COVID-19 has caused people to be quarantined all over the world, from Italy to India. For divers, self-quarantine is a hard place to be. We prefer to be in the sunshine, feeling the saltwater on our skin, and sinking into a new world under the waves.

This remains true even more so in times of chaos. There is no better place to be than the blue. The ocean is void of sad news reports, frantic shoppers, and stressful work. Under the sea, schools of fish and marine life continue to bustle around as they’ve always done. There’s nothing that can compare to the peace and serenity found underwater.

While self-quarantine can be difficult for divers, there are ways to take advantage of this time to improve your scuba diving skills. Here are five scuba skills you can practice from home, so you can be ready for your next dive trip.

Navigation Skills

Navigation can be easy for some people to master during a course, but the skills require regular practice. Since several dive situations don’t warrant a compass, like wall dives, and many people prefer to always dive with a guide, it’s easy to forget the basics of navigation.

If you’re stuck at home and have a compass available, use it! Practice the different search patterns, like U-pattern or expanding square, until you don’t have to think twice about it. If you’re an overachiever, you can even make a map of your house modeled after a dive site map. Use your imagination!

Fish Identification

Fish ID is something that most divers slowly build upon over years of experience. Every dive, we see something new and learn a few facts about the marine life we saw, but it takes time to become the person who can impress everyone at the dive shop with a wealth of fish knowledge.

Now, we all have the time to become fish experts from the comfort of our own home! Flip through a fish ID book or review online resources until you develop a vast encyclopedia of knowledge around the topic. Once you’re able to get back in the ocean, sign up for the PADI Fish Identification specialty course – and blow your instructor out of the water!

Breathing Techniques

Long, deep breaths are the proper breathing technique while scuba diving. It may sound simple, but air consumption is a common problem among divers of all levels. Taking long, deep inhales and exhales help prevent issues related to dead air spaces, and also keeps divers calm and relaxed underwater.

Practicing proper breathing techniques while you’re at home will make it easier to master the skill once you’re back underwater. Plus, in times like these, meditation is one of the best things you can do.

Assembling and Disassembling Dive Gear

For divers who own their own gear, now is the perfect time to really get to know it. Play around with different equipment setups, like connecting your alternate air source to a different D-ring, and visually inspect each part to make sure it’s not time for a service. Practice assembling and dissembling your dive kit until you can do it with your eyes closed. You’ll never be the last one to gear up on the dive boat again!

Study PADI Materials

Every diver has a collection of PADI books on their shelf and PADI e-learning materials in their online library. Most of us take the course, pass the exam, and probably never look at the book again. However, these resources are full of good information! Use this time at home to brush up on your knowledge by flipping through the pages and reviewing the self-knowledge quizzes. You’d be surprised how much you forgot!