Top Ten Things to Do When not Diving During the Winter

Here in the Chicago area, winter is already upon us. Snow is on the ground and the thermometer has flown south. All of the diving boats are in dry dock and the local quarries are all closed for the winter. So what are scuba diving enthusiasts to do when we can’t dive? Here is a list of things that you can do over the winter to keep your scuba diving enthusiasm high.

Top 10 Things to Do When not Diving During the Winter

1. Get your gear serviced – You don’t want to wait until the last minute to get your equipment serviced. Doing so will delay the start of your diving season. Around here, our diving season starts around April. Of course, dive stores are flooded with equipment servicing. It’s like accountants at tax time.
2. Purchase new equipment – Breaking in a new piece of equipment on the first dive of the year isn’t recommended. If you have been thinking about buying something new, the winter is the time to do it. You can always take it to the pool to see how it works and get comfortable with it.
3. Relive your experiences of the past diving year – I don’t know about you, but I like to go back and look at some of my old video and pictures. If you follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed a few new pictures posted recently. Looking at my old pictures makes me want to go diving again that much more.
4. Exercise – I dive a lot during the year. This also keeps me in shape (OK, somewhat in shape). When I’m not able to dive, I need to keep my level of fitness up. Otherwise, I’ll turn into a hibernating bear. I like to mix up my workouts. I’ll do cadio, weight training and of course swimming.
5. Take a Diving Vacation – To many people, the winter means they get to go diving someplace warm. To those of us less financially secure, it means we get to sit and watch their videos from Bonaire or someplace. If you have the means, certainly go on a diving vacation. Then you’ll be the envy of your poorer buddies.
6. Take a class – There are many non-diving classes that you can take to keep your diving knowledge refreshed when you’re not diving. Take a scuba refresher helps keep those skills crisp. Plus, it will get you in the pool for some diving fun. Other classes such as the Equipment Specialist or Gas Blending classes help increase your overall knowledge of diving.
7. Plan for next year – A favorite saying among Chicago Cubs fans is “There’s always next year.” During the winter we can start to plan our diving for the up coming season. Currently, I’m already looking at some classes I want to take as well as some charter dates. If you are looking at new classes, the winter is a great time to research potential instructors. I can think of a great scuba diving instructor.
8. Keep reading – Many times I like to go back to my old diving text books and brush up on things. You can do this to make sure that no diving knowledge has leaked out of your ears. Of course, make this web site your favorite and come back often. I can’t guarantee you’ll always learn a lot, but we have fun.

OK, so I didn’t quite make it to ten items on my list. I went to public schools, what’d ya expect? You may be asking, “What will you be doing over the winter?” I’ll be redesigning this blog, rebuilding the compressor, servicing all of my tanks and regulators, teaching a few non-diving classes, hopefully doing some ice diving and hanging out with my friends wishing we were diving.

What do you do when you can’t dive?