It's the dawn of a new year. With it comes a fresh wave of motivation to eat healthier, exercise, spend less time on social media and more time with your family, so on and so forth. For the diver, however, your New Year's Resolution list may look a little different. You may be striving to get out and dive more, go on that dive trip you've been putting off, get more fit for diving, or even become a better buddy. These are great goals but we all know what happens. Life gets in the way and your diving resolutions get pushed onto the back burner.
Well, not this year! We are going to list the best, most practical ways for you to achieve some of these great Diver's New Years' Resolutions!
A scuba diver's New Year's resolution list and how to keep them:
1. DIVE MORE!
This can be accomplished pretty easily if you live near the ocean, but if you are landlocked, like thousands of other divers, getting underwater takes a little more planning. Here's how to do more diving wherever you live:
- Take a hard look at your life schedule and decide where you can carve out some extra time to blow bubbles. The best places to find more time is either an early morning dive before work or maybe night diving after work. What better way to wind down after a long day in the office or to wake yourself up in the morning?
- Don't commit to long dives every time you go out; 30 minutes here and there is plenty.
- Do a little research and discover more local places to go diving! You may be surprised at the possible dive sites hiding just around the corner. It could be a reservoir you never thought about diving in, a local quarry, or even river drift diving! With more diving options come many more dives!
2. LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Learn a new type of diving this year by taking a dive course. Ok, maybe it's been YEARS since you've taken an actual dive class but no matter what you choose to learn, you will always become a better diver after taking any course and diving under the supervision of a scuba instructor. Here's how to keep this resolution:
- Pinpoint something you've always wanted to try.
- Bite the bullet and just sign up for something! If you don't sign up, it will never happen.
- Have a crazy busy schedule? Consider an eLearning course. Many of the training agencies offer some great courses online.
3. GET FIT TO DIVE!
Ya, ya, EVERYONE wants to get into better shape at the beginning of the year, but it has extra importance to a diver, since the better shape you are in, the less weight you need to dive and the less air you will consume on your dive. Here's how to make it happen:
- Just start! Start up a simple exercise program like 20-30 minutes of cardio just 3 times a week.
- Slowly add in a couple days of sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and lunges.
- Don't make it fancy. You don't need to join a gym. Just start out at home and get moving!
4. BE A BETTER BUDDY
Unless you are specifically trained and equipt for solo diving, diving with a buddy is the single most important safety aspect to any dive. Here's our best tips to being a better buddy this year:
- Use the shoulder-to-shoulder rule. You should try to stay shoulder-to-shoulder with your buddy and always within an arm's length of each other.
- Know your buddy's gear. Chances are you typically dive with the same friends or family so, know what gear they wear well; know where all of their quick releases are, how their weighting system works, and where their alternate airsource is located.
- Do a buddy check for each and every dive. Don't become complacent and think you don't need it. Keep each other accountable in doing the buddy check every time.
Making a list of New Year's Resolutions is simple, but actually sticking to them and making them happen is a different story. Becoming a better diver is always a good goal. Stick to this list of practical ways to keep your diver's resolutions and you'll be well on your way to keeping your resolutions for once. Happy New Year from Underseas Scuba Center!
