Make sure you can swim- well.

 It's an assumption many people make, because they could in highschool 15
years ago, and you know, how could you forget?  :-)

 Read the book from cover to cover, BEFORE the class, and make sure your
instructor covers everything in it.

 You're paying to learn it, don't get short changed.

"Sheldon" <sheldon@XXXXXXXXsopris.net> pounded away at his keyboard
resulting in:

Sounds like you have your act together.  Keep doing what you're doing
and enjoy yourself.

And pay attention to what your instructor tells you.

Dan Bracuk
If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.

Hopefully, 4 dives are still required.

You're learn a little about gas laws and about how to avoid decompression
and embolism problems in the classroom.  It's not difficult, but it is
important.
In the pool, you'll learn how to clear a mask, how to assemble your
equipment, how to use it to breathe underwater and a few skills that will
help keep you out of trouble or help get you out of it when you err.
In the open water dives, you'll demonstrate some of the same skills you
learned in the pool and get a chance to actually put them to work during
real dives.

As for tips, if you have not snorkeled much, take your mask to a pool and
practice flooding and clearing it.  That's probably the skill more new
divers have trouble with than any other.

Most importantly, though, pay attention, ask if you don't understand
something, and have a good time.

Lee

Dont buy any gear except a mask and fins. You may not dig diving, and you'll
get pennies on the dollar for gear you get hung on you for OW certification.

Dont hold your breath on *any* ascent.

Breathe, and relax.

If you arent having fun, get out of the water.

Any diver can abort any dive for any reason.

Learn to thumb a dive in the parking lot.

Since I just did my courses in October. I can second everything Lee and
Scott have said. If you don't understand why you are doing something then
ask the instructor. When I took the course I took it with a friend that
can't swim very well. This made a huge difference since he spent most of his
time getting comfortable in the water. He also spent lots of money on new
equipment and to date has never done his open water dives. Therefore I've
lost my diving buddy. If you really like diving be prepared to join a group
or find some local divers to dive with. This is a buddy sport. Also when I
took my open water dives it was still 4 dives, though your instructor may
bunch them all together. The two activities that were the hardest were
learning to breath without a mask on and learning to sip air from a free
flowing regulator. I spent my extra time in the pool learning to recover my
lost regulator.

Funny story, when I decided to take the PADI dive course my sister in law
had already been diving a few times in Thailand and was giving me all kinds
of advice, as I got closer to the open water I heard more and more scary
stories about the things that have went wrong while she had been diving.
Mostly fear related. It turns out that at the end of the course I had more
underwater time then she had total and am a lot more comfortable in the
water. I strongly believe that taking the full course is the way to go.

Before I took the diving course I would have been more then willing to strap
on a tank and just dive. Now that I've taken the course I really discourage
it.

Thanks for all the great advice.  I finally got back into the pool with some
swim goggles and it made all the difference.  I feel a lot more comfortable
now, since I wear contacts, and it's a lot more fun swimming under the water
than on top.  The swimming is looking better, and today an instructor
watched me and said I have a few bad habits that he can help me with.  I
have a lesson with him this Sunday.

I agree with all of you, in that I have to get the swimming down to the
point where I'm very comfortable and can concentrate on the scuba part of
it.  Considering today was only my second day in the water after all these
years, I think I'm doing better than okay, but I still need some more work
and more time.  I feel confident now I'll be ready when the course starts.

Thanks again.

Pay special attention to the parts on bouyancy.  Of all the skills you'll learn in your class, this
one will probably make the biggest difference in your enjoyment of the dive.

Don't stop breathing and ascend slowly.  Those two things will probably make the biggest difference
in your enjoyment of the after-dive.