Card 01 · Pre-dive
ARRIVE
Sixty seconds on the deck, before the kit goes on. Read it aloud, or hand it to the diver.
- 01A — ACKNOWLEDGEyour current state without trying to improve it.
- 02R — RELEASEunnecessary tension: jaw, shoulders, hands.
- 03R — READthe environment: water, wind, entry, exit, team.
- 04I — INTENTIONone behaviour you will practise on this dive.
- 05V — VERIFYwith your buddy and the plan.
- 06E — ENTERwith the plan and not ahead of it.
Mindful Diving™ · The Open Toolkit · Free to print and use. Every practice fits inside your existing agency standards and dive plan. Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you — no added breathing technique, never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. No practice during descents, ascents or gas management: safety is the first mindfulness practice.
Card 02 · In the water
The open protocol
Four steps. Any dive, any agency, any level. Never during a task-critical phase.
- 01DEDICATEthe dive to someone or something on the surface, before the descent — then attend to the descent itself.
- 02THREEordinary breaths, simply noticed once you are neutral — continuous, nothing lengthened or forced.
- 03ONE STILL MINUTEof quiet noticing at a stable point, when the dive plan and your buddy allow — never during a task.
- 04GRATITUDEafter the dive, once safely out of the water — one thing you appreciated.
Mindful Diving™ · The Open Toolkit · Free to print and use. Every practice fits inside your existing agency standards and dive plan. Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you — no added breathing technique, never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. No practice during descents, ascents or gas management: safety is the first mindfulness practice.
Card 03 · Before entry
The Buddy Agreement
Five sentences, completed out loud, both ways. Attention is a shared resource.
- 011A sign that I may need a pause is…
- 022The best way to get my full attention underwater is…
- 033A concern I want to be able to say early is…
- 044When either of us ends the dive, we agree to…
- 055One environmental behaviour we will protect together is…
Mindful Diving™ · The Open Toolkit · Free to print and use. Every practice fits inside your existing agency standards and dive plan. Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you — no added breathing technique, never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. No practice during descents, ascents or gas management: safety is the first mindfulness practice.
Card 04 · Surface interval
FFLN — the debrief
The surface interval is not a gap between dives. It is where the dive becomes yours.
- 01F — FACTSwhat happened that a camera or an instrument could have recorded?
- 02F — FELTwhat did each of you notice in body, breathing, emotion, attention?
- 03L — LEARNEDwhat helped, what narrowed awareness, what surprised you?
- 04N — NEXTthe one adjustment for the next dive.
Mindful Diving™ · The Open Toolkit · Free to print and use. Every practice fits inside your existing agency standards and dive plan. Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you — no added breathing technique, never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. No practice during descents, ascents or gas management: safety is the first mindfulness practice.
Card 05 · One page for guides
The Mindful Briefing — a script for guides
Open (10 seconds)
“Before the numbers, one thing: nothing on this dive needs to be rushed.”
Standard briefing
Run your agency briefing exactly as always: site, plan, depth, time, gas, hazards, signals, entry and exit, emergency procedures. Nothing here replaces it.
The three additions
Before entry, invite an intention. Underwater, quiet observation is optional only when stable and the plan allows; keep ordinary continuous breathing and attention on buddy, instruments and surroundings. After the dive, once safely out of the water, invite one expression of gratitude.
The safety line, spoken every time
“Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you. Never hold your breath. If anything feels off, end the practice and dive normally — safety is the first mindfulness practice.”
Close (10 seconds)
“On the surface we will do a short FFLN: facts, felt, learned, next. One sentence each. Then coffee.”
After the dive
Invite one still line into the logbook: one site, one date, one sentence of what the water taught. Nothing else.
Mindful Diving™ · The Open Toolkit · Free to print and use. Every practice fits inside your existing agency standards and dive plan. Breathe continuously, as your agency taught you — no added breathing technique, never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. No practice during descents, ascents or gas management: safety is the first mindfulness practice.