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Dive Emergency Action Plan (EAP) Template

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is the information a team needs fast if something goes wrong: how to get emergency services to the site, where the oxygen is, and who's assigned to do what. The value of an EAP is having this organized and reviewed before an emergency, not figured out during one.

Step 1
Site access

Address, coordinates, entry point, road access

Step 2
Communication

Local emergency number, coverage, who calls

Step 3
Emergency equipment

Oxygen, first aid, AED locations

Step 4
Medical & evacuation

Nearest facility, DAN contact, travel time

The four categories a dive-site EAP organizes -- ready before an emergency, not looked up during one.

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Site access for emergency services

  • Site name, address, and general coordinates
  • Entry-point description and nearest road access
  • Gate or access instructions

Communication

  • Local emergency number for the area
  • Cellular coverage notes at the site
  • Radio or satellite communicator availability
  • Who is assigned to make the call

Emergency equipment

  • Oxygen location, system type, and last inspection date
  • First-aid kit and AED locations
  • Spare equipment and extraction equipment on hand

Medical and evacuation

  • Nearest suitable medical facility, address, and estimated travel time
  • Local recompression resource, if applicable
  • DAN contact information

The number worth writing down before you need it

Divers Alert Network runs a 24-hour Diving Emergency Line (+1-919-684-9111, collect calls accepted) specifically because dive emergencies don't wait for business hours. An EAP's job is making sure that number -- and the rest of the site-specific details a caller will be asked for -- is already written down and shared with the team, not searched for while someone's in distress.

Frequently asked questions

Does an EAP calculate whether available oxygen is sufficient for an emergency?

No. An EAP template records where equipment is and its user-entered estimated duration -- it does not calculate whether that's sufficient for a given scenario. That judgment belongs to trained responders and your emergency procedures.

Where can I find official emergency dive procedures?

Divers Alert Network (DAN) publishes recognized emergency guidance for diving incidents. An EAP template organizes site-specific information for your team; it's not a substitute for DAN's or your agency's official procedures.

Is this a DAN emergency action plan template?

No -- this isn't a DAN (Divers Alert Network) product, and Dive Backup isn't affiliated with DAN. It's a template your team fills in yourselves, built with a field for DAN's 24-hour Diving Emergency Line (+1-919-684-9111) alongside your other emergency contacts, since that's the number DAN itself publishes for exactly this situation.

Dive Backup organizes information entered by the dive team. It does not calculate whether a dive is safe or replace training, certification, professional judgment, dive computers, agency standards, or a live predive briefing.

Filling this in on paper works until conditions change or a diver drops out. Dive Backup turns it into a shared, reviewable plan your whole team can see, so nothing gets decided verbally and forgotten.

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