My FIRST Solo Dive (Non certified)

[Tigerpaw]

May I ask, what is the point of 20 minute dive, floating for 3 min. And back down? Is it just to get your dive count up?

Thanks for the question, if you look at my avatar you will notice I don't have a dive count listed. Dive counts don't make you a better diver.

That being said, I was wanting to practice ascents and decents. It was needed, because on my first ascent I rocketed up, I manged to slow down before I surfaced. I spent the surface interval to collect my thoughts and figure out what I did wrong. Also with this being my first solo dive, I just wanted to be careful. BTW my second ascent went perfectly.

 

[Tigerpaw]

Was that there the Scooba Ranch or the Athens Scooba park?

Wheeler Branch Reservoir in Glen Rose.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Tigerpaw

I'm glad your disconnected inflation hose did not cause you more of a problem. I bet that you are too.

 

[JohnN]

Wheeler Branch Reservoir in Glen Rose.

You don't mention a pony as part of your gear. If you don't have one yet, it should be priority 1 before you solo again

 

[rx7diver]

... I struggled to get my gear on by myself but I eventually got it and away I went.

This part absolutely gets easier as you get more practice! Ensure you don't have any twisted straps, you don't trap any hoses, and that you can reach anything important (e.g., valves, regs, releases, etc.).

The most serious issue (IMHO) is not having your drysuit connected when you were overweighted. If you had descended enough to have become "shrink-wrapped" enough, then you might have had real problems--unless you were able to keep a cool head. Maybe. You need to be extremely deliberate checking things over before you enter the water, and again before you commence your descent.

Congrats on your first solo dive! Baby steps, correct?

rx7diver

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hopefully we are all agreed that in any configuration, that the proper amount of weight is the least amount needed to hover easily and comfortably at 15ft or (5M) with 500lbs PSI or less of tank pressure.

If SOLO diving to dial in weighting on your own, I would suggest bringing a dive float (basically an inner tube with a cover) to have an in water option to add or delete weight as needed...... without having to exit and doff all of your gear.

I personally prefer to be a couple of lbs slightly negative at 15ft with low tank pressure.... mainly because that is something I can compensate for.

PS..... I agree with the comments about redundancy for SOLO diving.....a fully redundant gas supply being the most important.

 

[Cthippo]

Congratulations on making the plunge and coming back alive. I have little doubt the lessons learned will stick with you. I agree on getting a pony bottle or other redundant air source ASAP, but IMHO diving with an average buddy is only marginally safer than diving solo without a redundant air source.

The big thing is you had problems, worked through them, solved them on your own, and lived to do it again. Even if you never dive solo again, you have proven to yourself that you can overcome difficulties on your own, and that makes you a better diver and a better potential buddy.

 

[Tigerpaw]

Hi @Tigerpaw

I'm glad your disconnected inflation hose did not cause you more of a problem. I bet that you are too.

I didn't panic, then I started checking myself. Once I figured it out, the next step was to locate the hose and attach it. That was some real life practical application and that is the reason to dive and dive frequently! I'm actually glad it happened because I was able to calmy assess and correct the issue, pretty quickly. But yeah, I'm glad that it didn't lead to more issues.

 

[Tigerpaw]

You don't mention a pony as part of your gear. If you don't have one yet, it should be priority 1 before you solo again

You are correct but I was in a lake I was familiar with and at 20ft, I could have made it to the surface. HOWEVER, that being said you are correct. I am looking around for pony bottle setups for solo and deep dives.

 

[JohnN]

You are correct but I was in a lake I was familiar with and at 20ft, I could have made it to the surface. HOWEVER, that being said you are correct. I am looking around for pony bottle setups for solo and deep dives.

To clarify, the pony should be with you on all your dives