What are dive tables and do I still need them?

Dive tables are printed charts that show how long you can stay at certain depths before needing to ascend. They were the standard method for planning dives before dive computers became common. You use them by finding your planned depth and reading across to see the maximum allowable time without entering decompression. The tables also show how long you need to stay on the surface before making a second dive.

Today, almost every diver uses a dive computer instead of tables. Computers track your actual depth and time in real time and calculate safe limits specific to your exact dive profile, which is far more accurate than assuming you stayed at one depth the entire dive. Most training agencies still introduce tables so you understand how dive limits are calculated, but very few people rely on them in practice.

I have personally never used printed dive tables and find them extremely difficult to use for the way my brain works. My dive computer does the same math automatically and gives me a clearer, safer picture of where I stand during a dive. For most recreational divers, a modern dive computer is the right tool.

Recreational Decompression

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