Teaching Open Water: Common Student Mistakes and How to Fix Them
After fifteen years in the water and thousands of open-water students, the same errors appear in the first confined-water session. This article catalogues the top five and the drills that fix them before the ocean dives.
## 1. Over-breathing
Anxious students breathe fast and shallow, burning gas and rising uncontrolled. The fix is a slow-exhale drill on the bottom — breathe in over four counts, exhale over eight. Do it ten times before any skill.
## 2. Looking down
Students look at their feet instead of the horizon, rotating forward and losing trim. Tape a sticker on the inside of their mask or give them something to focus on at eye level during skill practice.