Question on solo dive travel

[vkalia]

I was wondering if dive operators will allow someone to dive solo if they don't have a buddy? assuming everyone is paired up and most of your dives have been solo would the dive operator allow you to dive solo? Would they create a more restrictive dive plan for you? Based on other comments about having the DM as your buddy, it sounds like you may be diving solo anyway. I have never had the chance to go on a dive trip but I would like to and would run into this problem/concern also.

Depends where you are. Some places dont allow it. Others do. Sometimes, you may have to email first and ask - you're likely to have better luck with the smaller, owner-run type of shops (which are the ones I prefer to dive with anyways).

I've had reasonably good luck diving solo when I travel. However, if I am at a new site/location, I'd rather follow the DM anyway, as s/he knows where the good stuff is. So even though I dont have a buddy, I'm usually in a group of divers anyway and not really diving solo.

Side note - if someone is diving solo, they better not be accepting a dive plan made by someone else.

Vandit

 

[BrianV]

In Hawaii we went on a small dive boat, only 6 people, and at the last minute this guy's wife canceled out due to sickness. The DM had no problem being his buddy and with the group being this small it was more like we were one big group with a lot of buddies. With visibility as good as it is in hawaii, you don't need to be holding your buddy's hands or anything.

On the first dive, I had an equipment malfunction early on and lost about 1200 PSI (due to a freeflowing octo). I started the dive with about 1900 PSI and finished the dive well before everyone else. I felt bad for my g/f, but the DM took me aside, swam us all over to the dive rope and told me to ascend to 15' to do my safety stop. I did that and they stayed down at 90' and the DM kept looking up at me to check that I was doing fine. I surfaced, and about 15 minutes later, another guy surfaced. Finally both of the females surfaced (damn women have it great when it comes to consumption (DM was a women)). This way everyone maximized their dive time and the buddy system was still enforced. If a malfunction occured at the 15' safety stop, the solo person could easily and safely surface.

I would call the dive operator ahead of time; I have to imagine they accomdate solo divers on a very frequent basis.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

..."you may have to email first and ask - you're likely to have better luck with the smaller, owner-run type of shops (which are the ones I prefer to dive with anyways).

I've had reasonably good luck diving solo when I travel. However, if I am at a new site/location, I'd rather follow the DM anyway, as s/he knows where the good stuff is. So even though I dont have a buddy, I'm usually in a group of divers anyway and not really diving solo."

Best plan when going to a new destination is to make a list of the questions you want to ask, then call the boat captain. Most ops have a 1-800-number you can call. Or email them. Point is that you can determine in advance whether they'll allow you to solo dive or not, (as well as other issues,) and if you email them to confirm you'll have their response in writing.

One issue may be a card, I'm told that due to liability concerns if you wish to solo dive there are operators and boat captains who will ask to see a solo card. Don't know how widespread this practice is.

Very few people like surprises on dive trips. Very few surprises are positive. Taking the time to contact the boat captain and inquire well in advance - i.e. while you're still planning your trip, not the week before - regarding standard operating procedures, protocols, requirements, things allowed, etc. is a pretty wise move for almost any trip.

YMMV.

Doc

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

My dives in Coz were solo dives. Everyone was following the dive leader. When my tank was empty, I let someone in my team know, went up and did my safety stop, and then surfaced. The boat would swing around and pick me up. (Unless the dive leader for the other team decided that he had to take a crap, and the dive boat took him to shore, abandoning me in the middle of the frickin' ocean....)

 

[Thumper517]

I,m new to diving also, and have been in the situation of finding someone to buddy up with on the boat on the way out to the site.

In Cozumel, I talked to another single diver and buddied up with him. Of course, I ran low on air before everyone else and me and my buddy had to do our safety stop. At the surface, I asked him how much air he had left. I had 400 psi and he had 1100 psi. I told him I felt bad about holding him back. He told me not to worry, that he had a lot more diving to do, and that I should not feel bad about my air consumption compared to his, because he had just finished the Houston marathon a few weeks ago.

The next day, I buddied up with the divemaster. We went over the plan for my solo asent using his surface signal. This was at Santa Rosa wall in Cozumel and it was the best dive I have ever been on. The DM took me through the swin throughs, showed me all the creatures, etc. When I signaled him I was low on air, he deployed his surface marker and I did my safety stop under it alone, while he stayed at depth with the rest of the group.

 

[Wristshot]

David,

Several people have given you variations on the one best piece of advice: be up front with the dive operator and with the other divers.

In most cases the dive op will not want you to dive solo, especially with so few dives, but anything is possible.

Usually you would get paired with someone or some group. In Bonaire the boat crew usually stays on board, unlike Cozumel where there is usually a guide in the water.

There are some people that would be ticked off if assigned a newbie as a dive partner, but you don't want to hang with them anyways so be cognizant of people's reactions.

---------------
But now let me address a different aspect that you might not have thought about as a solo dive traveller. In addition to issues as a solo diver, there are issues for a solo traveller.

Be sure to pack things in a way so that you can handle all of your luggage and gear easily. When I travel with a buddy, he can watch my gear while I hit the restroom. When traveling alone, I end up having to schlep everything into the restroom with me. This may sound silly, but it really is something that needs to be considered ahead of time.

When I travel with a buddy or a group, I pack one big wheeled bag for clothes etc, and one big bag for gear. (within airlines' weight limits). When I travel solo, I pack all my clothes into a backpack, and the gear in the big wheeled bag. It sometimes means bringing a little bit less (but I always bring too much anyway). The key is to make everything manageable for one person. Think about getting all your bags to a taxi or bus, plus hauling things up stairs etc. Think about long layovers in airports. Think about food breaks and restroom breaks. You don't want to be overwhelmed by too many bags; more than you can conveniently move all at once.

Just something that some people don't think about until it is too late.

Another great idea is to print large lettered pages listing your name, local contact information etc for your bags. Slip one into each bag, just in case. I pre-print ones with my home information also for the return trip.

Most of all, be friendly and have a great time on your adventure!


Wristshot