Tips and tricks to remember about scuba dive training

1. Breathe deep. Your rate of breathing must be slowed down or you will move air without giving your body adequate opportunity to absorb oxygen. Slow, relaxed, deep breaths promote a more complete exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The greater your depth, the slower and deeper your breathing should be, so you can use as little air as possible.
   
2. Keep your hands to yourself. Don't use your hands to swim. Let your arms and hands float loosely at your sides, fold them lightly across your chest, tuck them in your weight belt or beneath your tank on your back.
   
3. Stay horizontal. Keep your body parallel, as much as possible, to the direction of movement. Swimming at an angle to the direction of movement is one of the greatest wastes of energy and air by novice divers.
   
4. Stay warm. It's a fact: Warm divers use less air. You lose body heat even in the warmest tropical waters, which are considerably below your body's core temperature.
   
5. Think small. Use your inflate/deflate valve judiciously, making small adjustments and giving them time to take effect.
   
6. Keep your head up. In most open-water situations, try to swim with your head slightly up and your feet slightly down; both you and your equipment work better in this position. You may need to swim head-down, feet-up in some environments where your fins could cause damage or stir up the bottom.
   
7. Stay neutral throughout the ascent with buoyancy control.
   
8. Ascend slowly, 30 feet per minute or less when in water less than 60 feet, using a dive computer to monitor ascent rate.
   
9. Swim at a slow and steady pace. Stops and starts decrease efficiency.
   
10. A properly weighted diver with a correctly fitting BC can float easily on the surface. It should not be necessary to inflate the BC fully; in fact, BCs are often less comfortable and may restrict breathing when fully inflated.