Core Underwater Scuba Skills: Hovering, Finning, SMBs
Underwater skills are what separate divers who are simply underwater from those who dive with control, awareness, and purpose. Mastery here doesnât mean being perfectâit means being capable, calm, and comfortable in motion and in place.
This section focuses on core movement and positioning skills that make your dives safer and more enjoyable, as well as the tools and techniques that support team diving and navigation.
Topics Covered
How to Hover
Hovering means staying completely still in the waterâno movement, no drifting. This guide breaks down how trim, body position, and breathing all work together so you can stop hovering by accident and start doing it on purpose.
Finning Techniques
Learn how to frog kick, back kick, and helicopter turn for precise control and minimal impact. These finning techniques reduce silt, conserve energy, and let you moveâor stay stillâwith purpose, not momentum.
SMB Deployment
Deploying a dSMB midwater is a critical safety skillânot just for drift dives but for any open water ascent. This guide shows you how to launch cleanly while staying neutral, in control, and horizontalâso you signal the surface without creating a problem below.
Diver Buddy Positioning
Good buddy positioning means more than staying ânearby.â Learn how to stay at the same depth, maintain visual contact, and move as a teamâwhether youâre diving as a pair, a trio, or a team of four.