Going diving after COVID-19

Some thoughts on returning to diving after a break

The relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions has inevitably resulted in many of us considering a return to the activity we all love. Enforced time spent on the surface has rekindled all our desires to visit the underwater world, and it is likely that many divers are planning to venture beneath the surface soon.

Before we all deflate our BCDs and descend, may I sound a cautionary note? Before we plan to dive, we each need to carry out an honest introspective audit of our personal current dive skills and preparation. Skills will always fade if they are not used regularly, and given our enforced layoff, we are all going to be a little rusty.

The type of questions we need to ask ourselves could include:

1. Can we look after our buddy, or are we going to be preoccupied with trying to remember our basic skills?

2. Are we able to provide effective assistance in the event that someone has a problem?

3. Can we be relied upon, or will we be dependent on others?

4. Will we bring strength to the dive team, or will we be only capable of looking after ourselves?

5. Can we safely manage our gas supplies, depth, time, and dive planning?

6. Are we able to do all of this and still ensure that we retain contact with our buddy or dive team?

If, as a result of this process, we find that there are areas that we have forgotten or have any doubts about, perhaps this is suggesting that we need to consider some kind of more formal refresher before we venture out in an independent buddy team again? Simply finding a buddy and asking them to "keep an eye on you" is not fair on them and potentially puts both partners at risk.

It is impossible to provide blanket guidance as to when this process becomes necessary for every individual. Logically, an experienced diver with lots of training and dives will retain their skills much longer than one who has limited experience beyond entry-level training. Many agencies suggest (and in some instances mandate) a formal refresher after any break from diving of six months or longer. While this is typically valid advice, I can certainly see a case that not all divers need to follow it slavishly.

However, skill fade still manifests itself in those with more advanced levels of training. For example, leadership level candidates frequently experience difficulties in completing rescue assessments. This suggests that they have not practiced these skills regularly (by their very nature, they are not skills that most divers use very often!) and that they need to invest some time in refreshing them. The nature of a refresher will vary somewhat too. There are formal programs that are primarily aimed at those with relatively little experience. Saying that skilled instructors should be capable of making these experiences relevant and useful to most people. For those that retain significant muscle and skill memory, going for a series of dives with a buddy with more recent experience may be apposite.

Another key ingredient is how relevant any experience has been. There is a big difference between geographic and local conditions, in terms of equipment, skills, and techniques. Being recently experienced in one environment does not imply proficiency in a different one. There may be specific training required (e.g. drysuits), in order to dive safely. Remember that qualifications are only valid in "conditions similar to or better than those experienced in training." Lastly, divers should also have recent experience in the techniques needed to dive safely in the environment that you are planning to dive in. In order to dive safely, the experience must be recent and relevant for the dives being planned.

Part of the rationale for the curtailment of many activities during the COVID-19 outbreak was to ensure that NHS resources could be deployed efficiently and not be diverted to non-essential use. These efforts, thanks to our combined sacrifices were largely successful. Please continue this by ensuring that when you venture back underwater, you are ready to do so.