How often does it really happen?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Reg failure's the least of your worries as a solo diver ... almost all of the things that can go wrong will be operator error. Solo diving's way more about mindset and awareness than it is about equipment. Are you prepared? Only you can possibly know.

Are you experienced/aware enough to anticipate a problem due to unexpected circumstance and take action to avoid it? How willing are you to call a dive if something doesn't "feel" right? Would you even recognize the onset of a circumstance that's going to send you spiraling down the incident pit?

These are really situational questions ... and that's the point. If you're going to dive alone, you need to know when to say "enough" ... and most folks with your experience level haven't developed that sense yet. That's why the only real solo course currently being offered (PADI's "self-reliant" specialty isn't a real solo course) requires a minimum of 100 dives as a prerequisite.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TMHeimer]

Lots' of threads on dos & don'ts about solo diving. I was in the same situation--after about 75 dives my buddy moved. I assume by reg failure you mean no air--if it's a free flow we are trained for that. Sand in the reg has happened twice to me, to the tune of $100 repairs--still got air. I NEVER let the primary or octo touch sand. This tiny possiblilty of no air is why I try to limit my solo depth to 30' (can do a CESA). I have broken that rule a very few times. Having redundancies should solve that. Panic is a big thing--I figure anyone will panic given the right situation, but logic says the more inexperienced you are the more likely. I've never personally heard of a reg failing to give air.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks herman and xyrandomyx for actually answering my question. Also Tortuga68 for pointing out my original post.

I wasn't asking people what they thought of me solo diving. Or, how many "what if's" could happen. That is why I didn't go into my certifications, experience ECt.

I simply asked how often a properly maintained reg simply quits delivering air. I know octo's can free flow, been there done that. I know you need quality well maintained gear.

Since when should one expect all replies to a question on SB to just answer the question? Some people reply with comments that they believe would be helpful to the OP, such as things he may not have considered. I'm not sure the only goal of a scuba discussion board should be to answer the exact question asked. Sorry.

 

[Ranger233]

Since my experience is being called into question:

PADI certifications:
Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Rescue Diver
Enriched Air
Drysuit
Equipment Tec
Deep Diver

As of yesterday 738 logged dives.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tursiops]

Two comments:
1. I've got 2000 (logged) dives now, shallow and very deep, ow and caves, tropics and Antarctica, oceans and quarries, etc. I've personally experienced exactly two reg problems...one was a free-flow in not terribly cold water, the other was a 2nd stage that fell off the hose in a cave. Neither one was life-threatening due to redundancy and training and experience. Either one *could* have been life-threatening if I'd lacked redundancy, training, or experience.
2. I teach SDI Solo and PADI Self-Reliant. They are almost identical; if anything, the PADI course is slightly better. All my students have passed, but only maybe 10% of them now actually solo-dive, and only one on a consistent basis. The class is not about how to sling a pony. It is about gas planning, redundancy, getting your head right, and contingency planning. Ever had a fin strap break during a dive? Lost your mask? Gotten lost and surfaced with almost nothing in sight? Dry suit or BCD ripped? Bad cramp in leg? What do you do? As somebody said earlier today on another forum, nothing goes wrong until it does...you can play Russian Roulette a lot of times and win...but you only lose once.

---------- Post added June 19th, 2014 at 02:54 PM ----------

Since my experience is being called into question:

PADI certifications:
Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Rescue Diver
Enriched Air
Drysuit
Equipment Tec
Deep Diver

As of yesterday 738 logged dives.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice. Now you may be ready to take the Solo class.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Since my experience is being called into question:

PADI certifications:
Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Rescue Diver
Enriched Air
Drysuit
Equipment Tec
Deep Diver

As of yesterday 738 logged dives.

... your experience is being called into question because your profile says you have between 50-99 dives ...

For the most part we don't know you ... we only know what you tell us about yourself ... and can only advise based on the information you provide ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[flots am]

I see very, very few syllabus and standards differences between the PADI 'Self-Reliant Diver' and TDI 'Solo Diver' courses...

So, what's the problem?

The biggest problem is that a real solo card certifies you to dive solo, while the other one doesn't.

This isn't an issue unless you're diving somewhere that checks such things, but if you're going to pay the money and take the class, you might as well get the card.

flots.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Divers with thousands of dives and loads of training can still run into trouble without a buddy nearby. The case of Marcia (Quero) from this board hammered that point home for me. It's not the number of dives or number of cards one has collected that seems to matter.

 

[leadduck]

My dive buddy has moved away, and I have found myself in a position that I have to solo dive or not dive at all.

Why don't you look for a new buddy? Diving club, internet, ...

What I am wanting to know is how often has/does a regulator actually fail? An out of air situation is preventable. I'm talking a situation where you have plenty of air in your tank and you simply can not breathe off your reg. Also to expand on this, how many of these regs were actually maintained properly?

I'm sure DAN probably has these stats, but I have no idea how to access that.

You can get DAN accident reports at https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/report/
BSAC reports are at: Annual Diving Incident Report - British Sub-Aqua Club
Solo diving: Solo Diving - British Sub-Aqua Club


I wonder why so many people consider only OOA or gear failure as a problem for solo divers. If you look into the statistics you'll see that fitness and health problems are a more critical cause of diving fatalities. There are many reasons why you can pass out under water although you felt fine when entering it a few minutes earlier. Food poisoning, disease, heat, physical strain, ... It takes just one bad dinner and hot weather to have your blood pressure drop suddenly a few minutes into the dive. I consider a buddy not so much as a redundant source of air, but more importantly as the person who gets medical assistance in time, and helps me ascend if I should ever become incapable to do so for whatever reason.

This is not about obviously sick people entering the water. Most of them felt fit and fine right until the problem started; you can't rely on how you feel. Redundant gear doesn't help either. I think this (and not gear failure) is the reason why solo diving incidents are so much more likely to end fatally than buddy dives.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Divers with thousands of dives and loads of training can still run into trouble without a buddy nearby. The case of Marcia (Quero) from this board hammered that point home for me. It's not the number of dives or number of cards one has collected that seems to matter.

No ... Marcia's death wasn't due to the lack of a buddy ... it was due to her not being mentally prepared to take her dive seriously enough. She got complacent. It's hard for me to say that about someone I thought of as highly as I did her ... but it's what I took away from speaking to someone who was there when she died ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)