Get back into the water with confidence. Your PADI certification never expires; but if you haven't been diving in a while, it's better to be over-prepared than risk a problem because you forgot something important.
What is the Refresher Class?
A "Refresher Class" is not a certification but an opportunity to be with one of our PADI Instructors and revisit common dive concepts, equipment setup, safety procedures and any scuba skills you may wish to recap. The class is normally performed just before your first Open Water Dive with us at West Bay Divers.
How long till you have to refresh your Scuba Skills?
We often get asked this question - How long until you need to refresh your Scuba Skills?
This tends to vary between dive shops, but the most common response is between 6 months - 12 months without diving. If it has been more than 12 months since your last dive, we recommend you take our PADI ReActivate Program instead.
West Bay - Our crystal clear water is the perfect environment for our Refresher Class.
TOP 3 REASONS TO GET A PADI REFRESHER CLASS
1. Gets you comfortable back in the water
This means you can see more marine life, enjoy a longer dive and alleviate the stress you may have before you get on the boat.
Don't waste your first dive getting comfortable in your scuba gear again. Complete the Refresher class and not only will your buoyancy and trim be better after you have revisited the 'hoovering/neutral buoyancy skills' but your air consumption may improve due to less stress and anxiety which means you can have a much longer, more enjoyable first dive.
2. Allows the time for you to ask the PADI Instructor any questions, queries or concerns you may have.
Where are we going diving? What will we see/what do I want to see? The refresher allows you the time and tranquility to relax and really get to know the reef, gear and instructor before the dive happens. Now, doesn't that sound relaxing?
3. Most importantly, you will be confident in being able to perform any of the PADI Skills if you need to.
Did you laugh underwater and you got a little bit of water in your mask? No problem. LPI hose connector needs connected? No problem. We spot a toadfish and you want to get a closer look without touching the reef? No problem at all. The "Refresher Class" allows us to ensure you know and are confident in performing any Scuba Skills we use on a regular basis.
Money Matters - Time and Cost?
The cost of the Refresher Class is $50 which includes a short theory portion with your instructor, equipment, set up and a refresh of scuba skills in confined water. This class should take approximately 2 hours.
After the Refresher Class, you can jump on the boat and head to one of our many dive sites. You can schedule a Refresher Class at any time with us by emailing us at dive@westbaydivers.com or sending us a message here on our website!
Below is an example itinerary of how we often conduct the Refresher Class at West Bay Divers.
West Bay Divers – Basic Dive Refresher Itinerary
8:00 am: Good morning. We will meet and get to know each other at the dive shop. We will take you to our equipment room and pick out equipment tailored specifically to you and ensure it is well fitting.
8:10 am: We will then make our way to the classroom area where we will refresh our memory of dive knowledge with the PADI Quick Review. This consists of 18 questions covering all 5 of the knowledge reviews previously learned in the Open Water Course. We will talk over any questions that have been answered incorrectly and refresh your knowledge of scuba diving.
8.45 am: Then the fun begins! We will get familiarized with the gear, go over how to set it up, how each component of the gear works and then revisit the skills we are going to do in the shallow water of West Bay. You will be given a slate on which you pick which skills you feel comfortable with and which skills you do not. From this, your instructor will be able to make a complete list of skills that you will refresh your knowledge of.
Some of the core water skills that will be refreshed are:
Regulator Recovery
Partial Mask Clearing
Buoyancy/Hoovering
Alternate-Air Source Use
Plus, any additional skills the instructor deems necessary from your answers on the slate.
9:00 am: We will head onto our beautiful beach and straight into the shallow water to perform the water skills we have just discussed in the briefing. After the skills have been mastered and you feel comfortable in the water, we will head for our first dive.
Afterwards, you can continue straight onto another dive with us. Or just celebrate a great first day back in the water & book subsequent days of diving with us.
Some special dives we offer include Canyon Dives, Wreck Dives, Night Dives, Drift Dives, and Multi-level Dives.
Our boutique dive-shop tailors our dive schedule to whatever you would like to do, so lets us know and we will do our best to make it happen!
Any more questions about getting a PADI Refresher? Email us at dive@westbaydivers.com to find out more.
(All prices include full equipment rental but exclude Honduran Tax).