Dive Planning & Risk: How to Plan Smarter and Dive Safer
Great dives donât happen by accidentâtheyâre planned. Whether youâre 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Understand how to calculate gas usage, plan your turn pressure, and use minimum reserve gasânot outdated rules of thumb like âcome up with 500 PSI.â
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 onesâand why âno decompression limitâ doesnât mean âno risk of DCS.â
Situational Awareness in Diving
Your attention is your best safety tool. Learn how to improve awareness of your depth, buddy, time, and surroundingsâespecially when things start to get complicated.
Psychological Safety in Diving
Risk isnât just about equipmentâitâs 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 problemsâand how to reduce those risks before they escalate.