How you exit the water depends on the boat or shore you are diving from. Most commercial dive boats are equipped with an exit ladder or platform. When exiting from a shore, you can usually walk straight out of the water, but presence of surf may require you to crawl out on your hands and knees.

The following pages describe exit procedures for boat and shore exits. These are general exit procedures, and the boat you dive from may request special exit procedures that suit their specific exit configuration. The divemaster will brief you on the exit procedure prior to the dive.