Dive centre software glossary
A plain-English glossary of the terms used to run a dive centre and to talk about the software behind it, from trip sheets and boat manifests to continuing education, nitrox and the WhatsApp Business API. It is written for owners and managers choosing and running dive centre management software, so each term is defined the way a centre actually uses it.
- Dive centre
- A business that runs scuba diving: courses, guided dives, boat trips, gear rental and often a retail shop. The terms dive centre and dive shop are used interchangeably.
- Dive centre management software
- One system that runs a centre's bookings, boats, courses, gear, staff and finance together, instead of separate tools stitched by hand. That is what DiveOps is.
- Trip sheet
- The plan for a day's diving: which divers and staff are on which boat or site, at what time, and the courses and dives each is doing. DiveOps builds the trip sheet from the day's bookings and groups.
- Boat manifest
- The list of everyone aboard a dive boat for a trip, used for the headcount, safety and compliance records a centre has to keep.
- Dive log
- A record of a dive: date, site, depth, time and who was involved. For a centre this is a signed record it can stand behind, not a personal keepsake. See dive log software.
- Divemaster (DM)
- The first dive professional rating. A divemaster guides certified divers and assists instructors on courses.
- Instructor
- A dive professional certified to teach courses and sign students off to a certification.
- Continuing education (con-ed)
- The courses a certified diver takes to progress, for example from Open Water to Advanced. Con-ed is a recurring revenue line for most centres.
- Certification agency
- The body whose standards a course follows and that issues the certification card, such as SSI, PADI, RAID or SDI and TDI. DiveOps works alongside whichever agency a centre teaches under.
- SSI
- Scuba Schools International, a global scuba diver training agency.
- PADI
- Professional Association of Diving Instructors, a global scuba diver training agency.
- RAID
- A digital-first global scuba diver training agency.
- SDI and TDI
- Scuba Diving International and Technical Diving International, sister agencies for recreational and technical diving.
- Open Water course
- The entry-level certification that qualifies someone to dive independently within recreational limits.
- Discover Scuba Diving (DSD)
- A guided first-time diving experience for people who are not yet certified. A common top-of-funnel product for centres.
- Fun diver
- A certified diver booking guided dives rather than a course.
- Nitrox (EANx)
- Breathing gas with a higher oxygen content than air, used to extend no-decompression time. Often sold as a per-dive or per-course add-on.
- No-decompression limit
- The maximum time a diver can spend at a given depth and still ascend directly to the surface without required decompression stops.
- Surface interval
- The rest time out of the water between two dives.
- Liveaboard
- A boat that divers stay on for several days to reach dive sites, typically running several dives a day.
- Gear servicing
- Scheduled maintenance of rental and customer equipment such as regulators, tracked so that kit stays in date and safe to dive.
- Cylinder (tank)
- The pressurised bottle that carries a diver's breathing gas. Centres track fills, test dates and inventory.
- Point of sale (POS)
- The till that rings up retail, rentals, servicing and course sales. In DiveOps the POS is linked to the same books and bookings as the rest of the centre.
- WhatsApp Business API
- The official Meta interface that lets a business send and receive WhatsApp messages programmatically. DiveOps runs its 24/7 AI front desk on it, so the centre keeps its own number.
Questions, answered.
What is dive centre management software?
Dive centre management software is one system that runs a centre's bookings, boats, courses, gear, staff and finance together, rather than separate tools that do not talk to each other. DiveOps is dive centre management software with a 24/7 WhatsApp AI front desk built in.
What is the difference between a dive shop and a dive centre?
In practice, none. Dive shop and dive centre are used interchangeably for a business that runs courses, guided dives, trips, gear rental and retail. DiveOps runs the same operation whichever term you use.
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