What does "Dive Planning" mean to you?

[Diver0001]

This is one of these " How long is a peice of String " questions.

Yes, I would think it is... (begin sarcasm )

My standard dive-plan is pretty simple too. I jump in the water and descend as fast as i can to the bottom and wait for my buddy to catch up. Once I can see them then I swim as hard as I can, as deep as I can and stay there until I'm 15 minutes over the NDL. Then I try to make my way back to shore by sensing the earth's magnetic field with the loose screws in my head and *hope* I get within a few minutes of finishing my deco before I run out of oxygen in my tanks. I do have a spare air incase I don't quite make it but I must be good because so far I've only needed to use it a few times.

There. Now he has what he was looking for. Soap-box properly adjusted, microphone on....

R..

 

[Edward3c]

Seriously, I worry about that. I've been thinking about how to make a block and tackle rig to get a buddy back in the boat.

No need, just practice parbuckling, I got people into a rib on my own using this method

Regards

 

[BDSC]

As others have said it depends on where I'm diving but for most of the diving I do like in Bonaire, Cozumel, Roatan, the Caymans, etc., my planning is usually get back to the boat or back to shore with 500 psi. Haven't seen a need to plan much beyond that in those conditions.

 

[Danielle's_Dives]

Dive planning for me and hubby is different. He is much more serious and likes to document dives. I am more interested in getting in the water quick.

We check equipment really good on first dive of day. I am known for blowing o-rings so on beach dives, we check that first. Other than that we come up with a generally 10 second plan but the more we dive, the less formal we are. We come up with a plan but many times adapted or changed this due to currents, viz or lack of cool things to see.

One new sites, I tend to plan and record more to reference on future dives.

I do tend to document my dives more on my dive blog than anything. It is way more fun and I can add all the funny stories of the day. I can also reflect and think about how the day's experience reflects in other areas of my life.


Danielle's Dives

 

[Akimbo]

I like to consider the options if I am swimming along and discover a new wreck… like the boat I came out on.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Dive plan is usually: what critters are we going to find, wide angle or macro, max depth, turn pressure, run time and direction.

We tend not to discuss the ascent plan or rock bottom because we know what it will look like, and we tend to know the environmental factors pretty well at regular dive sites. Also there is no real discussion of the “team”. It is implicit that we are staying together and maintaining contact, but it is a fluid thing. We have not lost each other for years but have not really talked about that. That works partly as a result of selecting people for which a larger part of the dive plan in implicit. When in doubt we may fall back on Sequence-air-depth-duration-distance-direction-deco (SADDDDD); or goal-unified team-equipment-exposure-deco-gas-environment (GUE EDGE). There is usually some pre-planning. Which may be a drive down to beach for a gander at the surf, or a look at the online swell model. My buddies have to drive farther and prefer not to drive down to un-divable conditions.

 

[Banyan]

Doing my normal shore dives with my normal dive buddy, prior to getting in we

• check tides and maybe the NOAA wave report,
• decide what to do in case of a longshore current (generally start the dive into the current, but maybe turnaround and stay in a protected cove),
• discuss turnaround pressure and needed reserve pressure (if the dive is different from our typical "turn around at 1800 and get out with no less than 500psi"),
• decide what if any objectives we have (wrecks, turtle hideouts, just exploring in a new direction) and any relevant compass headings,
• figure out if we need a dive flag and if we need to haul it around or can tie it off at the drop down spot,
• let the other know if we plan to practice sending up a DSMB or doing anything else unusual, and
• look at the ocean and decide if we're doing the dive or if it would be smarter to go get coffee

But, honestly, we know the drill well enough that a lot of this is unspoken agreement. For dives we don't do a lot, this becomes an explicit discussion. I keep all my gear in a plastic bin that goes in the trunk, so never have to think about a checklist, though have left my computer sitting on the table...

If I'm on a boat with an insta-buddy,my priority is to try to get agreement on general objectives and attitude ("I'm gonna putter along and look at the pretty fish and coral'" vs "I'm totally gonna shoot to 120' to check it out and don't care if you stay with me") and figure out if I'm effectively doing a solo dive.

 

[diver_doug]

My typical dive plan:

"I'm gonna go over there...I'll head back at around 1000psi"

 

[Kern]

Yes, I would think it is...

My standard dive-plan is pretty simple too. I jump in the water and descend as fast as i can to the bottom and wait for my buddy to catch up. Once I can see them then I swim as hard as I can, as deep as I can and stay there until I'm 15 minutes over the NDL. Then I try to make my way back to shore by sensing the earth's magnetic field with the loose screws in my head and *hope* I get within a few minutes of finishing my deco before I run out of oxygen in my tanks. I do have a spare air incase I don't quite make it but I must be good because so far I've only needed to use it a few times.

There. Now he has what he was looking for. Soap-box properly adjusted, microphone on....

R..

How loose do I have to make these screws to navigate that way please.

But of course, if you don't start every dive by looking out the window, & deciding if it's worth getting out of bed, "ya gonna die".

 

[drbill]

As a videographer and solo diver, dive planning for me is different than for many divers. Obviously I ensure that my tank and pony are full and functioning, my kit is in operable shape, etc. These days most of my dives are in the Casino Point Dive Park where I have about 2,000 dives logged. I generally know the dive profiles I can safely do within those confines.

My actual dive profile is entirely dependent on what I film. On some dives I am submerging to film a specific species at a specific location with known depth. However, the majority of my dives are governed by the subjects I encounter underwater. I may have "planned" to film a stationary species on a dive, but encounter a rare or unusual subject en route and end up filming it. The stationary (sessile) subject will be there on my next dive (assuming it isn't munched).

Of course for divers in buddy teams, there are far more factors that must be considered and planned for.

Even the best plan may need to be flexible and adjusted as conditions change. A diver may be heading out to a specific location and encounter a ripping current that blows them completely of course. Water temp may change radically within 24 hours. My last few dives (to film a specific nudibranch) have involved nearly identical profiles. The min temperature one day was 64, 55 the following day, then 64 and yesterday 66. That's quite a swing in just a few days and noticeably affected gas consumption.