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Freediver adjusting mask and hood before entering the water, fins over shoulder
Training beginner 5 min read

A Freediving Pre-Dive Checklist

A repeatable freediving pre-dive routine and checklist: plan, gear and weighting, buddy and one-up-one-down, calm breathe-up, the dive, and recovery breaths.

Published Sep 3, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026

Agree the dive, check the equipment and conditions, assign the buddy, and follow the breathing and recovery routine taught in your course.
A pre-dive routine gives you and your buddy a shared plan: what you intend to do, how you will supervise it and what will end the attempt. Use the same checks for familiar sessions as for a new site.
Use these prompts to review the routine taught in your course. Adapt equipment, weighting and safety arrangements with your instructor; a written checklist cannot assess the conditions or your readiness.

Before entering the water

  • Agree the dive plan and conservative turn conditions.
  • Confirm the buddy and emergency arrangements.
  • Check equipment, weighting and the conditions together.
  • Use your taught preparation and recovery routine.
  • Reassess after each dive; do not automatically repeat the plan.

1. Plan and brief the dive

Before anyone gets in the water, agree on the plan out loud with your buddy. What depth or time are you aiming for, how long do you expect to be down, and what is the surface interval between dives? Decide who dives first and who is safety. Talking through the plan turns two people doing their own thing into one team with a shared picture, which is exactly what you need if a rescue is ever required.

Keep targets conservative and progress slowly. A plan you can comfortably complete with energy to spare is far safer than an ambitious number you have to fight for. If conditions or how you feel do not match the plan, change the plan rather than pushing through it.

Two freedivers on a descent line, one holding the rope and watching the other
Agree who is diving and who is providing safety before each attempt.

2. Check the conditions

Read the environment before you commit. Current, visibility, water temperature, boat traffic, depth, and any change in weather all shape whether the dive is sensible. Poor visibility makes it harder for a buddy to watch you. Current makes both diving and rescue more tiring. Cold shortens the time you can stay relaxed and comfortable.

Match the dive to the conditions, not the other way around. If something has changed since you planned, for example the current has picked up or boats have appeared, revise your targets or call the session. The water will be there another day.

3. Gear and weighting check

Check the equipment you will use: straps, fins, exposure protection, releasable weights and, where required by your training setup, the line and lanyard. Make sure your buddy knows the releases and that nothing obstructs them.
Have an instructor check buoyancy with your actual equipment and the planned activity. Remain positively buoyant at the surface. A single neutral-buoyancy depth is not suitable for every pool or depth session, and floating does not guarantee that an unconscious diver’s airway stays clear.

4. Buddy assignment and one-up-one-down

Assign one person to the performance and another to dedicated safety. One-up, one-down means taking turns at the performance; it does not forbid a trained safety diver from descending to meet the returning diver.
Agree the ascent meeting and surface-watch procedure before entry. A buddy who is filming, preparing a separate attempt or unable to reach you is not providing the supervision the plan requires.
Freediving computer on a wrist displaying depth and dive time underwater
Check the equipment and settings before entering the water.

5. Breathe normally before the dive

Use normal, comfortable tidal breathing until the final inhalation taught in your course. Do not deliberately lengthen exhalations or increase breathing depth to suppress the urge to breathe. Slow breathing can still become overbreathing.
Hyperventilation lowers carbon dioxide and can delay the urge to breathe while oxygen falls. DAN recommends maintaining tidal breathing before the final inhalation. Discuss the routine with your instructor rather than copying a timed breathing pattern.

6. Final relaxation and the dive

Before leaving the surface, confirm that your buddy is ready and that you are comfortable with the agreed task. Use the final inhalation taught in your course, without adding repeated deep breaths or packing from an online routine.

Then dive the plan you agreed, not more. Descend smoothly, equalize early and often, and turn at your planned depth or time, or sooner if anything feels wrong. The discipline to turn around on schedule, with energy in reserve, is a core safety skill. Coming up early is never a failure.

7. Complete recovery and reassess

Follow the recovery breathing and surface communication taught in your course while your buddy continues to supervise. Practise this sequence in person so the instructor can correct both the breathing and the buddy’s response.
Before another dive, assess recovery and follow the surface interval appropriate to your training and dive plan. A clock or an OK signal alone does not establish readiness. Stop the session for LMC, blackout, concerning symptoms or conditions the team cannot support.

Common questions

Why is hyperventilation before a dive so dangerous?
Breathing more than your body needs can lower carbon dioxide and delay the urge to breathe while oxygen continues to fall. Slow, deep breathing can also do this. Use normal tidal breathing before the final inhalation taught in your course.
What exactly are recovery or hook breaths?
Recovery breathing is the breathing sequence taught for resurfacing after a breath hold. Learn it with an instructor who can observe you; a text cue about forceful exhalation or pressure is not enough to teach it reliably. Your buddy continues watching throughout recovery.
How should I be weighted for safety?
Check buoyancy with an instructor using your actual equipment and planned activity. Stay positively buoyant at the surface and know how to release your weights. Neither a fixed neutral depth nor positive buoyancy guarantees an open airway during a blackout.
What does one-up, one-down actually mean?
The divers take turns at the performance, with dedicated safety for each attempt. A trained safety diver may descend to meet the returning diver according to the agreed plan. Both people should not make independent performance attempts together.

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