plan your dive, or not?

Crush · Jan 17, 2010

We are all familiar with the adage "Plan your dive, dive your plan" - do you do this?

It seems that, with the advent of computers, this may not be as relevant today as it used to be - do you agree?

Personally, I increasingly find myself boat-diving while traveling with work at sites that I have never dived before. Usually, the day before you know that you will dive A+B, C+D, or E+F, but never exactly which sites you will dive. The pre-dive, if it happens, is more often qualitative than quantitative, and can often paraphrased as "we will look for the fish and follow them." Given this situation, it is kind of tough to plan a dive. Now, if you are visiting a wreck that wreck does not move, so you can plan your dive, and dive your plan.

Who are you, and how do you dive most of the time, honestly?

vladimir · Jan 17, 2010

It sounds like you are doing underwater tours led by divemasters and ceding the dive planning to them. I look at the dive briefing as an opportunity to ask questions, and the boats I dive with always give a briefing. I don't think a lot of planning is required on a typical reef dive but I always know my maximum depth, turn pressure, and, if relevant, the current or tide information.

Cave Diver · Jan 17, 2010

I always plan my dives. The level of pre-dive planning and preparation that goes into that varies with the type of dive being done.

mpetryk:
Usually, the day before you know that you will dive A+B, C+D, or E+F, but never exactly which sites you will dive. The pre-dive, if it happens, is more often qualitative than quantitative, and can often paraphrased as "we will look for the fish and follow them." Given this situation, it is kind of tough to plan a dive.

I seldom find myself on a boat that I don't know which site I will be going to in advance. Knowing this is part of the planning process for me. On a purely recreational dive the planning may simply consist of a planned max depth and a decision on when to turn the dive based on gas supply.

Jax · Jan 17, 2010

Cave Diver:
I always plan my dives. The level of pre-dive planning and preparation that goes into that varies with the type of dive being done.

But your life depends on that in the cave world, does it not? Deviations for the recreational diver are far less likely to kill you.

Chris12day · Jan 17, 2010

Almost all of my dives are off a dive boat. I never really know where we are going before we get there. A lot of times, the captain may not like the viz or the current, so we change locations.

I listen carefully to the briefing and determine my max depth, turn time, and approximate dive time. I inform the 1st mate when to expect my buddy and I to be surfacing.....Usually first in....last out....

I stay well within the limits of mine and my buddies gas. The last 500 psig in my tank does not belong to me, it is my buddies.

Newbi

dmoore19 · Jan 17, 2010

I am a warm water, reef diving type. I have NDL depth and times on my watch band. I do listen to the dive breifing, look at the NDL on my watch band. Then I dive utilizing my computer. On repeat dives during SI I will ususally but not always take out my ERDP and check it with the plan for the next dive, but not always. I do however always calculate my group before getting my log book signed just so I stay familar with the calculations incase my computer fails.

Jax · Jan 17, 2010

True, many sites' do change at the last minute, but the plan may still be followed. Hard and fast rules for the gas level to dictate the return, for example. But if we plan to go "so far" down the wall, and find the seals choosing to play with us, we'll stay with the seals until the gas sends us back.

Cave Diver · Jan 17, 2010

Jax:
But your life depends on that in the cave world, does it not? Deviations for the recreational diver are far less likely to kill you.

Cave Diver:
I always plan my dives. The level of pre-dive planning and preparation that goes into that varies with the type of dive being done.

That's why I included the sentence in bold.

Jax · Jan 17, 2010

Oh.

I took that to mean something about the type of cave or such.

You guys don't rec dive, do you? I mean, wouldn't warm water put you into shock or something? :popcorn:

paddler3d · Jan 17, 2010

Me and my buddies pretty much do the following...at the dive site we make a quick game plan and then dive.

That game plan can be very specific to something super general. If we know the dive it tends to be specific, if we don't it is pretty general.

We follow the rule of 1/3s with our gas and we dive different size tanks to accommodate or various SAC rates so that we are all about equal.

plan your dive, or not?

Who are you, and how do you dive?

Non-tech diver: I always plan my dive, and dive my plan

Non-tech diver: I usually plan my dive, but I am happy to deviate

Non-tech diver: I always plan to dive, and dive my computer

Tech diver: I always plan my dive, and dive my plan

Tech diver: I usually plan my dive, but I am happy to deviate

Tech diver: I always plan to dive, and dive my computer

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Crush

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