Solo diving..... Again....

[hroark2112]

The biggest thing I learned in the solo course was the gas planning. Know how much gas you'll need for the dive you have planned, know when you need to turn, and know what you need for contingency.

Gear is important. Have the required gear with you at all times. Know how to use it. But the gear is secondary to gas planning, IMO. All the cutting devices in the world won't help you if you screw up the gas plan and end up OOA and solo.

 

[redacted]

I suspect it is the extremely rare solo diver whose first solo dive is during their course. By that time, most already have the equipment, skills, and mindset and quite a few solo dives. The course gets the diver a cards that is accepted by some dive operations.

 

[emoreira]

Find a really good instructor who teaches the solo course (SSI or PADI) and ask him to evaluate your diving skills.

I've been lurking with solo diving for a while.
As per your comment, I've visited the SSI web page (Scuba Schools International) and could not find any solo course (or any other name that resembles solo diving), nor in the recreational, nor in the Xtended Range. nor in the dive pro sections.

---------- Post added April 23rd, 2014 at 02:12 PM ----------

I suspect it is the extremely rare solo diver whose first solo dive is during their course. By that time, most already have the equipment, skills, and mindset and quite a few solo dives. The course gets the diver a cards that is accepted by some dive operations.

Great !

 

[pisoiu]

I've been lurking with solo diving for a while.
As per your comment, I've visited the SSI web page (Scuba Schools International) and could not find any solo course (or any other name that resembles solo diving), nor in the recreational, nor in the Xtended Range. nor in the dive pro sections.

Look at SDI-TDI: Solo Diver Course | Self Sufficient Diver | SDI | TDI | ERDI

I suspect it is the extremely rare solo diver whose first solo dive is during their course. By that time, most already have the equipment, skills, and mindset and quite a few solo dives. The course gets the diver a cards that is accepted by some dive operations.

Well... quite true...

 

[doctormike]

You can drown at any submerged depth if you get stuck somewhere and having enough air and a redundant source to deal with it, is very important.

Maybe this is a minor point, but the redundant gas supply that is important for solo diving has nothing to do with “having enough air”. If you get stuck somewhere, you either have enough gas to last until you free yourself or you don’t. If the only concern was gas volume in case of entrapment, then a single 120 CUF tank would be safer than an 80 and a 19 CUF pony bottle. But it isn’t because gas volume isn’t the only concern and that’s not why we carry a redundant supply. A pony bottle isn’t a stage bottle.


The purpose of an independent, redundant gas supply is that if you have a failure of your gas delivery system (first stage, second stage, hose, etc..), then you have an alternate gas supply so that you aren’t limited to a CESA as your only option.


Also, gas planning is central and important to diving in general - more important than just about anything else. But I wouldn’t imply that it is more important in solo diving than in buddy diving, in the context of this discussion and the OP’s question. Although I guess if your dive plan is “dive until the tank is empty, then switch to my buddy’s octopus for the ascent”, you are better off with a buddy than by yourself!

 

[flots am]

So, am I being dumb?

A good solo class will help you to determine that.

---------- Post added April 23rd, 2014 at 04:23 PM ----------

Find a really good instructor who teaches the solo course (SSI or PADI) and ask him to evaluate your diving skills.

I don't believe that either agency has a solo class.

PADI has "Self Reliant Diver" or something similar but you don't get a card that says "solo".

As far as I know, SSI doesn't have any sort of solo class at all.

The only one I'm aware of is SDI.

 

[Doc Harry]

You really have to spend some time formalizing in your mind a philosophy of solo diving, before you actually go out and do it. The first step is to ask the questions that you are asking, to figure out how you want to approach soloing.

Some people approach soloing from a minimalist perspective, and take almost nothing with them. Others utilize a full redundant philosphy, and take two of everything. Still others take a graduated approach, something in-between. A lot depends upon the conditions under which you dive, temperature, visibility, weather, currents, depth, entanglement risks, etc.

YOU are the one who is taking risk. What level of risk are YOU willing to accept? Are you willing to depend on a CESA from 15 feet? 30 feet? 60 feet?

I'm not willing to depend upon a CESA whatsoever. That decision drives what gear I take with me when I dive solo.

Under what conditions are you willing to dive solo? Have you set parameters for yourself?

Some of my solo diving scares the piss out of me, and I have thumbed my own dives countless numbers of times. So I do emergency drills (such as my valve drills, mask removal & replacement, stage switching, etc.) at the beginning of each and every solo dive, which gives me confidence to venture forth by myself, especially when it's at night, the weather is bad, and the visibility is very poor.

YOU have to decide what YOU are going to do, before YOU actually go into the water ALONE.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I took the SDI Solo course two years ago from an instructor I have known and respected for a long time. Even though I had maybe 60 or 70 solo dives at the time.

Including a few planned deco solo dives.

But I also had 350+ dives at the time, two instructor ratings (SEI and CMAS Two Star), a couple NAUI tech ratings, and I still learned a few very valuable things.

The instructor I took mine with is a full cave instructor and has been diving the caves since the 70's so he brought all of that with him.

As of today I am officially an SDI Solo Instructor. Paperwork was processed this morning and my SDI Instructor profile updated.

What I found out from my own Solo instructor is that in addition to the standards that you need to follow, it's important to bring your own experience to the table along with the knowledge you've acquired. Not just as an instructor but also as a diver and a student. In my own classes I draw on and use the lessons more experienced instructors have passed on and taught to me. So in essence every instructor I have even taken a class from will shape the class I teach. Their knowledge and experience gets passed on.

As with any class the more knowledge and information you can give your students the better off they are.

 

[uncfnp]

As of today I am officially an SDI Solo Instructor. Paperwork was processed this morning and my SDI Instructor profile updated.

Congratulations Jim!

BTW, I enjoyed reading the thread on your student requirements and the conversations that ensued.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

1. What are the learning outcomes of self-reliant diver/solo diver courses?

Mindset emphasizing a risk-adverse and risk-mitigation approach to diving... and available tools to be used given the former two factors.

You really have to spend some time formalizing in your mind a philosophy of solo diving, before you actually go out and do it. The first step is to ask the questions that you are asking, to figure out how you want to approach soloing.

Lots of good info already presented. I thought it was worth repeating and emphasizing what Devon and Doc Harry both said at the beginning of their posts.

All of solo starts with mindset.

Regardless of environment, equipment, past diving experience, and training.

In the benign environment I dive in, I take a very minimalist approach, and use the same "kit" that I use for diving with a buddy. But this would certainly not be wise in other environments.

You do need to be able to evaluate (correctly!!) the dive conditions and potential risks, your own physical and mental state, the state of your skills and equipment... again, this is mostly mental. The skills I believe can be learned.... the mindset possibly not.

Best wishes.