated for your dives.
You also need to manage your rest at the start of the trip – especially as so many international flights out of India depart at ungodly hours and can often result in one or two nights of poor sleep. The blasting aircon of many planes and airports, especially in Asia, doesn’t help either. If possible, try to plan your trip so that you have time to get a full night’s sleep (and then some) before you start diving. And carry a hoodie or a shawl on the flight to keep yourself – and especially your head – warm, to reduce the risk of catching a cold.
That being said, it is also important to not get so worried about making mistakes that it stresses you out. Diving is meant to be fun – you are not in boot camp, or doing something with a zero tolerance of mistakes. Just be aware and don’t sweat it if you do inadvertently make mistakes. And most of all, never EVER feel nervous about being a new diver – we have all been new divers once, and most divers are generally very welcoming of new members to the tribe. And I can safely speak for most dive professionals when I say that we would much rather have a newer diver asking us questions – that indicates someone who takes their own safety seriously, and that is something we all respect.