Why a checklist
Rebreather Forum 3, the 2012 consensus meeting on rebreather diving, called checklist use the single most important action divers can take to improve safety. It also found that many divers stop using checklists after their first fifty hours or so. This tool makes keeping the habit cheap. (RF3 proceedings)
The 13 presets
| Preset | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Predive safety check (BWRAF) | The recreational buddy check before every dive: BCD, Weights, Releases, Air, Final check. Run it together, out loud, head to toe. |
| Open-circuit tech predive | Predive checks for open-circuit technical diving: analyze and assemble, run the pressure tests, then match gear head to toe with your team. Adapt it to your training. |
| Tech dive plan review | Talk the plan through before a technical dive: mission, logistics, narcosis, gas, decompression, oxygen and thermal. A thinking check, not a gear check. |
| JJ-CCR preparations on land | Full system build and verification before heading out. Based on the JJ-CCR manual. Edit it to match your unit and your training. |
| JJ-CCR shortly before diving | Final checks just before you kit up and splash. Based on the JJ-CCR manual. Edit it to match your unit and your training. |
| JJ-CCR after entering the water | Surface checks right after water entry, before leaving the surface. Review them before you splash. Based on the JJ-CCR manual. |
| FX CCR functionality check | Sub-Gravity's FX-CCR Functionality Checklist v1.5 (calibration kit), items 1 to 13 in their order: cylinders, scrubber, cell check, pressure tests, batteries and pre-breathe. Run it when you build the unit. Diving straight away? Continue with the FX CCR pre-dive checks. Not diving yet? Close the O₂ and diluent cylinder valves, drain the hoses, turn off the electronics and secure the unit. Valid for that unit only. Edit it to match your unit and your training. |
| FX CCR pre-dive checks | Sub-Gravity's FX-CCR Functionality Checklist v1.5 (calibration kit), items 14 to 20: the checks at the water after the functionality check, ending in the pre-jump drill. Valid for that unit only. Edit it to match your unit and your training. |
| FX CCR after the dive | Everything the FX CCR manual asks for once the dive is over. Steps 6 to 13 are only necessary if no further dive will be done in the same day. Reproduced from the FX CCR User Manual 2025.1 (iQsub Technologies). Valid for that unit only. Edit it to match your unit and your training. |
| CHAOS (GUE) | GUE's rebreather check, run during the pre-breathe: Controller, HUD, ADV, O₂, Symptoms. |
| GUE EDGE team pre-dive | The team check run out loud before every dive: Goal, Unified team, Equipment, Exposure, Decompression, Gas, Environment. |
| TDI START team pre-dive | TDI's team check before every tech dive: S-drill, Team, Air, Route, Tables. |
| CCR post-dive & cleaning | Wrap up the unit after diving so the next build starts from a known state. |
Every preset is a starting template, not a rule. The recreational and technical predive presets follow widely taught checks; the JJ-CCR presets follow the JJ-CCR manual; the FX CCR presets follow the Sub-Gravity checklist and the FX CCR user manual. Adapt any of them to your own gear, agency and training.
Running a checklist
- Check steps off as you go. Each check shows when you did it.
- Sections turn blue while in progress and green when done, and the bar at the top tracks the whole list.
- A countdown follows the clock, not the app: close the app mid-count and it keeps running. When it ends you get a vibration, or a notification if the phone is locked.
- A stopwatch counts up and leaves the judgement to you.
- A notes field holds what you would write on a slate: cell millivolts, gas analysis, pressures.
- A checked step locks its timer and notes, so a wet thumb cannot change them.
Limits
- Checklists stay on your phone. There is no sync or sharing between phones.
- The phone stays on the boat. Learn the in-water checks before you splash and tick them off afterwards.
- A pre-breathe does not reliably show a failing scrubber. Run every check your unit's manual calls for.
Questions
Can I change a preset to match my own gear?
Yes. A preset is copied into your list as an ordinary checklist: rename it, add or remove steps, add timers or notes. The original stays in the catalogue, so you can take a fresh copy at any time.
Does a checklist replace my rebreather manual?
No. Every preset is an editable starting template. The FX CCR presets copy the Sub-Gravity checklist item for item and are valid for that unit only, and your own manual is the authority if the two ever disagree. Adapt any preset to your gear, agency and training before you use it.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Checklists live on your phone and work with no connection. Progress is saved as you go, so a half-finished build survives closing the app.
Is it free?
Yes. Checklists are part of the free app. The Deco Planner is the only paid feature.
Every screen and setting is described in the user guide: Checklists.
Last updated 1 November 2026
