The Mindful Diving™ glossary

The four-phase practice arc of Mindful Diving™: Before (intention and grounding), Below (presence in the water), Between (the surface interval) and Beyond (transfer to daily life). Every practice is placed in one phase, as a safety decision as much as a teaching one.

See also: The Method · The Standard

A Mindful Diving™ hand signal agreed before entry that means: I am not in trouble, and I am not fine — slow down, stay close, check me again in a minute. It is given early, at the first sign of unease, not saved for emergencies.

See also: Hand signals

The Mindful Diving™ pre-dive model: Acknowledge your state, Release tension, Read the environment, set one Intention, Verify with your buddy and the plan, and Enter with the plan, not ahead of it.

See also: The Standard

The first phase of the Mindful Diving™ arc: intention and grounding on the surface, in the briefing and in the kit-up, completed before the diver enters the water.

See also: The Method

The second phase of the Mindful Diving™ arc: presence in the water through slow, continuous breathing, open awareness and buoyancy as attention, never introduced during a task-critical phase.

See also: The Method

The third phase of the Mindful Diving™ arc: the surface interval, used for reflection, integration and the conversation the dive left behind.

See also: The Method

The fourth phase of the Mindful Diving™ arc: transfer to daily life — what the water taught, carried home.

See also: The Method

A short agreement two buddies complete before entry: the sign that one may need a pause, how to get each other's attention, a concern to voice early, what happens when either ends the dive, and one environmental behaviour to protect together.

See also: The Standard · Hand signals

A marine reserve in Murcia, Spain, created in 1995, protecting around 1,900 hectares of shoals from the cape to the Hormigas Islands, with a no-take core where neither fishing nor diving is allowed.

See also: Diving in Cabo de Palos

A dive center certified by the Mindful Diving Institute against the center requirements of the Standard. There is one Seal with three earned growth levels — Seed: the practice planted · Branch: alive across the team · Reef: an ecosystem others shelter in.

See also: Center handbook · Find a center

Your first experience with scuba equipment, always beside an instructor, with no certification or previous experience needed. It is not a course and does not certify you to dive on your own.

See also: Discover Scuba in Cabo de Palos

The first Mindful Diving™ event, held with the participating center Planeta Azul in the Cabo de Palos–Islas Hormigas Marine Reserve, Murcia, Spain, from 6 to 9 November 2026.

See also: Diving into Presence · Diving in Cabo de Palos

Balancing the pressure in the ears during descent. When equalisation is not working, stop the descent, ascend slightly and try again gently — never force.

See also: Hand signals

The first 100 Mindful Diving Centers™ worldwide, admitted on charter terms: founding recognition in the public registry, early input into the standard, and charter pricing held for the life of the membership.

See also: The Founding 100

The FP20 Fundamental Peace Scale is the validated instrument behind Pillar 6 (Evidence & Impact), used to measure programs before and after: 20 statements · 1 Never true → 7 Always true · 0–100.

See also: The FP20 scale

The pinnacle recognition of the recreational Mindful Diving™ path, above the personal levels MD-1 to MD-5.

See also: What is Mindful Diving™? · Certifications

The first Mindful Diving™ level. It requires an open-water certification from any recognised agency, about 6–8 hours online, 2 supervised water sessions and a final exam of at least 80%; the course costs €111.

See also: MD-1 overview · The Standard

The second Mindful Diving™ level. It requires MD-1, about 8–10 hours online, 4 supervised water sessions plus a portfolio and a final exam of at least 80%; the course costs €111.

See also: MD-2 overview · The Standard

The third Mindful Diving™ level. It requires MD-2 plus an agency divemaster rating or equivalent, about 10–12 hours online, 4 supervised leadership dives and a leadership observation; the course costs €222.

See also: MD-3 overview · The Standard

The fourth Mindful Diving™ level. It requires MD-3 plus an agency instructor rating, about 12–14 hours online, 4 supervised teaching dives and a teaching evaluation; the course costs €333.

See also: MD-4 overview · The Standard

The fifth and highest Mindful Diving™ level. It requires MD-4 plus two years of teaching, about 14–16 hours online, a supervised MD-4 cohort, a viva and a panel; the course costs €555.

See also: MD-5 overview · The Standard

The diver credential of the Mindful Breath™ specialty, teaching slow, continuous breathing on your own dives; it costs €88.

See also: Mindful breathing for divers · The Mindful Breath™ specialty

The professional credential of the Mindful Breath™ specialty, preparing dive professionals to facilitate breath practice for others, always behind their dive duties; it costs €222.

See also: Mindful Breath Guide™ · The Mindful Breath™ specialty

The first Mindful Diving™ Specialty — optional, at any level. Mindful Breath Diver™ teaches you to use the breath on your own dives; Mindful Breath Guide™ prepares professionals to facilitate it for others, always behind their dive duties.

See also: The Mindful Breath™ specialty · Mindful breathing for divers

A certified diver holding a current Mindful Diving credential at MD-1 or above.

See also: The Standard · Certifications

The governing body of Mindful Diving™, holding the standard, the curriculum, instructor training and research; an initiative of the World Happiness Foundation.

See also: The Institute · The Standard

Mindful Diving™ is the first international standard uniting recreational diving, mindfulness and the science of wellbeing, adding a practice of presence before, during and after every dive without replacing your diving agency.

See also: What is Mindful Diving™? · The Standard

The body of the Mindful Diving Institute that governs measurement, instruments and the publication of evidence.

See also: The Standard

The tank pressure at which a diver signals low on air, before it becomes urgent; the numbers are agreed at the briefing rather than assumed.

See also: Hand signals

The body of the Mindful Diving Institute that reviews every practice and every piece of safety language before publication.

See also: The Standard

A planned pause near the end of the ascent, signalled with three fingers over a flat hand: three minutes at five metres. In Mindful Diving™ it is a moment for slow, continuous breathing — nothing else.

See also: Hand signals

An assessment item whose failure cannot be compensated by performance elsewhere: a candidate who answers any safety-critical item incorrectly does not pass, regardless of overall percentage.

See also: The Standard

A Mindful Diving™ hand signal — an open palm lowered slowly and held for one breath — meaning nothing is wrong; take one breath here before the next task. It is never used in descent or ascent.

See also: Hand signals

The seven normative pillars of the Mindful Diving Standard, never reordered or renamed: Safety & Excellence, Mindful Experience, Instructor Wellbeing, Ocean Connection, Human Connection, Evidence & Impact and Happiness Leadership.

See also: The Standard

The body of the Mindful Diving Institute that approves every published version of the Mindful Diving Standard.

See also: The Standard

A five-step Mindful Diving™ response for rising unease underwater: Stop adding, Touch the anchor, Identify out of the tunnel (gas, depth, buddy, exit), Link with your buddy at amber rather than red, and Listen to the breath as information.

See also: The Standard

The annual renewal of a Certified Mindful Diving Center™: a short self-audit against the seven pillars, the wellbeing policy and the measurement return, reviewed by the Institute.

See also: The Current · The Standard