---
title: "Dive Planning"
description: "Unplanned dives are managed by luck. This course builds the planning process serious divers use before every dive: gas volumes, turn pressures, contingency thinking, and team communication from a 20m reef to a staged deco dive."
canonical: "https://donarundas.com/courses/fundamentals/dive-planning"
author: "Donarun Das — TDI Trimix Instructor, KISS Sidewinder CCR Instructor"
category: "course/fundamentals"
disclaimer: "Dive theory published by a working instructor for education. It is not medical advice and not a substitute for training. Decompression, gas, and depth decisions belong with your own training, your dive computer, and a dive medical officer."
license: "© Donarun Das. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dive Planning

## At a glance

- **Track:** fundamentals
- **Duration:** 2 days
- **Taught in:** Maldives, Sri Lanka, and India (scheduled around your travel dates)
- **Enquire:** https://donarundas.com/contact

Unplanned dives are managed by luck. This course builds the planning process that makes every dive more deliberate, from a 20 m reef dive to a staged decompression dive at 40 metres.

The principles are the same regardless of depth or complexity: understand your gas supply, know your limits, plan for contingencies, communicate the plan clearly. This course develops those habits with theory, worked examples, and a practical planning dive.

## Who this course is for

- Divers who want to plan their own dives rather than follow a guide
- Buddy pairs who want to brief, execute, and debrief dives as a team
- Divers who do liveaboards, expeditions, or remote site diving where conditions vary
- Anyone building toward technical diving where gas planning is non-negotiable

![CCR diver inside the rusted opening of a steel wreck, breathing loop over the shoulders, facing the camera](https://donarundas.com/images/courses/dive-planning/cover.jpg)

## Prerequisites

- Open Water certification (minimum)
- Enriched Air Nitrox certification recommended
- Introduction to Decompression Theory recommended but not required

## What this course covers

Gas planning: surface air consumption rates, gas duration at depth, calculation methods.

Rule of thirds: how it works, when to apply it, and when thirds is conservative enough.

Turn pressures: when to turn a dive, how to calculate for the team.

Decompression planning: no-deco limits vs. staged deco, stop depths, ascent schedule.

Site analysis: entry and exit conditions, navigation, current timing, depth profiles.

Team planning: communication protocols, signalling conventions, separation procedures.

Contingency planning: what-if scenarios, abort criteria, alternate ascent points.

Post-dive: structured debrief, accurate logging, incident reporting.

## Course structure

Two days. Day 1 is planning theory and a workshop. Day 2 is a planned dive followed by a full debrief. Student ratio is 1:2 maximum.

Locations: Maldives · Sri Lanka · Pondicherry · Lakshadweep · Meghalaya

### Fees and pricing

Pricing is tailored to your course and location. A full breakdown is provided before any commitment is made.

### Ready to train?

Enquire via WhatsApp or call +91 82489 40670. Donarun responds personally to every enquiry.

## Common questions

### Do I need a dive computer for this course?
Yes. You need a dive computer you can configure and read. Part of the course covers understanding what your specific computer is calculating and how to interpret its displays correctly.

### Is this course relevant to recreational diving?
Directly. Gas planning, turn pressures, and contingency thinking apply to every dive, regardless of depth or complexity. This course develops habits that make all your diving safer and more deliberate.

## What comes next?

Want to know where your diving actually stands? [Becoming a Better Diver](https://donarundas.com/courses/fundamentals/becoming-a-better-diver) is a personalised skills assessment and targeted improvement programme built around your specific gaps.

---

**Source:** [https://donarundas.com/courses/fundamentals/dive-planning](https://donarundas.com/courses/fundamentals/dive-planning)

**About the author:** Donarun Das is a TDI Trimix and KISS Sidewinder CCR instructor teaching technical and rebreather diving in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and India. He holds the deepest verified civilian dive in India (103 m, open-circuit trimix, Lakshadweep, March 2026). Courses: https://donarundas.com/courses — enquiries: https://donarundas.com/contact

> Dive theory published by a working instructor for education. It is not medical advice and not a substitute for training. Decompression, gas, and depth decisions belong with your own training, your dive computer, and a dive medical officer.

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