Scuba diving carries serious risks that cannot be fully eliminated, including but not limited to decompression illness (DCI), arterial gas embolism, barotrauma, oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, hypothermia, marine-life injury, and equipment failure. In the most serious cases these can be life-threatening. These risks exist for every dive regardless of training, experience, equipment, or precautions taken, and no information on this site reduces or removes them. Managing these risks is the purpose of proper training and is your responsibility on every dive.
Everything on this website — the descriptions of the Reef Cartographer specialty, the planning tools and calculators, and the equipment ideas on "The Rig" — is provided for general information and education only. It is not dive training, not a certification, not a dive plan, not operating instructions, and not medical, legal, or professional advice. It is reference material to read and think about, not procedures to follow underwater.
The activities discussed here require you to be a certified diver, in date and in practice, operating strictly within the limits of your training and certification. This site does not certify anyone and does not qualify anyone to perform any activity. Obtain proper instruction from a recognised diver-training agency, and never exceed the limits of your certification, your training, or your personal comfort and fitness.
You — and only you — are responsible for your decisions in and around the water. Dive within your limits. Plan your dives and dive your plan. Follow your training, your dive computer, your gauges, and your buddy. Check conditions, fitness, and equipment yourself, and make your own go / no-go decision on the day. By using this site you accept that you do so voluntarily and that you assume all risks of any diving or related activity you choose to undertake.
The gear shown on "The Rig" is a set of ideas to explore, not a specification to copy and not a recommendation to buy any particular product. Named products are illustrative examples only; the authors are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any manufacturer or retailer, and receive nothing from any link. You are responsible for verifying the suitability, specifications, ratings, and safety of any equipment yourself. Assembling and using any rig — including sealed cases containing batteries, and any line or tether used in the water — is done entirely at your own risk.
The calculators on this site are planning aids based on simplified mathematical models and the values you enter. Their outputs are rough estimates, not measured field data, and not survey-grade, navigation-grade, or scientific-grade results. Do not rely on them for navigation or for any safety-critical decision. Always check every figure against your own equipment and the actual conditions.
This website and everything on it are provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty of accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the authors of this site disclaim all liability for any loss, injury, illness, death, or damage of any kind arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, this site or any information, tool, or idea on it — whether or not the authors were advised of the possibility of such harm.
The Reef Cartographer specialty is an independent, distinctive specialty. PADI courses are named only as genuine prerequisites and recommendations; this is not a PADI-owned course and this site is not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by PADI. References to PADI, to equipment manufacturers, or to retailers are for identification and information only and imply no relationship or endorsement.
This site is not the safety authority for your diving — your training agency and your own certification are. As a certified diver you are already bound by your agency's standards and safe-diving practices, and those govern any activity described here. We defer to them entirely. For the established safe-diving practices and risk guidance that apply, refer to the recognised bodies directly:
These organisations' guidance takes precedence over anything on this site. Follow your training, your agency's standards, and the recommendations of these authorities on every dive.
The authors may update this disclaimer at any time. Your continued use of the site means you accept the version in effect when you use it.
If you do not agree with any part of this disclaimer, please do not use this website.