Teaching diving is, in many ways, an exercise in managing liability. So instructors, with the best of intentions, tend to be excessively protective of their hatchling divers while teaching the course. And then the certification happens, the hatchlings become certified divers and get passed on to Divemasters – who are focused on mainly showing them cool stuff and preventing accidents.
This leads to a state where divers are often kept in an overly protective bubble when they are doing the course, and then left to fend for themselves, without much guidance or mentoring, once they have completed the course. As such, further development often follows the “learn from bad experiences” model.
Here, I present 10 skills/areas which all divers should strive to develop and maintain. These will help you become more confident, better and safer divers.
