Product Overview

Summary: This Dive Planning and Briefing Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, step-by-step framework for planning, briefing and authorising occupational diving operations in Australian workplaces. It helps diving supervisors and PCBU’s control risk, meet WHS and diving-specific regulatory requirements, and ensure every diver enters the water with a shared, well-communicated plan.

Occupational diving in Australia is a high‑risk activity regulated under specific WHS and diving legislation. Poor planning, unclear briefings and inconsistent risk controls are common contributors to serious incidents such as decompression sickness, entanglement, lost divers and uncontrolled ascents. This Dive Planning and Briefing Safe Operating Procedure establishes a structured, repeatable process for assessing the dive site, defining the task, selecting the right equipment and gases, setting depth and time limits, and communicating the full dive plan to every person involved in the operation.

The SOP is designed for commercial, scientific and other occupational diving operations, whether shore-based, vessel-based or conducted from pontoons, barges or aquaculture facilities. It supports PCBUs and diving supervisors to demonstrate due diligence by documenting planning decisions, hazard assessments, contingency arrangements and emergency procedures before anyone enters the water. The procedure standardises pre-dive checks, communications protocols, roles and responsibilities, and go/no-go decision criteria, helping organisations to minimise risk, improve team coordination and maintain robust records that stand up to regulatory scrutiny and client audits.

By implementing this SOP, businesses can embed best-practice dive planning into their everyday operations, ensuring that each dive is authorised only when environmental conditions, equipment readiness, diver fitness and emergency arrangements meet defined safety thresholds. The result is safer, more predictable diving operations that protect workers, reduce downtime from preventable incidents, and support compliance with Australian WHS and occupational diving requirements.

Key Benefits

• Ensure consistent, defensible dive planning and briefing practices across all sites and projects.
• Reduce the likelihood of dive-related incidents by systematically identifying and controlling hazards before the dive commences.
• Improve communication and teamwork by clearly defining roles, signals, emergency triggers and abort criteria in the pre-dive briefing.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS and occupational diving regulatory requirements through structured documentation and record keeping.
• Streamline training and onboarding by giving new supervisors and divers a clear, step‑by‑step planning and briefing framework.

Who is this for?

• Diving Supervisors
• Occupational Divers
• Commercial Diving Contractors
• Scientific Divers and Dive Coordinators
• Marine Construction Supervisors
• Aquaculture Operations Managers
• Emergency Services Dive Team Leaders
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Project Managers overseeing diving work
• PCBU Representatives responsible for diving operations

Hazards Addressed

• Decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism due to inadequate dive planning or exceeded limits
• Nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity from inappropriate depth, time or gas selection
• Entrapment and entanglement in lines, nets, structures or marine growth
• Loss of diver or separation from buddy or umbilical attendant
• Equipment malfunction or failure underwater due to poor pre-dive checks
• Environmental hazards including strong currents, surge, low visibility and hazardous marine life
• Thermal stress, hypothermia or heat stress associated with water temperature and exposure time
• Barotrauma from unmanaged pressure changes during descent and ascent
• Vessel and traffic interactions, including propeller strike and collision risks
• Psychological stress, panic and fatigue from inadequate task planning or diver readiness assessment

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope of the Dive Planning and Briefing SOP
• 2.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Company Policies
• 3.0 Definitions and Abbreviations (e.g. no-decompression limits, MOD, PCBU)
• 4.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Diving Supervisor, Divers, Standby Diver, Surface Support)
• 5.0 Pre‑Planning Requirements and Competency Verification
• 6.0 Dive Task Analysis and Objectives
• 7.0 Site Assessment and Environmental Conditions (weather, tides, visibility, currents)
• 8.0 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment for Diving Operations
• 9.0 Selection of Dive Mode, Equipment and Breathing Gases
• 10.0 Dive Profile Planning (depth, time, no‑decompression/decompression obligations, repetitive dives)
• 11.0 Emergency and Contingency Planning (lost diver, entanglement, out‑of‑air, medical emergency, evacuation)
• 12.0 Pre‑Dive Checks and Verification (equipment, communications, gas supply, rescue equipment)
• 13.0 Pre‑Dive Briefing Content and Format
• 14.0 Communication Protocols and Underwater/Surface Signals
• 15.0 Go/No‑Go Decision Criteria and Authorisation to Dive
• 16.0 Documentation, Dive Plans, Checklists and Record Keeping
• 17.0 Post‑Dive Debrief, Incident Reporting and Lessons Learned
• 18.0 Training, Induction and Competency Requirements for Diving Personnel
• 19.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement of Dive Planning Practices

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations – Part 4.8 Diving Work
• Safe Work Australia – Guide to Managing Risks of Diving Work
• AS/NZS 2299.1: Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS/NZS 2299.2: Occupational diving operations – Scientific diving
• AS/NZS 2299.3: Occupational diving operations – Recreational industry diving and snorkelling
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still widely referenced)
• ISO 24801 series – Recreational diving services (for reference where applicable to training and competency)
• Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law and associated Marine Orders, where diving is conducted from vessels