Scuba Dive Plan Template
A dive plan is the single document your team agrees on before getting in the water: what you're diving, where, with whom, and what happens if something goes wrong. This template lays out the fields a thorough recreational or technical dive plan should include, so nothing important gets decided verbally on the boat and then forgotten.
Core plan sections
- Objective -- why this dive, what you're hoping to see or accomplish
- Site and conditions -- name, access, expected conditions as reported by the team
- Route -- entry/exit points, general path, turn-around triggers
- Limits and procedures -- agreed limits and lost-buddy/lost-diver procedures, as set by your team and training
- Team and roles -- who's diving, buddy pairs, any assigned roles
- Emergency planning -- nearest facility, local emergency number, equipment locations
What a plan template should NOT do
A template organizes what your team decides -- it should never calculate depth/time limits, gas requirements, or decompression obligations for you. Those numbers come from your training agency's tables, your dive computer, and your own certification level. A template that tries to compute this for you is doing your certifying agency's job without the liability or the training behind it.
Using this as a live, shared document
A static PDF or paper form works, but it goes stale the moment a diver drops out or conditions change. A shared version everyone can review, ask questions on, and acknowledge before the dive catches those changes automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Does this template calculate my no-decompression limits?
No. Dive plan templates should organize your team's information, not replace your training agency's dive tables or your dive computer. Any template claiming to calculate NDLs for you is overstepping what a planning document is for.
Is a dive plan the same as a waiver?
No. A dive plan documents what the team agreed to dive; acknowledging one means a diver reviewed it, not that they've signed a legal release. Waivers are a separate document handled by your operator or agency.
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