How to Practice Scuba Skills in a Pool Without a Class

Not every dive needs to be in the ocean. Pools offer an ideal environment to refine your scuba skills—clear water, no current, no depth pressure, and plenty of time to slow things down. Whether you’re refreshing after a break or working toward mastery, self-guided practice in a pool can build confidence and sharpen technique.

This guide covers how to safely and effectively practice scuba skills in a pool when you're not part of a class.

First, Know the Rules

• Check facility policies. Not all pools allow scuba diving without a professional present. Get written permission from management.
• Bring a buddy or ensure supervision. Most public pools require either a dive buddy or group setting with oversight. Practicing together is safer and often more productive.
• Sign waivers if needed. Some facilities require you to acknowledge the risks or show a certification card.
• Limit depth and duration. Be respectful of swim lanes, other users, and time limits.

Some dive shops have pools on-site and may offer open practice sessions for certified divers. Others partner with local schools or YMCA pools to provide scheduled access for skill refreshers. In Chicagoland, for example, Illinois Institute of Diving occasionally arranges weekend access to a local school pool—typically on Saturdays or Sundays. No buddy is required since multiple divers are present and supervised.

If you have access to a private or home pool, you may also be able to practice solo under tightly controlled conditions. Just be sure someone nearby (like a spouse or friend) is aware and able to intervene if needed.

What Skills Should You Practice?

Here’s a practical list of skills worth working on, especially if you’re preparing for a class like Rescue, Divemaster, or just want to improve your comfort in the water.

Keep in mind: practicing in a shallow pool presents unique challenges. Maintaining neutral buoyancy in just 3–6 feet of water is harder than it sounds—small changes in lung volume or BCD inflation have an outsized effect. If you can hover comfortably in shallow water without touching the bottom or breaking the surface, you're building real control that will translate to open water diving.

Basic Buoyancy and Trim

• Hover motionless at various depths
• Practice frog kick, back kick, and helicopter turns
• Swim slowly while staying within a 1–2 ft depth range

When I took GUE Fundamentals, one of my biggest challenges was “happy feet”—constantly drifting forward when I wasn’t supposed to be moving at all. Pools are ideal for working this out. Pick a spot on the wall, get yourself about an arm’s length away, and try to hold position in a horizontal hover without creeping forward. If your fins twitch or your trim wobbles, you’ll feel it—and more importantly, you’ll have the chance to correct it without the distractions of current, surge, or task loading.

Regulator and Mask Drills

• Regulator recovery from multiple angles
• Mask removal and replacement
• Flood and clear mask slowly and calmly

If you can perform these skills while maintaining a horizontal hover—without sinking to the bottom or popping to the surface—you’re making real progress. That kind of control is hard to achieve in a shallow pool and is a true sign of improving buoyancy and stability under stress.

S-Drill and Air-Sharing Practice (with Buddy)

• Perform an S-drill: donate the long hose or octopus, switch to your backup, and secure hose routing
• Hover in trim throughout the drill without touching the bottom or surfacing
• Practice smooth, confident execution—this skill is critical for real-world gas sharing situations

Finning and Positioning

• Hover horizontally, then transition to vertical and back again
• Swim backward slowly in trim
• Work on precise turns and positioning near a target

Skill Transitions

• Hover and deploy a DSMB (if pool depth allows)
• Transition between different positions in the water column with control

Safety Tips for Pool Practice

• Watch your SPG. Even in a pool, air runs out faster than you'd expect.
• No overexertion. If you're sweating in your suit, take a break. Pools aren’t worth overheating for.
• Equalize slowly. Even shallow descents can cause ear barotrauma if you rush.
• Absolutely no breath-holding drills. Breath-hold challenges, underwater games, or apnea-style exercises have no place in scuba practice. They can lead to shallow water blackout and are a serious safety risk.

If you're practicing solo in your own pool, consider the risks carefully. Let someone nearby know what you’re doing. Keep the session conservative and focused. Solo pool practice can be productive if you keep it low-stress and avoid introducing hazards like entanglements, new gear configurations, or unnecessary complexity.

What Gear Should You Bring?

Bring your full scuba setup if possible, especially if you're testing or practicing with specific configurations. At minimum:

• Mask and fins
• Regulator set with pressure gauge
• BCD or backplate/harness with inflator
• Exposure suit (skin, shorty, or full suit depending on water temp)
• Weights (if needed for neutral buoyancy)
• Tank with enough gas for two practice rounds

Pools are also ideal for doing weight checks—whether you’re dialing in your total ballast for an upcoming trip, or testing how much weight a new rig or exposure suit requires. You’ll get much more accurate results in water than you ever could by guessing on land. (See our guide to Buoyancy and Weighting for details.)

If you're trying out new gear or changes (like bolt snaps, hose routing, or backup lights), a pool is the perfect place to dial it in before your next dive trip.

Respect the Space

You’re not just practicing skills—you’re representing the diving community. Be polite, don’t hog the lanes, and clean up after yourself. If you show that divers are low-impact and respectful, pools will be more likely to welcome us back.

Final Thoughts

Practicing scuba skills in a pool without a class is one of the best ways to stay sharp, gain comfort, and build muscle memory for critical techniques. Whether you’re preparing for your next big trip or just want to feel more confident, a few hours in the pool can pay off underwater.

Bring a buddy when you can. And when you can’t—but you’ve got a safe private setup and a spouse or family member keeping an eye out—make the most of it. If you can manage buoyancy during mask skills or air-sharing in 5 feet of water, you'll be rock solid at 50.