Dive Planning & Risk: How to Plan Smarter and Dive Safer

Great dives don’t happen by accident—they’re planned. Whether you’re doing a shallow reef dive or something more complex, knowing how to plan your gas, time, and contingencies is one of the most important skills in scuba diving.

This section helps you build the mindset and tools to reduce risk, avoid surprises, and handle challenges calmly and confidently.

Recreational Gas Planning

Understand how to calculate gas usage, plan your turn pressure, and use minimum reserve gas—not outdated rules of thumb like “come up with 500 PSI.”

Calculating MOD

If you dive Nitrox, you need to know your MOD (Maximum Operating Depth). This page breaks down how to calculate it, what affects your PO2, and where safety margins matter.

Recreational Decompression & Safety Stops

Learn the difference between required stops and recommended ones—and why “no decompression limit” doesn’t mean “no risk of DCS.”

Situational Awareness in Diving

Your attention is your best safety tool. Learn how to improve awareness of your depth, buddy, time, and surroundings—especially when things start to get complicated.

Psychological Safety in Diving

Risk isn’t just about equipment—it’s about people. This guide explores how to reduce peer pressure, foster open communication, and support confident decision-making.

Human Factors in Diving

Human error is almost never the root cause. Learn how habits, distractions, and poor communication lead to problems—and how to reduce those risks before they escalate.