Practical guides
The questions divers ask before a trip, answered from reference bodies (DAN, training agencies, authorities). Every point links to its source.
- How long to wait before flying after divingGoing up to altitude soon after diving, by plane or by road, raises the risk of decompression sickness (DCS). Divers Alert Network (DAN) publishes minimum waiting times based on the kind of diving you have done.
- Dive insurance: what it covers and what to checkDivers Alert Network (DAN) says very few travel protection plans cover scuba diving incidents. This guide explains where ordinary travel cover falls short, what dive-specific cover usually includes, and which conditions to read before you travel.
- What wetsuit thickness for which water temperatureWater draws heat from the body far faster than air. Wetsuits can keep divers warm across a wide range of water temperatures, but this varies from diver to diver.
- Travelling with dive gearDive equipment can be heavy, bulky and inconvenient to fly with, and most dive shops rent exposure protection. Cylinders, dive lights and batteries are also subject to specific air travel rules.
- Seasickness on dive boatsSeasickness is motion sickness at sea. This guide summarises what DAN and the NHS say causes it, the measures they suggest, and when DAN advises not starting a dive.
- How to choose a dive centreA good dive centre is one that is affiliated with a recognised training agency, keeps its emergency equipment and rental gear in working order, briefs you properly and knows what it will do if something goes wrong. This guide sets out the questions that DAN (Divers Alert Network) and other sources suggest asking before you book.