Is It Ever Ok....
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DaleC
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Scott L
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underwaterfrank
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I don't encourage it...but at the same time I love it. Great fun to be floundering around underwater without having to worry about a buddy.
If you you do it....first of all clock-up a couple of hundreds of dives with a buddy so you become experienced in dealing with different events that may pop-up.
Dive only places that you are familiar with..you don't want to suddenly end up in that surprise current that sucks you into that old net that's got stuck onto that old ship wreck...if you see what I mean.
Always use gear that you are very familiar with.
ALways ask yourself, if I lose any piece of my equipment during the dive or if anything malfunctions, how do I get out of that situation. These things can happen in real life.
- my dive buddy once lost both fins when he went and tried-out a new drysuit, diving with me. The legs on his new suit were longer, his boots weren't very tight, and he didn't use ankle weights. Both boots popped-off when he swam unside down to try and catch a lobster. Visibility was poor, current was strong, gone were the fins... He had to hold on to my shoulder and I finned for the two of us!
- I once had my tank valve tightly entangled in a bunch of old fishing line that was attached to a coral reef. Easy fix when you have a buddy with you. Not so easy when you are alone. If you can't reach the fishing line, there is the option of undoing your tank/BC shoulder straps, turning around, cutting the line and putting your gear back on. Think again...fine in the old days when everyone wore a weight belt...but if you have a weight-integrated BC you might suddenly balloon off to the surface.
Anyway, get the diving experience first with a buddy if you don't have plenty of it already, then get the solo training, and then be fully aware that no amount of training or experience will cover every possible scenario of what could go wrong, so do whatever you can to minimize the risk.
Run what-if scenarios for yourself:
- what if I lose or damage this or that item of gear..it's hard to manage a controlled ascent on a solo dive without a mask
- what if I need to abandon the dive half-way on this particular location... will anyone see me at the surface?
etc...
Make sure someone knows where you are and ensure they know what to do if they suddenly see your emergency buoy floating at the surface.
Practice "things that can go wrong" scenarios, with a buddy present, even if it may sound silly. Ever tried to complete a dive on one fin, or no fins? Try it one day.
SPend a couple of minutes diving without a mask, see how you manage.
Can you manage your dive if your drysuit floods, or if your BC malfunctions?
Can you reach your knife if your leg is entangled in fishing line? Do you carry a spare within easy reach?
In summary, have fun but be prepared to live with some of the constraints.
If you you do it....first of all clock-up a couple of hundreds of dives with a buddy so you become experienced in dealing with different events that may pop-up.
Dive only places that you are familiar with..you don't want to suddenly end up in that surprise current that sucks you into that old net that's got stuck onto that old ship wreck...if you see what I mean.
Always use gear that you are very familiar with.
ALways ask yourself, if I lose any piece of my equipment during the dive or if anything malfunctions, how do I get out of that situation. These things can happen in real life.
- my dive buddy once lost both fins when he went and tried-out a new drysuit, diving with me. The legs on his new suit were longer, his boots weren't very tight, and he didn't use ankle weights. Both boots popped-off when he swam unside down to try and catch a lobster. Visibility was poor, current was strong, gone were the fins... He had to hold on to my shoulder and I finned for the two of us!
- I once had my tank valve tightly entangled in a bunch of old fishing line that was attached to a coral reef. Easy fix when you have a buddy with you. Not so easy when you are alone. If you can't reach the fishing line, there is the option of undoing your tank/BC shoulder straps, turning around, cutting the line and putting your gear back on. Think again...fine in the old days when everyone wore a weight belt...but if you have a weight-integrated BC you might suddenly balloon off to the surface.
Anyway, get the diving experience first with a buddy if you don't have plenty of it already, then get the solo training, and then be fully aware that no amount of training or experience will cover every possible scenario of what could go wrong, so do whatever you can to minimize the risk.
Run what-if scenarios for yourself:
- what if I lose or damage this or that item of gear..it's hard to manage a controlled ascent on a solo dive without a mask
- what if I need to abandon the dive half-way on this particular location... will anyone see me at the surface?
etc...
Make sure someone knows where you are and ensure they know what to do if they suddenly see your emergency buoy floating at the surface.
Practice "things that can go wrong" scenarios, with a buddy present, even if it may sound silly. Ever tried to complete a dive on one fin, or no fins? Try it one day.
SPend a couple of minutes diving without a mask, see how you manage.
Can you manage your dive if your drysuit floods, or if your BC malfunctions?
Can you reach your knife if your leg is entangled in fishing line? Do you carry a spare within easy reach?
In summary, have fun but be prepared to live with some of the constraints.
Proper training before getting into confined open water with them?
I dont care if someone has 800 hours of pool training before they enter open water for the first time they are still not reliable to save you when something goes wrong.
I student who does a mask removal and replacement perfectly 800 times in the pool is still just as likely to freak out in open water as the one who only did it 1 time.
I've seen Dive Master Candidates and Instructor Candidates fall off of moving dive boats, lose there tanks on giant strides and go into active panics, not be able to control there own ascent rates, and the list goes on and on.
Solo diving is nothing more then being self reliant. The reality is ever diver out there should be able to be self reliant from a pure safety stand point. Your life is in your hands if you are not willing to trust your life in your buddies hands then you need to be prepared for the absolute worst.
I dont care if someone has 800 hours of pool training before they enter open water for the first time they are still not reliable to save you when something goes wrong.
I student who does a mask removal and replacement perfectly 800 times in the pool is still just as likely to freak out in open water as the one who only did it 1 time.
I've seen Dive Master Candidates and Instructor Candidates fall off of moving dive boats, lose there tanks on giant strides and go into active panics, not be able to control there own ascent rates, and the list goes on and on.
Solo diving is nothing more then being self reliant. The reality is ever diver out there should be able to be self reliant from a pure safety stand point. Your life is in your hands if you are not willing to trust your life in your buddies hands then you need to be prepared for the absolute worst.
underwaterfrank
Registered
Best statement made yet in this thread I think, Avery!
One of my first dives, many years ago, I relied on an "instructor" buddy to check my gear. Result...I went down with my air valve only turned on by only about 1 turn instead of being fully open. As soon as I got to 30 ft the air flow was too low to provide enough air.
At that point the instructor was 20ft away from me and not even watching me, so I made a controlled return to the surface.
Since then, I do the final checks on my gear, but always still get my buddy to monitor that I check everything. That way, I am self-reliant, responsible for my stuff, but there is someone in the background to ensure I practice my "self-reliance" disciplines correctly.
A dive buddy should be like a BACKUP parachute, you can't rely on it to perform as well as your main system, the main parachute is your own skill level, training, responsibility and self-control, and most important, a willingness to learn and take advice from others. That is why Scubaboard is such a great tool, as it can help us all to improve our self-reliance by learning from others.
One of my first dives, many years ago, I relied on an "instructor" buddy to check my gear. Result...I went down with my air valve only turned on by only about 1 turn instead of being fully open. As soon as I got to 30 ft the air flow was too low to provide enough air.
At that point the instructor was 20ft away from me and not even watching me, so I made a controlled return to the surface.
Since then, I do the final checks on my gear, but always still get my buddy to monitor that I check everything. That way, I am self-reliant, responsible for my stuff, but there is someone in the background to ensure I practice my "self-reliance" disciplines correctly.
A dive buddy should be like a BACKUP parachute, you can't rely on it to perform as well as your main system, the main parachute is your own skill level, training, responsibility and self-control, and most important, a willingness to learn and take advice from others. That is why Scubaboard is such a great tool, as it can help us all to improve our self-reliance by learning from others.
DaleC
Contributor
On the last day of AOW traning long ago I ceremoniously launched my drag creating snorkel like a speeding projectile into the gulfstream only to have to replace before my next Bahamas free diving trip. Know what? It was worth it...
That's who's snorkel I found!
I do a lot of snorkelling myself but usually not when I'm diving (longhose and all that), unless I am diving my horsecollar rig in which case it's a 1960's era Nemrod. I would pack one though, if "someone" bought me a trip to the Bahamas...
sorry for the hijack
OP
Cathouse
Registered
Let's go a little further into this. What depths do you consistently Solo Dive to?
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Many good comments. I love diving with my family. I would almost always rather dive solo than with an instabuddy. I've dived with a few very good assigned buddies but most have detracted from my experience and enjoyment. It's extremely peaceful and relaxing just being responsible for yourself. I dive within recreational limits, with no or very short decompression obligations, and with appropriate equipment and gas supply.
Good diving, Craig
Good diving, Craig
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