Solo certification?

[markfm]

The small (12 to 14 feet) inflatables made by Zodiac, Avon and others made great dive boats. They are seaworth and safe and can be stored in an apartment. A 20 HP outboard is all that is needed. A handheld GPS and a inexpensive depth finder will find wrecks. But best of all it allows you to explore sites where the charters don't go to. Pack in a car or truck and you could get to just about any diveable part of the lake. You don't need a 40 footer and a slip. I dived out of a 13 foot Zodiac for years.

Any feel for what would be a large enough inflatable to hold 2 divers, 4 tanks?

 

[Wet Willy]

Maybe you're new and haven't noticed yet (if so, welcome abord)... But there is a Solo Diving sub-forum under the Technical Diving section below. Within that sub-forum the topics of Solo Certifications is covered on a couple threads.

I checked before I posted and again after your post. All of the threads are gone and I checked from the beginning. :icon_ques

 

[captain]

Any feel for what would be a large enough inflatable to hold 2 divers, 4 tanks?

I had a 13 foot Zodiac and two divers and 4 tanks and a topside watch person was no problem. These boats can carry more weight than you would ever put in them. Not the comfort of a 40 footer but just about as safe. That is why a lot of rescue teams use them.

 

[markfm]

Super, thanks for the info

 

[captain]

I checked before I posted and again after your post. All of the threads are gone and I checked from the beginning. :icon_ques

It's still there but you have to register for it to be able to see the posts

 

[Wet Willy]

Thank you.

 

[captain]

I would like to believe what you said; but, I recently went to Florida for cave diving certification, and unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your point of view I quess), there really were police there to check on your certification level, before they would let you dive. It was my understanding that if they catch you after the fact they have a legal right to issue a citation that carries a hefty fine.

If you are diving in the open water I 100% agree with you!

At the start of the thead you said you dived solo. I assume you weren't arrested by the police so apparently where you dived solo there was no one to enforce a no solo diving policy or there is no solo diving policy there. What I said was there is no nation wide law, regulation or certification requirement to prevent you from diving solo other than those imposed in some locations. Find other places to dive.

 

[Gary D.]

I don’t know how they do a solo certification and know you passed it. If you have an instructor there watching you you’re not solo physically or mentally.

Solo isn’t much more than good skills and a good frame of mind. If you’re diving with a buddy and get separated, you are now diving solo. If your buddy blacks out for some reason, again you are solo. If you have a buddy that can barely take care of themselves, let alone assist you should the need arise, you are more than likely diving solo.

So you get separated from your buddy, abort the dive and head for the surface. That short assent time you are diving solo.

See some of you are diving solo and don’t even realize it.

Gary D.

 

[novisdiver]

The solo cert is good to have, just to know and understand the skills and equipment needed. Even if you never actually solo dive. But lets face it divers how often are you teamed up with a buddy on a charter that you have no idea what skill level or rescue training they have. In many cases your diving by your self even with a buddy! Better to train for something you'll never use then to not have the training when you really need it.

 

[serambin]

Any feel for what would be a large enough inflatable to hold 2 divers, 4 tanks?

I'd say around 10' would do it, get one with the drop-in floor boards and two seats. Remember J. Cousteau put Zodiac on the map.

Stan