Lessons for solo diving novice

[hudson]

While I don't dive without redundant air, I would agree that the chances of a properly maintained, decent, tested first stage failing in appropriate temperature range is so low that there are probably more important concerns when diving solo (entanglement, poor conditions, unfamiliar environment, other equipment failure and ability to cope with it etc) in shallower depths (where rapid air loss due to other reasons won't be disastrous)

Now if you are talking a first stage grabbed off the rental rack, yeah....

 

[ucfdiver]

While I don't dive without redundant air, I would agree that the chances of a properly maintained, decent, tested first stage failing in appropriate temperature range is so low that there are probably more important concerns when diving solo (entanglement, poor conditions, unfamiliar environment, other equipment failure and ability to cope with it etc) in shallower depths (where rapid air loss due to other reasons won't be disastrous)

Now if you are talking a first stage grabbed off the rental rack, yeah....

What if a LP hose gets snagged or torn? You can't isolate that with a single outlet valve.

 

[hudson]

I would consider that more under the category of entanglement... but in any case the deeper you are, the more trouble you'd be in and the more important redundant air would be. I realize the OP would be woefully out of his league at only 17 dives, but given his self-imposed limitation of 40ft, redundant air would not be my number one in the priority list.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Steve,

Anytime you want to head to CSSP, or PK, or where ever, put up a post a week or so ahead and say you want to go. You will more than likely end up with someone who will meet you there. You come together strangers and hopefully part as friends.

Along the same lines, look for posts and if you can join up with the group. None of us bite (hard anyway). Hope to see you at the lake this summer.

TwoBit

 

[GDI]

Ok first of all I think you have been given much required advise from others on this thread. MY first recommendation is to heed to it.

You want to solo dive then start by planning all dives as if they were solo but conducted as a social activity. In your case you should still be with a buddy.

Secondly you should now spend the next 83 dives getting use to the equipment you need to buy between now and when you become ready to solo dive. If you showed up at my class wanting to solo dive and had nothing but rented equipment,( tanks excepted and even they would be verified safe to use) the class would be over pretty quick because you wouldn't know how that equipment responds to some of the stuff you would be doing.

Thirdly Never make a trust me dive trust me on this. Do not rush to your death! What I mean by that is enjoy your diving but don't rush into moving along so fast that you miss one of the joys of diving just for the sake of getting wet and pushing faster then you are ready is a sure way to end that diving, take your time! Good Luck and keep learning. BTW I'll dive with you where are you at? Fort Worth texas ain't that far from Florida nor the Great Lakes so get out there and experience the different forms of diving before you go it alone. (I'm serious I would dive with you)

 

[sunnyboy]

One other bit of advice, from my own experience. Continue your diving educationm ESPECIALLY take the rescue course offered by the agency of your choice. It WILL open your eyes - especially to the whole area of "self rescue".

-S

 

[fisheater]

Good advice here.

I have almost the same number of dives as you and REALLY felt the siren call of solo diving. I recently spend two days at the Breakwater in Monterey, all geared up and nobody to dive with. (Canceled specialty classes and dive buddy who didn't show.) I was all set to dive and had blown two days of vacation. I didn't find anyone there who was able or willing to take on an insta-buddy.

Sure would have been easy (it seemed) for me simply to dive solo. After all, that was where I did my OW checkout dives. It has a shallow, sandy bottom. With a huge breakwater on one side, you couldn't really get lost. Wave action wasn't TOO strong.

However, training and common sense prevailed.

But DAMN! It sure was tempting, especially in light of my disappointment at staying dry while watching other folks dive.

 

[Iain Thysse]

Doing any sort of diving without redundancy is lunacy. Solo diving with none is just a sign of extreme stupidity.

I was with you up to the last comment....he has 17 dives and was looking for advice, not abuse. If I were a new diver looking for advice I would be terrified to post questions on this board because of insulting comebacks like this.

Disappointed

 

[Boxcar Overkill]

If you have a single tank, single first stage then you have a critical failure point. If that goes you want a sane way of getting out without risking getting bent.

That's a great way to think about it.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

This is an extreme statement, nothing personal. Many experienced divers would not agree with that statement who have been doing this (solo) a long time. This redundancy thing is getting out of control and is a result of everybody playing tech diver and extrapolating from non-experience and on unlikely scenarios.

That said, 17 dives seems a bit premature but then I must admit, stupid or not, I did my first solo dives when I was in my early teens on the sly and never looked back so stupid or not I am still here and usually did and still do dive without any redundancy but for the surface above.

N

Right on...

I often see posts about needing doubles and redundancy for recreational diving. The amount of risk being undertaken on depends on the diver's experience and abilities. For some, it may be dangerous to do a solo dive on a single tank, while for others it may just be walk in the park. It depends on the diver.

As a PADI DM, the company response is that solo diving isn't safe and no one is ever ready to solo dive. If that's the kind of life you want to live, go for it. However, life never fits neatly in a box. I started out doing light commercial dive work after taking only a short NAUI recreational class. Within 10 dives of certification, I was diving solo to 130 with minimal equipment, and then began doing deco with no training at all. I was told how much deco to do by topside support and I followed instructions.

There's a saying in commercial diving: Anyone can dive, the difficulty is finding someone that can work once they get in the water. The thinking is that it's better to take someone with skills and teach them to dive than it is to take a diver and teach them skills. The message is that anyone is capable of diving, but most are useless once in the water.

It's an individual thing. One diver may be ready after a few dives while another may not be ready after hundreds. The sum of an individual cannot be defined in PADI terms: OW, AOW, Rescue, etc.

If you don't push your limits, you will never know what your limits are. If you never challenge yourself, you won't be able to rise to the challenge when necessary.