How many of you think solo is OK to do and why?

[spoolin01]

We were all taught to dive with a dive buddy at all times, NO MATTER WHAT. I am not advocating any one take up solo diving but the fact is many do practice this. I am curious as to why would some opt to do this, especially when they know this is not a safe practice.

Here's why it's safe (enough) in many circumstances to dive solo. It's also the piece that's missing from most of the perennial "you might die; scuba gear is life support" debates: a perfectly workable solution to 99% of the problems you encounter while rec diving is to come to the surface; no buddy needed for that.

After sitting in OW class where buddy diving was stressed, I saw my first solo diver on the first day of OW dives. Soon after we arrived at the lake, the instructor sent a DM out to put in the dive flag. That is when I realized it was a "Do as I say, not as I do" thing.

Add to that the beers we shared with the instructor the night before the 2nd day of OW certification dives.

 

[tomfcrist]

We were all taught to dive with a dive buddy at all times, NO MATTER WHAT. I am not advocating any one take up solo diving but the fact is many do practice this. I am curious as to why would some opt to do this, especially when they know this is not a safe practice.

Here's why it's safe (enough) in many circumstances to dive solo. It's also the piece that's missing from most of the perennial "you might die; scuba gear is life support" debates: a perfectly workable solution to 99% of the problems you encounter while rec diving is to come to the surface; no buddy needed for that.

After sitting in OW class where buddy diving was stressed, I saw my first solo diver on the first day of OW dives. Soon after we arrived at the lake, the instructor sent a DM out to put in the dive flag. That is when I realized it was a "Do as I say, not as I do" thing.

Add to that the beers we shared with the instructor the night before the 2nd day of OW certification dives.

The come to the surface thing is a bit overstated, but as long it isn't "bolt" to the surface...I'm onboard.

As far as the beer drinking instructor, I wasn't there. Was he getting hammered or having a couple beers? Huge difference.

 

[hroark2112]

My wife would prefer I not do any solo night diving on the rebreather. She has decided I'm OK to do daylight solo, so I respect her request.

I enjoy diving with buddies, even if it is an insta-buddy on a dive boat who I might not have ever met before. Sometimes solo is just so much more peaceful and serene.

 

[Nemrod]

There are no statistics that show or demonstrate solo to be anymore dangerous than buddy diving. It is often used as a "statistic" when there is an accident after a buddy team that for whatever reason split up/separated. The resulting accident is then used as anecdotal proof that solo diving is dangerous. Quite the contrary, and that is poor science BTW, the only thing demonstrated there is that poorly trained buddy divers who were not prepared to exercise good buddy skills were even less prepared to solo dive.

Solo diving is not (the same as) continuing to dive after you lost your buddy and you all know that. That is the result of a buddy system failure and poor planning and even worse training and possible carelessness that results in two unprepared divers having an accident. So, as so often happens, putting that mark on the Solo ledger, it should rest squarely on the Buddy ledger.

We can create scenarios, giant octopus, gill nets from Hell, rabid manatees as reasons that Solo is too dangerous for mere mortals. Fine, in that case all I can say is, I am Nemrod, underwater demigod, clearly then your rules do not apply to me. And while on the subject, safety is way overrated.

The pursuit of absolute safety in modern society has become unhealthy. It has become an excuse or reason not to undertake something (grand) rather than as a tool to undertake those things with some reasonable chance for success.

N

 

[Lorenzoid]

A person trained and equiped for solo diving is not, as far as I can see, at any greater risk than a person with a buddy.

This.

My buddy and I are trained as buddy divers. For example, we plan dives based on the firmly held belief that each of us is carrying the other's extra gas. On the dive, there are certain things we do to help ensure each other's safety. I am not familiar with solo training, but it's my understanding that solo divers can adopt practices that keep them just as safe as our buddy practices.

 

[drbill]

I've dived solo all of my 52 years of diving. Initially it was because we only had one kit and had to share it. Today I dive solo because having a buddy interferes with my work underwater. If I have a buddy I am always dedicating a portion of my brain to keeping them close and making sure they are ok. I do dive with buddies occasionally, although most f them are professionals and often better divers than I am.

However, I don't advocate solo diving for anyone unless I know their diving skills pretty well, and especially their reaction to unforeseen problems. You can have all the equipment you need to be a fairly safe solo diver, but if you panic it may not do you a bit of good. Therefore I would never recommend solo diving to anyone that I don't know personally and have dived with many times.

I have seen absolutely ridiculous solo divers. I had one follow me to 160 fsw and he had less than 25 dives and no solo diving gear such as a pony bottle.

A few years ago I tallied up the incidents I've had while diving. I was 17 times more likely to have an incident while diving with a buddy (and it was actually the buddy who had the incident). Your mileage may vary (but I get 70 mpg in my Yamaha golf cart).

 

[Akimbo]

I dive solo the great majority of the time. Here is a whole seminar on the subject by a very respected personality:

Solo Diving- Coming out of the Closet on Vimeo

 

[Lakediving]

Last time I solo dived it was at night and I wished that I had a buddy with some extra lights.

 

[NAM001]

This is just what i was refering to when I mentioned many dives to get experience and knowing ones limits. Diving solo is not the time to fnd out what goes bump in the night, or just how dark it really is when your one and only light goes kaput.

Last time I solo dived it was at night and I wished that I had a buddy with some extra lights.

 

[agilis]

I was diving solo for years before I was certified, and despite the buddy diving strong recommendation (not requirement back then) during the several weeks of certification training, I continued diving solo most of the time. As others have noted, diving solo is usually safer for an experienced diver.

My first hundred or so dives were all solo, and almost all my local NJ inlet dives still are solo. When diving on vacation in the tropics they try to pair us up, but I do my best to resist by negotiating some sort of compromise with the owner/DM. I will swim off to one side, alone, and keep an eye on things for their own good. They laugh. I'm serious. Being paired with a stranger is especially hazardous.