New to scuba diving and worried about making an awkward first impression underwater? Knowing the right scuba terms and following proper scuba diving etiquette can make a huge difference when diving with new buddies.

While most dive “dos and don’ts” are taught during your Open Water course, divers are generally expected to follow them from day one. To help you put your best fin forward, we’ve rounded up some common scuba diving etiquette mistakes—and simple tips to avoid them, so you can dive with confidence and respect wherever you go.

Scuba Diving Etiquite

Good scuba diving etiquette is about respecting your dive buddies, the boat, and the underwater world surrounding you. Small mistakes that can happen on the surface or below the waves can have negative impacts on everyone’s dive experience. Here are some common etiquette slip-ups which should be avoided by every diver:

• Spreading your equipment all over the boat.
• Kicking up the bottom until ruining the visibility for everyone behind you.
• Disturbing marine life.
• Using incorrect terms — goggles, flippers, and oxygen tank.

Spreading Your Equipment All Over the Boat

When you keep your equipment in a designated area, this doesn’t only help you to find it easily, but this also keeps other divers from tripping over your gear. Just like a guest in someone’s home. You should arrive on time, be tidy, and say thank you.

Kicking Up the Bottom Until Ruining the Visibility for Everyone Behind You

No one wants to dive behind someone who does dive like this. This act ruins the visibility for other scuba divers and highlights the poor buoyancy skills you have. If you are this diver, enroll in the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course to fine-tune weighting to stay horizontal while keeping your fins up.

Disturbing Marine Life

One of the scuba diving don’t s is avoiding disturbing marine life. This includes picking up animals, touching the coral, and poking puffer fish. These behaviors can cause damage or even kill the marine creatures we’ve come underwater to visit. Respect the underwater environment and avoid touching anything.

Using Incorrect Terms — Goggles, Flippers, and Oxygen Tank

Using incorrect terms is considered one sure way to be identified as a novice scuba diver, like calling your air cylinder an oxygen tank. Certified scuba divers know that only specially trained technical divers use oxygen tanks underwater.

In the same way, most divers use these terms (masks and fins). “Goggles” is usually a term that used by swimmer, and “flippers” are commonly used for kids.

Want to make sure your scuba knowledge is up to date? Enroll now in the PADI ReActivate program with DRAR DIVING Center.