OP
I LOVE the way you explained that!!! THANKS!!!
My FIRST Solo Dive (Non certified)
- Thread starter Tigerpaw
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
I had a similar experience diving a shallow river with high current while solo. The dive operator politely said something along the lines of “you’re probably not going to want to take that with you” (pony bottle).
After finishing dive one (“muck” diving on the bottom for teeth)…had the pony hose wrap around a tree branch, bottle rattling on the bottom, etc., i surfaced and said “yup…you’re right…I won’t be taking that down for dive two.”
But yeah…for everywhere else (other than shallow rivers) that I’ve dived solo, I carried it. I’d say that the pony should be carried in MOST conditions if solo, but yes…agreed…in some conditions…less crap hanging off your body is a good thing.
OP
Well 6 months and 71 unofficial solo dives later, I am now OFFICIALLY a SDI SOLO DIVER!!! Doing those unofficial dives really aided in my development as a diver. With so many solo dives under my belt you may ask why did I bother to get the cert? Well I was reading that there are some dive outfits that will let you dive solo BUT you need a Solo card.
Cthippo
Contributor
Cool, congratulations!
Congrats! Have you changed anything (configuration or view/outlook) from what you had in the beginning? Anything changed due to the formal training or interaction with your instructor?
OP
THANK YOU!
In the beginning, I really needed practice but because of my work schedule I couldn't find any dive buddies. It was at that time I realized that I couldn't rely on anyone to help me out. The only way to work on my dry suit buoyancy, DSMB deployment and gain experience was to do it myself. I have discovered that because of the repetitive diving I have a new found confidence, NOT cockiness. I actually had a few minor hiccups while diving solo and I had to rely on my training and staying calm to successfully solve a problem. Diving solo and being Rescue qualified made me more self reliant, while knowing my limits. So all that to say, NO my outlook has remained the same. I may pray but I rely on my training and experience to solve a problem.
As far as configuration, this past weekend, I earned my TDI Sidemount certification! So I'll be doing even MORE solo dives to stay proficient at SM. Prior to earning SM, I took the Intro to Tech course and opted for sidemount and learned the setup and various drills. Afterwards I worked ALOT of overtime, bought the setup, then I practiced and practiced and practiced some more and passed the e-Learning. I was fortunate to have a smooth OW eval. My instructor was impressed because he said most students earned rec sidemount first, then jump to Tec SM, whereas I just jumped straight into Tec SM, with no formal experience.
I have also since then bought a pony bottle, I'm discovering that I need to practice for each configuration I have, different configurations, different situations and responses.
In spite of this recent success, I still plan to train and practice as much as I can.
Very cool you're willing to put in the effort to practice and improve. Nothing like time in the water!
Similar threads
