You could say that the time for planning your next dive, after the last dive you and your buddy just made, starts on the drive home from the site or during the stop at the local coffee shop. My buddy and I like to talk over the dive and see what we can do to improve the next one. Because we have dived together for a long time, a lot of the planning is easy. I know who I will be diving with; I know his abilities and dive education. This is so very important in dive planning and sets the limits.

 We start the planning as soon as we decide where are going to dive again, and that’s right after we remove our dive equipment. We pick a place and then start the planning. We like to pick two places close to each other and in case we can’t use one location we then have another. After driving several miles you really don’t want to miss a good dive.

 As I have said before, make a check list of equipment and keep it handy. Check off each item after you have cleaned it and placed it back into your dive bag. PADI has an open water check list as do others or you could make you own. But you should have one. I do this now after I failed to pack an item and missed a dive. I hope that I never do that again. I know that I am not alone in the world in this case. We all miss a dive for one reason or the other.

 As far as the location here in the Northwest there are lots of dive sites and the water temperature is generally the same year around “Cold,” so most divers use a dry suit. The temperature isn’t so much an issue then. We like to dive in Canada and we have the equipment to do so. We have dived there when the snow was falling. The objective of the dive is real important. What are we going to do on this dive? We set a depth, and the gas, (air mixture) that will be required on the dives. We time and plan for deco and no deco limits well in advance according to the dive profiles. We talk about the dive as we are planning it; we recall the dives in this location and what the conditions could be. We also check the log book for the history of the dives we have made in that location. It is always a good Idea to keep a log book since it is a source of great information if done properly. We also check the tide tables and set a time to be in the water. At our age we really do not like fighting the tidal exchanges.

We always take a first aid kit with 0/2 included. We have a kit that is equal in size to a small emergency room. And we have a list of the phone numbers for the local hospital and dive shop. Remember; always let someone know where you are going and when to expect your return home.There are many other items that you will need or could need. Always set these items out as you think of them. If you don’t you could leave something behind and miss the best dive in history. Diving is fun as long as you are ready with the right equipment and all of it is in good working condition. Take what you need to make your dive safe and fun. 

There is a lot more to planning a dive then is listed here. Before you go always review your equipment list, log book, and talk to your dive buddy about the dive. Don’t leave anything to chance. Have a great dive.

 © 03-22-2005  G. McK.