I will never forget my first date with my wife — we went to "Ah-Gui Diving" on Xiaoliuqiu, which was also my first time diving at an offshore island. I was naive enough to bring my own weights, completely unaware that dive shops provide them.
We hopped on a bamboo raft and headed out to jump into Wu-Gui Cave. Once we reached the dive site, Ah-Gui launched into his briefing, and I was absolutely transfixed. It was practically a landscape painting — the terrain was crystal clear, every creature you might encounter was marked, and not a single safety point was left out. For the rookie I was back then, it was nothing short of a revelation. My own dive-site sketches are still pretty rough, but I can now tell the difference between a good dive briefing and a truly outstanding one.
How to Make It Clear: 3 Essential Elements Every Dive Briefing Must Have
A pre-dive briefing doesn't need to be long — around five to eight minutes is plenty — but it must clearly cover everything divers will encounter in the water, build anticipation for the dive, and let students know exactly what to watch out for.
Here are the three essential elements every dive briefing must include:
1. Dive Conditions – The Fun Factor
You need to clearly explain the conditions at the dive site. Most importantly, you want students to feel excited — to feel like it's going to be a great time — so spend extra time on the marine life introduction.
This section should always cover: site name, description, depth, temperature, visibility, current, topography (dive site map), direction, points of interest, and marine life.
If you're not sure where to get this information, consider picking up books from the series such as In-Depth Guide to the Best Dive Sites in Kenting Waters, In-Depth Guide to the Best Dive Sites in Orchid Island Waters, and In-Depth Guide to the Best Dive Sites in Green Island Waters — they'll quickly help you get to know the sites.
2. Dive Procedures – A Relaxed Run-Through
Next, let your divers know your role and how they can identify you in the water, the planned dive duration, how to enter and exit the water, the recommended route, when to make the 5-metre safety stop, air management, and at what pressure to signal their air (typically 120 bar and 70 bar). Cover team control and a hand-signal review as well.
The main goal here is to put students at ease — to make them feel that this dive is well within their abilities and won't push them beyond their current experience level. The clearer you are, the more relaxed they will feel.
3. Emergency Situations – Knowing How to Respond
Every dive carries some risk, and our job as instructors is to minimise it. That makes communicating emergency procedures absolutely essential. Cover what to do if you lose your dive buddy (the one-minute separation procedure: search underwater for 1 minute; if you can't find each other, ascend and meet on the surface), what to do if air runs low or runs out (use the octopus / alternate second stage or end the dive), the diver recall procedure, and how to use a surface marker buoy (SMB).
A good briefing doesn't shy away from the risks — it makes sure students know what situations they might face and exactly how to handle them. That's what really needs to be communicated.
The Dive Depends on the Weather, But a Great Dive Depends on You
If you arrive at a dive site for a diving activity and find that, after collecting your money and handing out gear, the dive professional is about to lead you into the water without giving any briefing at all — be very careful. An instructor who can't even cover the most basic duty of a dive guide can hardly be expected to look after you properly or lead you safely underwater.
A good dive briefing should leave students with total clarity — "clear, complete, and confident" — about everything that will happen in the water and every procedure they may need to follow.
I place great importance on conducting a pre-dive briefing before every single dive. Every dive is planned. "Plan your dive, Dive your plan" — this is the principle that every good dive guide and instructor must live by.
Dive map of the Kenting dive site Xiao Laogu
Cover image credit — Photographer: Maël BALLAND, via Pexels
Editor: Jenny Tsai
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