Do I need a refresher course if I haven't dived in a year?

Yes — most operators require a refresher or a supervised check dive if your last dive was more than 6–12 months ago, and it makes the first day far more enjoyable.

Almost every liveaboard runs a check dive on the first day precisely because skills fade. If your last dive was over six months ago, most operators will ask you to complete a refresher, either at home before travel or with an instructor on board during that first dive.

The skills that degrade fastest are weighting, buoyancy control and mask clearing under mild stress. A refresher restores all three in a couple of hours and saves you from spending the first two days of the trip over-weighted and burning air twice as fast as everyone else.

Options: a pool-based refresher at your local dive centre — usually a two-hour session for $60 to $120 — is the cheapest and calmest way. Many liveaboards offer an on-board refresher for $80 to $150. Some agencies also offer online knowledge review modules such as PADI ReActivate, which you can complete on the plane.

One more habit worth adopting: bring your logbook or a screenshot of your dive computer's log. Operators running expedition itineraries do check recent experience, and having proof of your last few dives avoids awkward conversations at check-in.