Scuba Diving, Snorkeling & Sailing Guides!

Most of our planet is covered in water, and thankfully we’ve figured out how to make the best of it for our benefit and enjoyment. Nowadays, people literally ride the waves and swim with the fishes, and you can do it too!

At OpenWaterHQ.com, our goal is to provide people with the knowledge they need to get into the water quickly and enjoy their favorite leisure water activities, whether it is scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling or kitesurfing.

Most of these hobbies require extensive knowledge to do properly and safely, and knowing what equipment you need is important. If you are snorkeling for example, you need to have a scuba mask, snorkel, and fins. Scuba divers need all of that and more, such as a properly-fitted wetsuit, oxygen tank, and dive knife.

Without any help, finding the gear you need and learning how to use them can get overwhelming fast. That is why below we have compiled a list of our latest articles on these topics to help beginners get started. Even if you’re a veteran, we’ve got some useful or interesting articles for you peruse as well.

Our Latest Articles

Should You Wear Earplugs for Snorkeling?

Wearing earplugs for snorkeling or swimming in general can help you avoid a type of ear infection known as Swimmer’s ...
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Can You Snorkel with a Life Jacket?

If you are not a strong swimmer, you may be wondering if it is possible to snorkel with a life ...
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Snorkeling Tips for Non-Swimmers

Is it possible to snorkel if you don’t know how to swim? While the answer is potentially yes, in our ...
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Best Snorkel Life Vest for Non-Swimmers

Snorkeling is an amazing activity for many reasons, from the low-impact exercise it provides, to the beautiful sights you can ...
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Best Rash Guards for Snorkeling Review

You want to return home from a trip with cool stories and memories, not chafed skin or sunburns. With the ...
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Best Flotation Belts for Snorkeling Review

Even though snorkeling is an activity with a low barrier of entry, unlike scuba diving, many inexperienced snorkelers spend a ...
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Best Snorkel Masks with Purge Valve

You may have heard snorkelers and divers use the word purge valve when talking about cool features for their masks ...
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Can You Snorkel with a Beard and Mustache?

If you’ve ever snorkeled with a poor-fitting mask, then you know how frustrating it is when water starts to seep ...
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Best Wetsuit for Kitesurfing Review

When you are shopping for the best wetsuit for kitesurfing or kiteboarding, you have to consider a few factors that ...
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Is Scuba Diving Dangerous?

The ocean is a vast and unforgiving place, and humans are not the greatest creatures at surviving in that kind ...
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What is Scuba Diving Like?

Every time you see a large body of water, have you ever wondered what life is like beneath it? Thankfully, ...
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Best Dive Knife Under $50 Review

Humans are at quite a disadvantage in the water, and it is very easy to be caught in a life ...
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Best Snorkel Mask for Beards and Mustaches Review

Men with facial hair who also love snorkeling face a pesky dilemma. You see, a beard and mustache can get ...
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Best Sailing Knife Review

There will always be a heated debate about what the current best sailing knives on the market are. This is ...
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Snorkeling Equipment

Snorkeling is a water-sport that many families get involved in together. Like scuba-diving, it allows you to enjoy what is ...
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Basic Overview of Women’s Wetsuits

Women’s wetsuits are not fundamentally different from men’s suits, but they do need to be structurally different. The basic composition ...
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What You Should Know About Wetsuits

Wetsuits are a scuba diving item that serves two main functions. A wetsuit helps to control a diver’s temperature. It ...
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What You Should Know About Scuba Tank Holders

As un-poetic as they sound a scuba tank holder has but one purpose, to hold a dive cylinder securely. A ...
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What You Need to Know About Scuba Gear

Lots of people scuba dive every year. It is a popular pastime for people all over the country, but especially ...
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A Primer on Diving Gear

If you want to go scuba diving, you’re going to need a full set of diving gear. Diving isn’t one ...
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Tips to Help You Pass Your Open Water Course

Just imagine how small you are in the vastness of the sea. The thought that, without your gear, there’s no possible way a human being could survive in this harsh environment for very long. And who knows what kinds of sea creatures you might encounter out there? As a beginner, the first time going out for an open water dive is nerve-wracking!

But don’t worry! As long as you are with other divers and a qualified instructor, it should be a fun and educational experience once you get over your nerves. And in a short time, you will be exploring the wonder that is the undersea world. Here are some tips to help you ace your Open Water Course.

Stay Calm

Don’t panic. In fact, do the opposite of that. Unfortunately, staying calm and relaxed is difficult for novice divers, but it’s crucial if you want to safely dive. Just know that almost everybody finds it scary the first time, and instructors expect it, but do your best to follow your training.

Pay Attention

Everything you are taught at an Open Water Course has a purpose, even if it is not immediately obvious. Don’t make the mistake of thinking certain tips are less important than others. Your instructor will generally tell you why something is important, and when you might need to use that knowledge could be during an emergency. So don’t neglect any details and pay attention.

Ask Questions

During an Open Water Course, your instructor will be doing lots of demonstrations and explanations. Perhaps your instructor is going too fast, or your brain is being overloaded with information, or something wasn’t explained very well, but when this happens don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.

This relates to the paying attention tip just above. Not understanding a concept is basically the same as if you missed that bit of information. Perhaps it was a crucial point that could save your life or somebody else’s in the future. So don’t feel bad about asking “dumb” questions. Don’t feel bad, don’t feel shy, and chances are you weren’t the only person with that question anyways.

It’s Not a Competition

Maybe you are a competitive person and like being the best. But when you are out in the open water, it’s a team effort and everyone should help each other out. People learn at different speeds, and if you or somebody else learns the concept first, it’s not a big deal.

When you are taking a scuba diving course for the first time, the goal is not to be the fastest at learning the theories; it is to give you the knowledge to excel on your first real dive. So as long as all the students (potential diving partners) understand the theory at some point, everything is peachy.

Don’t Give Up

Many students take the Open Water Course and think they know exactly what it is like to scuba dive. Yes, the course prepares you for it, but it is still not quite the real thing. For example, normally when diving you wouldn’t remove your regular and mask underwater and performing fin pivots.

The course will instill in you the confidence and skills needed to be a scuba diver. But if you’re unsure if diving is for you, get through the course first and then go for an open water dive for yourself after. That way, you can figure out if you enjoy diving or not once you’re not in an instructional environment.

Have Fun

Remember to stay calm and enjoy the experience. Don’t let the diving course scare you away from diving. Scuba diving is incredibly fun, and people enjoy it for a lot of different reasons. Once you’ve successfully finished the course and swim in the open water for leisure, you will know why diving is so popular.