When you hear the term “advanced scuba diving training,” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, then you probably think advanced training is a considerably more difficult course than the basic training you recently completed. Furthermore, you may think you’ll need to become a more experienced diver in order to qualify for an advanced training course. In fact, you may think only technical divers get to go through advanced training.
The above beliefs are actually nothing but a bunch of misconceptions. You don’t need to become a more experienced diver in order to qualify for advanced training. In fact, advanced training is designed to enhance your basic diving skills and provide you with more experience! In short, it helps you become a more experienced diver. If basic training taught you what you needed to do when you go on a dive and the proper use of scuba diving gear, advanced training teaches you how you can do those things in a more comfortable and efficient manner.
The first thing your advanced training instructor will do is adjust your weight belt. As a beginner, you can expect to be made to carry more weight. Once you’re able to control your breathing and become more relaxed underwater, your instructor will likely adjust your weight belt again to make you carry less weight. The second thing you’ll be taught is how to hover at a depth of 60 feet. After that, you’ll finally go diving, while practicing and mastering buoyancy. Your instructor will then provide feedback after the dive.
Your instructor will then teach you about navigation, something many beginners are apprehensive about. This is one of the most important skills divers need to learn. You can expect the compass to be discussed in even more detail here than during your basic training. You’re expected to learn how to read and use a compass so you’ll always come up next to the dive boat after a dive.
The final phase of advanced training is composed of three dives, which can be performed in any order. These dives are the Night Dive, the Deep Dive, and the Dive Leader Dive. The only requirement for the Night Dive is for you to dive at night. For the Deep Dive, you are required to dive beyond a depth of 80 feet. The Dive Leader Dive requires you to lead other divers on a dive. This means you plan and navigate the dive, and make sure the other divers are kept safe and having fun.
See? Advanced Training really isn’t something to fear.