Predive Briefing Checklist
A rushed predive briefing is how easy-to-prevent problems happen -- a diver who didn't know the turn-around signal, a buddy pair that never confirmed their air-share procedure. This checklist is a running order for the briefing itself, not a substitute for it.
Before everyone gets in the water
- Confirm the objective and route out loud, not just on paper
- Re-confirm buddy pairs and any assigned roles
- Review hand signals the team will actually use, especially any non-standard ones
- State the turn-around/thirds trigger and who calls it
- Point out entry/exit points and any hazards specific to today's conditions
- Confirm the lost-buddy/lost-diver procedure
- State the emergency assembly point and who's the surface contact
Conditions specific to today
Conditions change dive to dive -- current, visibility, and surface conditions on the day should always be stated fresh, even if the site is a familiar one. A briefing that only repeats generic site information misses what's actually different today.
After the briefing, before the dive
Give the team a chance to ask questions before anyone's in the water, not once they're already descending. A quick round of "anything unclear?" catches more than it seems like it should.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a predive briefing take?
Long enough to cover the checklist above clearly -- for a familiar site with an experienced team that might be two minutes; for a new site, new team combination, or more complex dive, it should take longer. There's no fixed correct length.
Dive Brief organizes information entered by the dive team. It does not calculate whether a dive is safe or replace training, certification, professional judgment, dive computers, agency standards, or a live predive briefing.
Turn this checklist into a shared team briefing that everyone can review.
Create a Shared Dive Brief