Effect of preparation on well-being during diving

Many factors influence how we feel underwater. What should we do to have better memories of our dives? What good habits and practices should we develop and assimilate in order to draw as many positives from our underwater adventures as possible?

Sometimes, diving in the same place, with exactly the same equipment configuration, our feeling during the dive can be completely different from that recorded before. Regardless of our level of proficiency, diving will always be a highly technical sport in which attention must be paid to many elements simultaneously.

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We should prepare well for each dive, so that we can derive maximum pleasure underwater. The immersion itself can be divided into three stages – before, during and after coming out of the water. All of the above-mentioned phases of diving should be approached with equal attention, as they all, to an equal extent, may influence our well-being and the final assessment of the immersion.

The basic idea is to adapt our skills and experience to the dive we want to make. When choosing a dive site, we should remember not to exceed our capabilities. This concerns both our qualifications, the use of specialised equipment and individual limits resulting from our mood at a given moment. We should also never enter the water without appropriate training, resulting from the specific conditions in which we will dive.

Lack of sufficient skills is often a stress factor, which in the long run may lead to an emergency situation, and in an extreme situation even to an accident. If we plan to dive in a new place, it is worth to do it with a person who has dived there before and knows the basic navigation in that area and the most interesting places worth seeing.

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If we have already chosen a place, it’s time to pack our equipment and set off to our destination. Huge influence on our impressions from diving has our equipment. Both its condition and shortages, which we should systematically supplement. While packing it is worth to make a list of needed elements, to avoid disappointment due to forgotten fins, hood, or other trifle, which will thwart our plans. A good practice while preparing the equipment is to imagine the moment when we dress it.

The lack of every necessary element decreases the quality and comfort of our dive. Of course, it is not said that without a torch we will not be able to dive, but it will certainly significantly affect our comfort, satisfaction and safety under water. We should also be careful not to go to extremes and not to take unnecessary items with us, so it is worth planning well in advance everything that we are going to do underwater.

The next stage is getting dressed, during which we must ensure that everything is in its place. If we are not sure if the equipment we have just put on is in the right place, it is worth asking our partner. All possible corrections are much easier to make on the surface than in the water.

If we are going on a dive that is difficult for us, we should not take with us new equipment with which we are not yet familiar and which may cause us problems. It is advisable to take newly purchased equipment on easy dives first, in order to gain experience in using it.

A good example is a knife. We should always have it with us and usually do. However, very often we find that once we have to use it, we are unable to reach it or put it back in its holster. We should remember that when we enter the water, we have no influence on many things. Therefore, to be safe, we should check with a partner at a shallow depth, e.g. 5 m, what our configuration looks like and whether there are any visible gas leaks.

Our well-being is also influenced by the mixture we breathe. Using nitrox, we will not feel sleepy or tired after a dive. Not to the same extent as after compressed air. Of course, we cannot predict all the situations that may happen to us underwater, but by following the advice given above, we are able to significantly increase our chances of making a successful dive. We must be aware that a significant influence on our well-being has a correct preparation of the equipment and an appropriate choice of place, and not only the diving itself.