What I Wish I Had Known Before My First
Dive
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By Renaud Wicky — SSI Diving Instructor Trainer & Certifier
After 25 years in the diving industry, I have been lucky enough to experience a lot.
I have watched thousands of divers enter the water for the first time. I have seen nervous beginners become confident divers, and divers who once struggled simply to breathe underwater eventually become Divemasters and instructors themselves.
I have also seen experienced divers make mistakes that could easily have been avoided.
Looking back, I sometimes ask myself:
What do I wish someone had told me before my very first dive?
Here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way.
1. Diving is not a competition
When you start diving, it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to go deeper, stay underwater longer, or use less air than everyone else.
But there is no medal for reaching 30 metres.
A great dive is not necessarily the one where you went deepest.
It is the one where you are comfortable, relaxed, aware of your surroundings, and able to enjoy what is happening around you.
After many years of diving, I would much rather have a relaxed dive at 15 metres with beautiful marine life than a deep dive where everyone is staring at their computers.
2. Your buoyancy is more important than your equipment
You can buy an expensive dive computer, a high-end BCD, a top-of-the-range regulator and the latest underwater camera.
But no piece of equipment will replace good buoyancy control.
Learning to control your body in the water completely changes the way you dive.
You use less air, move less, protect the reef and feel much more relaxed.
And most importantly, you start seeing more.
Why?
Because once you stop fighting the water, you can start observing what is actually happening around you.
3. The best divers are not necessarily the ones who talk the most
An experienced diver does not need to prove that they are experienced.
They know their limits.
They know when to say:
"I'm not diving today."
They know when conditions are not right.
They listen to their body.
And they are not afraid to ask for help.
Over the years, I have learned that experience does not mean never having a problem.
It means recognising a problem early enough to deal with it.
4. Your air consumption is not a competition either
I have met countless divers who are obsessed with their air consumption.
"How much air did you have left?"
"I still had 100 bar!"
But air consumption depends on many things: body size, depth, temperature, current, equipment, stress, breathing technique and experience.
Two divers doing exactly the same dive can have completely different air consumption.
The goal is not to beat your buddy.
The goal is to breathe calmly and finish the dive with an appropriate reserve.
5. Slow down
This is probably one of the most important lessons I have learned.
Beginners often swim quickly.
They want to see everything.
Then, after a few dives, they start slowing down.
And suddenly, they discover another world.
A tiny nudibranch.
A small shrimp.
A perfectly camouflaged scorpionfish.
An octopus changing colour.
A tiny creature they would have completely missed while swimming quickly.
Diving rewards patience.
6. Learn to observe, not just look
There is a big difference between looking at a reef and actually observing it.
An experienced guide can spend several minutes looking at just a few square metres of coral.
To a beginner, it may look like nothing is happening.
To someone who knows where to look, there may be ten different animals hiding there.
Look under the coral.
Look into the cracks.
Look at the sand.
Watch for small movements.
And most importantly, look at things that don't look like animals.
Underwater camouflage is incredible.
7. Don't touch
It sounds obvious, but it is worth repeating.
Don't touch the coral.
Don't chase animals.
Don't grab them for a photograph.
Don't turn rocks over just to see what is underneath.
The underwater world is not an aquarium.
We are the visitors.
After 25 years, I believe the best way to enjoy marine life is to let it behave exactly as it would if we were not there.
8. A good dive starts before you enter the water
A successful dive doesn't begin when you jump off the boat.
It starts with preparation.
Your equipment needs to be checked.
You need to understand the briefing.
The conditions need to be assessed.
You need to know your equipment and understand what to do if something goes wrong.
That may sound less exciting than talking about the fish you are going to see.
But this preparation is what allows you to enjoy the dive calmly and safely.
9. Your guide isn't just there to find fish
A good guide watches much more than the marine life.
They watch the divers.
Their buoyancy.
Their air consumption.
Their position within the group.
Signs of stress.
Changes in current.
Depth.
Visibility.
And sometimes, they make a decision that divers don't necessarily like:
turning the dive around.
A dive ending earlier than planned doesn't necessarily mean something went wrong.
Sometimes, it means someone made the right decision.
10. Diving isn't always comfortable
When you start diving, you may think that a good dive has to be perfect.
No current.
Warm water.
Perfect visibility.
Lots of fish.
But the ocean doesn't work that way.
Visibility can change.
A current can appear.
The temperature can vary.
The sea can be completely different the following day.
And that is part of what makes diving interesting.
You learn to adapt.
11. Don't choose a dive centre based only on price
This is probably something I wish I had understood earlier.
The price of a dive is easy to compare.
The quality of the equipment, cylinder maintenance, staff training, guide-to-diver ratios, safety procedures and the way a dive centre responds when something goes wrong are much harder to compare.
Before booking, ask questions.
Who will be my guide?
What certification he/she has?
How many divers will there be per guide?
How is the equipment maintained?
What happens in an emergency?
Is there oxygen on board?
What is the plan if conditions change?
The answers will often tell you much more than the price on the website.
12. A great dive doesn't have to involve a big animal
For a long time, divers often look for the "big stuff".
A manta ray.
A shark.
A turtle.
A mola mola.
But some of my favourite dives have involved something incredibly small.
A rare nudibranch.
A tiny shrimp.
A perfectly camouflaged fish.
An unusual behaviour.
Over time, your definition of a "great dive" changes.
13. Get to know your equipment
You don't need to be a technician.
But you should know your equipment.
Know where your inflator is.
Know how to use your alternate air source.
Know how to check your pressure gauge.
Understand your dive computer.
Know how to perform a proper pre-dive check.
And, most importantly, learn to recognise when something doesn't feel or work normally.
Knowledge gives you much more confidence than expensive equipment.
14. Your most important piece of equipment is your brain
This may be the most important lesson of all.
A computer cannot make decisions for you.
A camera cannot protect you.
An expensive regulator cannot prevent you from making a bad decision.
Diving requires you to think.
Observe.
Anticipate.
Communicate.
And sometimes say no.
"I don't feel comfortable today" is a perfectly valid reason not to dive.
15. And finally… enjoy it
After 25 years, this is probably what I remember most.
Diving is not just an activity.
For many of us, it becomes a different way of looking at the world.
It forces us to slow down.
To breathe.
To observe.
To pay attention.
To respect an environment where we are not naturally at home.
And perhaps that is why we keep going back.
After thousands of dives, I can still enter the water in Bali and think:
"I wonder what I am going to discover today?"
And perhaps that is the one thing I wish I had known before my first dive.
I didn't know that taking that first breath underwater would become such an important part of my life.
Twenty-five years later, I still look underwater with the same curiosity.
About the author
Renaud Wicky has worked in the diving industry for 25 years and is an SSI Instructor Trainer & Certifier. He runs Ocean Dreams Pemuteran in northwest Bali, where he continues to train divers and diving professionals.
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