Dive Planning for Beginners- what do you include/consider?

[LottaBeachNoOcean]

Hoping to get some experienced divers to respond here:

(What do experienced divers recommend be included, or) When you're planning your first recreational (OW certified) dive of the trip what kinds of things do you include/consider in your dive plan, both to plan the dive and to discuss with your buddy, who may be an insta-buddy?

How about on a subsequent dive of the same day?

How about a subsequent dive the next day after a 12 hour SI, minimum?

 

[BabyDuck]

the main things - hand signals and what they mean. how we plan to signal gas remaining, that a thumb means the dive is over *now*, reminders for 'cold' or 'tired' or 'ear trouble', etc.

after listening to any dive brief, what the general plan is for depth, turn pressure, what we're looking for on the reef or wreck or whatever.

making sure they know how to read their computer and what the funny numbers mean.

making sure they know i'm not interested in seeing all the ocean at once, and that they know 'slow down'. after a second dive where on the surface interval i stressed that he go slower that a guy kept leaving me in the dust, no more buddying with him!

after the first big talk and shakedown dive, the only things to be discussed are the upcoming dive's plan and anything that subsequently comes up that needs discussing.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

For a new or newer diver everything related to the dive is part of the dive plan. And the planning starts when you make the decision to dive. The plan includes where, with who, what time, how you will get there, what gear you will need, what gear you may need, and what if the conditions are not what you'd expect. Most OW courses do a poor job of teaching dive planning.

They don't look at the whole picture. Everything surrounding the dive has or can have an effect on the dives. Bad week at work? How's your mental state? Can you concentrate on the dive and the items necessary to pull it off?

I have written a few articles on the subject and a presentation. I'd be happy to share them with anyone who shoots me a PM with their email. They are too big to post here. But here's a blog post from one that is critical to good planning: Diver Communication:
Welcome to UDM Aquatic Services

 

[pocky21]

As Jim brings up - there are a ridiculous number of variables when it comes to dive planning.

I plan my dives and start setting up a few days in advance - how you feel that day has a lot to do with how your dive will go. This means putting the bottle down a few days before a dive trip, and hydrating like crazy. That alone solved 90% of dive day drama for me, and I drill the same into my students. Get plenty of sleep the night before - go to bed an hour early. Most rough dive days I had were immediately following a poor night's rest. Get all your gear together a few days in advance and check it over. If something is wrong, you have time to address it. If you are renting from a shop, they should allow you to check it out on site prior to leaving. Do your research on the intended site - talk with local shops about conditions and adjust your plan/equipment accordingly, have a backup site in mind if things look hairy. And we haven't even gotten to the dive day yet.

There are numerous articles linked on this site which discuss planning a dive, gas management, and how to be a good buddy. Jim has several articles written that are highly recommended reads, as do many others on this site. If I can offer any personal suggestions - take care of yourself first, and your buddy second. If something doesn't feel right, something isn't right - fix it, NOW. Don't be afraid to call off a dive for any reason, and don't be afraid to leave your buddy if he refuses your request (this is huge, btw, many dive accidents I know of start with the victim knowing something was wrong but refusing to leave an ignorant buddy). And most importantly, have fun with it - it's why you're there, after all!

 

[TSandM]

I started a thread on this a long time back. There's some pretty good information in it, mine and other people's. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-divers-those-considering-diving/165807-planning-dive.html

 

[LottaBeachNoOcean]

Thanks for your considered responses, the link to the previous thread, (TSand M) and your .pdf files (Jim). This is all excellent info and exactly what I was looking for.

 

[tdtaylor]

I agree with Jim- not enough emphasis on Dive Planning in the beginning courses. I have always been an organizer and leader, so I fell into it fairly easily-after researching the subject on Scubaboard. But I have to say, on my first dives after OW certification, I felt clueless about organizing/briefing a dive/dive plan.

I can't say about other agencies, but a divers first full emersion into comprehensive dive planning in the SSI classwork is Dive Guide, which is the first level pro certification. While new divers might not need to study this for a week or two and brief and lead many types of dives for the course, some smaller segment of this course could easily be moved to the OW class.

---------- Post added July 9th, 2013 at 11:24 AM ----------

I started a thread on this a long time back. There's some pretty good information in it, mine and other people's. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-divers-those-considering-diving/165807-planning-dive.html

Nice thread, TSandM. Simple, to the point. This could easily be incorporated into the second/third class of OW, or better yet, during the surface intervals during the OW class dives. One additional note- it can be made more fun by adding a little history of any wrecks, reefs, etc. if available. Even in a quarry, as mundane as they can often appear, can be made more interesting- was a limestone quarry, slate quarry, how long was it mined, unique features, etc.

Terry

 

[The Chairman]

A diver's got to know their limitations. I plan all my dives with this very thing in mind. There is no need to get overly aggressive in your diving. The most obvious limitations are TDG (Time, Gas and Depth). Then you must also consider training, experience and conditions. Please, don't forget your buddy's limitations as those are just as important. There are lots of individual discussions about all of these limitations, so poke around and read up on them.

 

[Gunrock]

LBNO, it sounds like you are specifically concerned about repetitive diving. Since you are OW and at least according to PADI shouldn't be going past 60' there aren't any real additional concerns. You can do multiple dives a day for days on end. Your computer should have a dive planning mode to show you your new adjusted no-deco limits after you've done your first dive(s) of the day, but staying that shallow and having at least an hour surface interval between dives you'll find that any change will be insignificant because your allowable bottom time will still be far, far longer than the time you can stay down with a single tank.
In addition to all the other good advice you've received I would just add that it pays to be proficient with a compass, especially since an insta-buddy may not be. If you're not already comfortable with navigation it's something you can practice on dry land. Especially reverse headings, 90 degree turns, and squares. Yeah you other ScubaBoarders might laugh but I've watched a Divemaster "teach" someone to do a triangle and get it completely wrong. (I don't know why you'd actually want to plan a triangle course, I never have, but I do believe that if it's in the book then you should understand it and know how to do it). I've done most of my diving in CA and if you're boat diving you really want to be able to navigate back to the anchor/mooring line, every time.

 

[3D diver]

Oh lordy, listen to them, don't listen to me...

My dive plan is usually "head that a way 'til half tank, turn around and head back".

But, thinking about that flip response, I realize there's so much more that I do from experience that I don't even think about any more.

I own and know my gear. It's serviced regularly and in good condition. I've been watching my buddy gear up and have looked for and/or asked about their safe second/octopus, how to dump their weights, and assessed their available bottom time based on tank size, physical condition and experience.

I'm diving in a region, if not specific site, that I've dove for decades. I understand the conditions (been watching the weather reports and condition reports on SCUBA Board) and how they may change. I understand the entry and exit points & have a general inkling what I'll do if something changes. Where I care, I have a good idea how to navigate to specific points of interest at a given dive site. Otherwise, noting any apparent currents (rare where I dive), we just get to the reef and wander around, using the compass and occasional pop-ups to keep oriented.

I own, and can use, a set of dive tables for multiple dives, though lately I've been letting a computer do that for me. (I'm primarily a shore diver, though, so rarely am in a multi-day, multi-dive, situation).

I have a well maintained truck for transportation. I carry a save-a-dive kit, sunscreen, pseudofed, tools and know of several shops near where I dive---I usually have a spare, can fix, or can replace anything that goes awry.

I guess all that's dive planning. I just throw my gear in the truck, get in the water and go that-a-way...