⚠️ Educational tool — not dive-planning software
This page is for learning and rough estimates only. Always follow your training, your dive tables, and your dive computer — they account for factors a web page cannot. Never plan a real dive from a website.
Earliest flight (DAN minimum)
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Recommended (24 h)
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After repetitive or multi-day diving, waiting a full 24 hours adds a comfortable safety margin.
After dives that required decompression stops, DAN suggests waiting substantially longer than 18 hours — plan a full rest day and ask your instructor or DAN directly.
How it's calculated
This tool applies the flying-after-diving guidance published by the Divers Alert Network (DAN) for recreational dives followed by flights at cabin altitudes of 600–2,400 m (2,000–8,000 ft):
- After a single no-decompression dive: a minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours.
- After repetitive dives or multiple days of diving: a minimum of 18 hours, and waiting 24 hours adds a comfortable extra margin.
- After dives requiring decompression stops: substantially longer than 18 hours — there is little direct data, so treat it as at least a full day and seek advice.
The calculator simply adds those intervals to the time you surfaced. Flying too soon exposes you to reduced cabin pressure while your tissues still hold excess nitrogen, which raises the risk of decompression sickness. These are minimums observed in dry chamber trials on rested divers — longer is always safer, and your dive computer's no-fly indicator takes precedence over any generic rule.