Get the most out of your dive trip by studying up on both your dive skills and your knowledge of the destination.
Take a Continuing Education Course
The best divers are the ones who never stop learning! Whether it's been a while since your last dive or you are working on leveling up your dive rating, we recommend taking a continuing education course before you go. Most con-ed courses require open water dives, which can usually be completed with your leader while on your trip. If you don't know where to start, our most popular course is Nitrox, which can be completed in an evening and allows you to dive on enriched air, meaning your dives can be longer and safer. Talk with your trip leader to see if they recommend any specific courses before you go.
Learn Fish Identification
Become a more educated diver and wow your friends with your reef fish identification skills! No longer will you be the one on the boat asking if anyone else saw that, “Big, green fish with the pink cheeks?!” You’ll be confident that it was a parrotfish, specifically a redlip parrotfish!
Learn to identify both the behavioral and morphological characteristics of reef fish that inhabit the Caribbean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Indo-Pacific region. Ocean First Education's fish identification courses will help you to recognize and classify the most common reef fish families.
Learn about the Country and Culture
Take an afternoon to read about the history, the culture, and the local customs of where you are traveling to. It also helps to print out and practice with a short list of common phrases. Even knowing how to say "hello", "thank you", and "beer" in the local language can go a long way! Online resources are endless (including the country's tourism website), and we love Lonely Planet books. Talk to your trip leader for more information.