What to Do if the Team Gets Separated

Even the best teams can get separated. Visibility drops, lights drift out of sync, someone gets distracted—and suddenly, you realize you’re alone. What matters is how you respond.

This page walks through what to do before, during, and after a separation to minimize risk and reunite safely.

Prevention Comes First

Team separation is almost always preventable with strong habits:

• Stay close—don’t rely on seeing fins or bubbles
• Use light discipline and maintain awareness of each other’s beam
• Confirm role assignments and positioning before the dive
• Adjust spacing for visibility, current, and experience
• Use frequent check-ins (eye contact, light sweeps, OK signals)

But even with good practice, things happen. So you need a plan.

Agree on the Plan Before the Dive

This should be part of every dive briefing. Common elements include:

• How long to search if you lose contact (e.g., 1 minute)
• What the ascent procedure is if not found
• Where to regroup at the surface
• How to signal once reunited (e.g., light flash, hand wave)

If you're diving from a boat, also confirm whether to return to the downline, anchor, or surface directly.

What to Do If You’re the One Separated

1. Stop immediately—don’t keep swimming
2. Slowly rotate, scanning with your light or looking for bubbles
3. Check behind and above you—buddies often drift backward or upward when distracted
4. Use your light intentionally—short flashes, sweeps
5. Search for 1 minute, then begin a controlled ascent to the surface
6. Deploy an SMB if surfacing away from your exit point

Panic is your biggest enemy here. Stay still, breathe slowly, and work the plan.

What the Remaining Team Should Do

Same steps apply:

• Pause and search for 1 minute
• Use light sweeps and slow rotations
• Ascend as a group if the missing diver isn’t found
• Deploy an SMB if needed
• Maintain positive control of buoyancy and spacing—this isn’t the time to lose another diver

Avoid the temptation to split up to search—it doubles the problem.

Surfacing Alone

If you surface and don’t see your team:

• Stay in place
• Inflate your BCD and keep your SMB visible
• Do not immediately redescend
• Wait for the team to surface, and be ready to signal boat crew or shore staff if applicable

If you see your team’s SMB nearby, swim calmly toward it on the surface—not underwater.

A Personal Note on Why It Matters

On one dive with a three-person team, one diver swam off and we lost him. The other diver and I surfaced together and ended the dive. The missing diver didn’t return. We waited on the surface for ten minutes before we finally saw his bubbles and confirmed he was okay.

When we debriefed afterward, he said he had enough gas, knew the site well, and didn’t see a reason to call the dive. But the two of us were furious. He broke formation, continued the dive solo, and left the rest of the team unsure whether something had gone seriously wrong. We don’t dive with him anymore.

That dive taught me something simple: separation ends the dive—no exceptions. Continuing alone might feel justified in the moment, but it breaks the team trust that safe diving depends on.

After the Dive

Once reunited:

• Debrief what happened
• Identify the exact moment the separation occurred
• Discuss what could have prevented it
• Be open and constructive—this is a learning opportunity, not a blame session

It’s often one small thing (e.g., light beam drifted, one diver stopped moving) that caused it—and that’s what needs to be addressed before the next dive.

A Note on Solo Surfacing

For recreational divers, separation isn’t a cue to begin a solo dive. It’s a cue to end the dive safely. If you’re alone, ascend, surface, and wait. Trying to press on solo creates unnecessary risk and violates the very principle of team diving.