How do you feel about solo diving?

[TheDarknessLord]

I discover solo diving after my Cave Diving Course. My teacher taught me how to do it. I'm not sure if I will do it some day, but I'm trying to give me an idea when I dive with a group staying back... I know that it is not the same, because you know that someone else is there, but I'm not sure the benefit of solo diving yet....

 

[PhotoTJ]

When hunting, my buddy and I practice ,'same ocean buddy diving', but go to a dive site by myself? Nah, I don't think so.

 

[Dan MacKay]

At some time or the other we have all dove solo. It may have been intentional or it may not.

As for the unintentional thing back to your early days of diving when you paired with someone who you first met/had 4 dives/had barely enough skill to keep themselves alive etc. Don't laugh because I as well believe that in our early development as divers we were all one of these folks as well.

As for the intentional soloists that is another question entirely. For these folks it is a matter of over-inflated ego and self grandioisity. I have seen repeated statements from solo divers in this thread that reflect this attitude. Commentst such as "I am the only safe diver I feel comfortable with" or "I would rather dive with myself rather than a liablility". I confess that I used to be one of these folks.

Safe diving is largely a reflection of attitude. I choose to do it dive properly now, with dive partners. I have had a could of close calls when diving solo but I have had those when diving with a partner as well. What changed my mind is an attitude adjustment. There is absolutely nothing under the water worth dying for. I love the sport and am very passionate about it. I manage a couple of hundred dives a year, but I came to the conclusion after some training, research and a couple of body recoveries of solo, fully kitted out, techincal divers that died in perfect conditions that Sheck Exely had it right.

In accident analysis' involving solo divers we can only surmise what happened as the diver took his/her secrets with them. What we can glean is situational. For those who have not read the "Blueprint for Survival" you should. Particulary if you particpate in high risk activity like solo diving. Of the five major contributory factors that kill tech divers solo diving is right up there.

This means that Darwin had it right as well and while you may get away with it you are playing Russian roulette with two bullets in the pistol. Not surprisingly soloists also stretch other rules such as streching gas supplies thin, diving to deep for the mix, cutting deco short. This has the effect of just adding more bullets.

So for those divers that think that they are the only ones in the world that are good enough to dive with themselves find a huge garage to park your ego in, lock it up and throw away the key. If you have an attitude like that then although I have enough expierirence to dive with pretty near anyone it is unlikely that I would dive with you based on attitude alone. You should be diving with less experienced divers to share your knowledge and skill.

My favorite saying for soloists is "If you always do what you have always done, you will always be where you always are". How do you improve if you will only dive with yourself? I am just as happy in 30' of water as 300' and I always learn something no matter who I am in the water with.

 

[MASS-Diver]

Tick,

Who are you that you get to decide to what's "proper" diving?

Half your post doesn't even make sense like your comments about solo divers cutting their gas close and doing short deco - what do you mean by that comment?

You really belive that solo diving is inherently unsafe under any circumstance?

If an experinced diver wants to enjoy the underwater world alone that automatically makes him or her an ego freak?

It sounds like you're the one with the overblown ego with the whole "I used to solo dive, but, now I'm so much of a better diver that I would never do that" tact.

Last time I checked Sheck and all the early cave guys did a lot of solo diving, everyone knows alot of the figures about solo divers dying are scewed because many tech divers (who in a high risk group) dive alone alot.

Get off your soap box, experienced divers with the right training, gear, experince, and mind set should be able to dive alone without people like you painiting them all as ego maniacs.

 

[downinFL]

There's one option missing: "I've done it before and I'll probably do it again if conditions are right." Not all the time, not never again.

I have opted-out of some force-fit buddy pairings and told the divemaster that the other guy and I just didn't fit in diving styles, in attitudes and/or experience. I'm all for bringing beginners along -- we were all beginners once -- but when I'm after photos, I don't need a beginner barging in or worse, getting antsy and bored when I'm waiting to entice a subject out of its hidey-hole. I look at the micro -- I can spend an entire dive on 100 feet of reef; most others want to cover a mile or more, looking at the macro.

When you can't find a fit and conditions are otherwise benign, why not? I didn't pay my way onto the boat to be a tour guide for someone else, at the expense of what I'd like to do.

Remember: compromise is a solution in which NOBODY is happy!

 

[techdiverKP]

I've done it.. yep... even on purpose some times. Hold the door open so I can fit my ego in... okay

Nearly all (probably all) instructors have dived "solo in a crowd". Every time I take group of new students out on an ocean dive, I'm worse than solo, I have multiple new divers dependent on me who generally would be able to do nothing for me if I got in trouble. Well, you might say, you have a DM there, they could help you. I say... NO! I want my DM, or if I'm lucky, co-instructor to take over command of the class and I will resolve my problem myself.... sounds like ONE def'n of solo diving to me, but I suppose that's a situation that is not true of the majority of solo divers.

It's my belief that all tech dives should be planned as if it they were solo dives, with a backup brain (buddy) along for appropriate safety/fun/comraderie. But if something happens to your buddy, God forbid, you may likely end up finishing your dive (deco more likely since you should abort the dive) as a solo.

Not surprisingly soloists also stretch other rules such as streching gas supplies thin, diving to deep for the mix, cutting deco short.

I do take exception to Tick lumping solo diving in with some obvious examples of poor planning/training/death wishes. Show me the statistics that prove that well trained solo divers with their heads screwed on right (yes there are some!) routinely violate such basic safety rules. Dive too deep for your mix, and as someone put it, your buddy has now taken on the task of body/gear recovery.

The person who stretches those kinda rules will likely be just as dead even in a crowd. Matter of fact, I would bet that any diver with a reputation for that kind of dive mentality might not EVER find a buddy willing to dive with them twice, so they either have to get smart or get some training, barring that, they will probably dive solo until fate/karma/Darwin catches up with him/her.

Of the five major contributory factors that kill tech divers solo diving is right up there.

Sorry, solo diving doesn't kill divers: poor planning, diving beyond your training, inadequate/improper gear, insufficient gas, insufficient/no reserve gas... those things kill divers.

You should be diving with less experienced divers to share your knowledge and skill.

How would the local Golf pro feel if you asked to tag along for 18 holes for free, asking alot of questions, wanting advice on every shot, wanting to know what clubs to buy, what grip to use.. yadda yadda yadda Or how about the local ski instructor, private pilot instructor... you pick one....

I'm sorry Tick, but I don't pay oodles of $$$ for a nice tropical dive vacation to spend time teaching you, or anyone else the finer points of diving. I'm lucky (blessed really) to have a wife who is also a very experienced diver and instructor whom I love to dive with. If all buddy diving was like diving with her, I'd never have a reason to dive alone. Sometimes however, say on a week long liveaboard, if she wants to sit out a dive and tan, I have no problem going solo, but that's my choice and it's not for everyone.

As Tick implies, we can all learn something new on every dive. I agree wholeheartedly. I would say that I learn new things even diving solo, but I also seek out divers more experienced than me. The difference for me is that I will willingly pay for their time in the form of continuing education and advanced training rather than glomming on to them as a less qualified buddy on a dive hoping he/she will teach me something for free. That's not to say that an instructor or highly experienced non-instructor might not mentor someone out of the goodness of their heart, but sheesh people, have some respect for the time, $$$, and effort that an advanced diver (especially an instructor) has put into their education. "You get what you pay for" applies equally well in the world of scuba diving.

 

[bridgediver]

techdiverKP once bubbled...


I'm sorry Tick, but I don't pay oodles of $$$ for a nice tropical dive vacation to spend time teaching you, or anyone else the finer points of diving..[/B]

I don't believe he implied that you or any other more experienced diver should be teaching a less experienced diver whatever the finer points of diving are! Just because a diver isn't as experieced as you are doesn't make them a moron. You're making it sound like everyone else that is less experienced than you needs to be held by the hand at every turn.

techdiverKP once bubbled...
The difference for me is that I will willingly pay for their time in the form of continuing education and advanced training rather than glomming on to them as a less qualified buddy on a dive hoping he/she will teach me something for free.[/B]

who said that the less experienced guy isn't doing the same thing? Maybe he isn't up to the level that you're at yet but why would you think he is "glomming" onto you just because he may be asking questions and is interested in your point of view. Isn't that what this board is all about? Why would you post here if not to share ideas and opinons?

I'm sorry but I think your comments only illustrate Tick's point of attitude more. I can see how you may disagree with someone but you're making it out like neptune himself would be a hassle to you to dive with.

 

[uk diver 2000]

Another solo diving thread. Is this the hottest topic in rec scuba? I only check into this board every 3-4 weeks, and there is always a solo diving thread going! 266 posts on this thread alone. I've already given my opinion, so I won't bore you all again. What I find remarkable about the debate is the sense of deja vu I get when I read these posts. The parallels to the debate over Nitrox are stunning.

In any case, the tide seems to be turning in favour of solo diving, judging by the posts here and the TDI/SDI solo c-card. This recalls to my mind the formation of IAND and the availability of their Nitrox c-card: legitimising activity that had already become fairly common and setting some basic ground rules for the activity. I expect we will see a PADI c-card for solo diving in the not too distant future. Unthinkable, given PADI's recent pronouncements with respect to solo diving? That's exactly what I thought about Nitrox. I firmly believed there was no way PADI could reverse itself over Nitrox. Now that PADI has introduced it's DSAT tech courses, with trimix to be rolled out in the near future, I believe all things (reversals) are possible with PADI. Just show 'em the money!

While the debate may seem heated at times, it is to be expected when we are confronted with something contrary to long-held beliefs. My father, who learned to swim back in the '40s, still believes it to be dangerous, crazy dangerous, to swim alone, and simply cannot discuss the matter calmly. At the end of the day, aren't we all a product of our experiences?

 

[Krisscuba]

Solo diving,....not a problem,...not to be confused with diving alone!

I have done many solo dives. SDI has a solo diving certification. This is not just jumping in the water alone! You are in familier water, perfect conditions and backup gear. People know where you are and when you will return. i.e. I live a few miles from Morrison springs. Often I want to run down and just get wet. My wife may not feel up to diving and just wants to lay a float. the spring will let you in solo, after all Dennis dives the spring solo every morning to get the report and run off any gators.

The negative reports I have read have come from land locked divers. Or extreme divers. I have dove the great lakes and WI. I would not try it up there with the gear one must wear to dive there. It is differnt here in Florida when you put on a bathing suit or a 3mm shorty, you tank and your in the water.

When spear fishing or photo I always want my buddy a good distance away to keep from spooking my target.

When I lived in Hawaii I knew of a dive team spear fishing. the buddy to the spearfisherman was peeking into the rock on the oppisite side of spearfisherman. He got a spear through the cheeks.

When you here of solo, don't think that anyone is taking their boat 10 miles out in the Great Lakes, donning a dry suit and jumping into 100' of water alone with no on else on board.

Tanks

Kris

 

[Charlie99]

Krisscuba once bubbled...
When you here of solo, don't think that anyone is taking their boat 10 miles out in the Great Lakes, donning a dry suit and jumping into 100' of water alone with no on else on board.
Kris

Believe it or not, someone has posted trip reports on rec.scuba of just such dives, and the amazing thing is that he did one dive even though he forgot his fins. Untended boat, also.

His boat trailer and car were found at a Wisconsin marina last fall. He (Dr. M.J. Black) is presumed dead from a boating or scuba accident.

Charlie