Swimming lessons aren't only for newbies. Someone with years of experience swimming can benefit from a refresher course. Taking swimming lessons may be a good idea for a student signed up for a basic open water scuba diving class. Sharpening up skills before the scuba course not only helps you get more out of the course, but enhanced skills also contribute to improved performance in and under the water long after the lessons conclude.

Improving Skills Before Scuba Lessons Makes Sense

Since scuba divers rely on a BCD -- buoyancy control device -- to stabilize themselves in the water, not everyone worries about rusty or lacking swimming skills. Some scuba enthusiasts lack any formal swimming training and get away with crude skills due to the BCD. Formal training helps both a new and experienced diver a lot. In preparation for the intro certification course, swimming lessons deliver the following benefits: 

• Improved Concentration During Dives: A basic course focuses on proper use of equipment and safe diving in open water. Distractions undermine getting the most out of the course. Struggling to swim takes the mind away from the current task. That means you learn less during the all-important in-water sessions. When swimming proves effortless, the brain might better focus on the actual diving instruction.
• Added Safety Measures: Better swimming skills may prove valuable in a troubling situation. Imagine air leaking from the tank necessitating an early return to the surface. The surface isn't the final destination either. You need to swim to the dive boat. Even if the boat comes to you, you must tread water while waiting. Air leaks also compromise inflating the BCD hampering the ability to float. Poor swimming skills won't help in panicky situations like these.
• Less Wasted Air: Weak swimming skills lead to inefficient movement while diving. Kicking too furiously combined with excessive hand movement cause divers to breath more heavily. The harder you breathe, the more oxygen you consume. The faster you deplete an air tank, the quicker you must return to the surface. And rapid depletion of air also presents safety hazards. Better swimming skills might avoid these issues.

Signing up for a refresher swimming lesson course becomes your only chance to brush up. An open water diver course doesn't teach cover basic swimming skills. A diving instructor might provide tips if he/she sees you struggling a bit, but the class won't involve an extensive review. Why struggle at all when formal swimming lessons can help improve any lacking skills?