Dive planning is the process of identifying hazards, assessing risks, and developing operational procedures before a dive commences. This page covers the frameworks and considerations that matter in practice.

Why This Exists

Proper dive planning prevents incidents. By identifying hazards, assessing risks, and developing response procedures before the dive, operations can proceed with clear understanding of what can go wrong and how to respond.

Who This Is For

  • Dive supervisors planning operations
  • Commercial divers reviewing dive plans
  • Safety officers assessing operational risk
  • Auditors reviewing planning procedures
  • Contractors developing operational procedures

Planning Framework

Hazard Identification

Before planning, identify all hazards:

  • Environmental hazards — Current, visibility, sea state, temperature, marine life
  • Equipment hazards — Equipment failure modes, umbilical management, tool hazards
  • Task hazards — Work complexity, confined spaces, entanglement risks
  • Human factors — Fatigue, experience level, team composition
  • Organizational hazards — Communication protocols, emergency response capability, support resources

What can go wrong: Hazards not identified, hazards underestimated, new hazards emerge during operations. Planning must be thorough and account for uncertainty.

Risk Assessment

For each identified hazard, assess:

  • Likelihood — How likely is this hazard to cause an incident?
  • Severity — How severe would the consequences be?
  • Mitigation — What controls reduce likelihood or severity?
  • Residual risk — What risk remains after mitigation?

Operational reality: Risk assessment is not academic. It must reflect actual operational conditions and account for how operations degrade under stress.

Control Measures

Develop control measures for each significant risk:

  • Elimination — Can the hazard be eliminated?
  • Substitution — Can a less hazardous approach be used?
  • Engineering controls — Can equipment or procedures reduce risk?
  • Administrative controls — Can procedures, training, or supervision reduce risk?
  • Personal protective equipment — What PPE is required?

What can go wrong: Controls not implemented, controls ineffective, controls degrade during operations. Controls must be practical and verifiable.

Emergency Procedures

For each significant risk, develop emergency response procedures:

  • Trigger conditions — What conditions trigger emergency response?
  • Response actions — What actions are taken in response?
  • Responsibility — Who is responsible for each action?
  • Communication — How is emergency communicated?
  • Recovery — How is normal operations restored?

Responsibility boundaries: Emergency procedures must clearly define who does what. Ambiguity in emergency response leads to delayed or incorrect actions.

Dive Plan Components

Operational Parameters

  • Depth — Maximum operating depth
  • Bottom time — Planned bottom time and decompression schedule
  • Gas requirements — Gas mix, volume, and consumption estimates
  • Work scope — Tasks to be performed and equipment required
  • Environmental conditions — Expected current, visibility, sea state

What can go wrong: Parameters set beyond equipment or diver capabilities, environmental conditions worse than expected, work scope exceeds available time. Plans must be conservative and account for uncertainty.

Team Composition

  • Diver — Primary diver qualifications and experience
  • Standby diver — Standby diver qualifications and readiness
  • Supervisor — Supervisor qualifications and experience
  • Support personnel — Tenders, equipment operators, medical support

Human factors: Team composition affects operational capability. Inexperienced teams require more conservative planning.

Equipment Requirements

  • Diving equipment — Helmet/mask, bailout, tools, work equipment
  • Surface equipment — Gas supply, communication, monitoring, recovery
  • Emergency equipment — Standby diver equipment, emergency gas, medical equipment
  • Backup systems — Redundant systems for critical functions

What can go wrong: Equipment not available, equipment not functional, backup systems not tested. Equipment must be verified before dive commences.

Communication Protocols

  • Check-in procedures — Frequency and format of check-ins
  • Emergency communication — How emergencies are communicated
  • Backup communication — Alternative communication methods
  • Surface-to-surface communication — Coordination with other operations

Operational reality: Communication protocols must work in practice, not just on paper. Test communication before operations.

Risk Assessment Methods

Qualitative Risk Assessment

Simple risk matrix approach:

  • Likelihood: Rare, Unlikely, Possible, Likely, Almost Certain
  • Severity: Negligible, Minor, Moderate, Major, Catastrophic
  • Risk level: Low, Medium, High, Extreme

Use when: Quick assessment needed, resources limited, risk levels clearly distinguishable.

What can go wrong: Subjective assessment, inconsistent application, risks underestimated. Requires experienced assessors.

Quantitative Risk Assessment

Numerical assessment of likelihood and consequences:

  • Probability estimates — Based on historical data or expert judgment
  • Consequence estimates — Quantified in terms of injury, equipment damage, or operational impact
  • Risk calculation — Probability × Consequence = Risk

Use when: Detailed analysis required, historical data available, regulatory requirements mandate quantitative assessment.

What can go wrong: False precision, data not applicable to current conditions, calculations not understood by operational personnel. Results must be interpreted in operational context.

ALARP Assessment

As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) assessment:

  • Identify all reasonably practicable controls
  • Assess cost vs. risk reduction for each control
  • Implement controls where risk reduction justifies cost
  • Document why controls are or are not implemented

Use when: Regulatory requirements mandate ALARP, high-risk operations, significant resources available for risk reduction.

Responsibility: Management decides what is “reasonably practicable.” Decisions must be documented and defensible.

Pre-Dive Briefing

Before dive commences, conduct briefing covering:

  • Dive plan review — Parameters, procedures, and emergency response
  • Hazard review — Identified hazards and control measures
  • Team roles — Responsibilities of each team member
  • Communication protocols — Check-in procedures and emergency communication
  • Equipment verification — Confirmation that all equipment is ready

What can go wrong: Briefing not conducted, briefing incomplete, team members not paying attention. Briefing must be interactive and verified.

Post-Dive Review

After dive completion, review:

  • Plan vs. execution — What differed from plan and why?
  • Hazards encountered — Were all hazards identified? Any new hazards?
  • Control effectiveness — Did controls work as intended?
  • Lessons learned — What should be done differently next time?

Operational improvement: Post-dive review drives continuous improvement. Document lessons learned and update procedures.

Regulatory Considerations

Dive planning must comply with applicable regulations:

  • IMCA guidelines — International Marine Contractors Association guidelines
  • ADCI standards — Association of Diving Contractors International standards
  • National regulations — Country-specific requirements
  • Client requirements — Contract-specific requirements

Responsibility: Operator ensures compliance. Auditors verify compliance. Non-compliance creates legal and operational risk.