Dive Decompression Calculator
Estimate no-decompression limits, safety stop requirements, and dive risk levels. For educational planning only — always use certified dive tables or a dive computer.
Inputs
Results
No-Deco Limit
56 min
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your planned dive depth in meters.
- Set your intended bottom time in minutes.
- Indicate whether this is a repetitive dive and enter your surface interval in minutes if so.
- Read No-Decompression Limit (NDL) in minutes — do not exceed this without decompression training and equipment.
- Check whether a safety stop is recommended and at what depth (usually 5 m for 3 minutes).
- Review the Dive Risk Level (Low/Moderate/High/Critical) to assess how conservatively you are diving.
How the result changes with Planned Depth
| Planned Depth | No-Deco Limit |
|---|---|
| 8.3 | 219 min |
| 22 | 37 min |
| 37 | 9 min |
| 51 | 5 min |
What each input means
- Planned Depth
- Maximum planned depth in meters. Recreational diving limits are typically 18m (Open Water) to 40m (Deep Diver).
- Bottom Time
- Total time from descent to beginning of final ascent, in minutes.
- Repetitive Dive?
- Whether you have dived within the last 12 hours.
- Surface Interval
- Time spent at the surface between dives, in minutes. Only relevant for repetitive dives. Longer intervals reduce residual nitrogen.
What each result means
- No-Deco Limit
- Maximum bottom time before mandatory decompression stops are required. Stay within this limit for recreational diving.
- Safety Stop Required
- 1 = Yes (safety stop strongly recommended), 0 = No (still a good practice). Always do a safety stop on deeper dives.
- Safety Stop Depth
- Standard safety stop depth is 5 meters (15 feet).
- Safety Stop Duration
- Recommended safety stop duration. 3 minutes is standard; 5 minutes when approaching NDL limits.
- Risk Level
- 1 = Low (<50% NDL), 2 = Moderate (50-75%), 3 = High (75-100%), 4 = Critical (exceeds NDL).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersPlanned Depth = 18, Bottom Time = 35, Repetitive Dive? = 0, Surface Interval = 60 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate No-Deco Limit56 = 56
- Calculate Safety Stop RequiredSafety Stop Required1 = 1
- Calculate Safety Stop DepthSafety Stop Depth5 = 5
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.
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