Solo dive???

What would you do?

A friend asked me to recover his lost propeller in 12' of water in a channel. I don't have a dive buddy...do I agree to do this? I will be within a 20' radius and could have a person snorkeling in the area to keep an eye on how the search was going. I am comfortable with this plan, I just want your thoughts on this situation...would you do this?

why not just free dive for it?

Unless you have solo experience which by your logged dives you do not, I would not recommend it.

Solo diving is not to be taken lightly. You've been asked to complete a task for which you have no training. Unless you have a solid bottom (not soft mud) and you have great visibility and you get incredibly lucky, you wouldn't find it anyway. Why risk your life in such a situation.

If you want to give a look anyway, get a buddy. Drop by a local shop or dive club. You can often find buddies there. Of course, you can also find buddies here on ScubaBoard.

You can't ask what other people would do in this situation, they are not you and not the ones doing the dive... but seeing as you asked:

If the water is clear enough to see the bottom, freedive it (12ft is less than many pools).

If the water is so murky you can't see the bottom, it's not a simple solo dive.

Soloing done with the proper gear, training and mindset is relatively safe. Soloing done spur of the moment or unintentionally isn't. Which are you about to engage in?

ScubaNoob:

What would you do?

A friend asked me to recover his lost propeller in 12' of water in a channel. I don't have a dive buddy...do I agree to do this? I will be within a 20' radius and could have a person snorkeling in the area to keep an eye on how the search was going. I am comfortable with this plan, I just want your thoughts on this situation...would you do this?

Click to expand...

The fact that you have asked this question is a clear indication that you should not do this. You have almost no experience. To answer your original question, yes I would probably do this dive (depending on the conditions of the "channel") but this does not mean that you should.

ScubaNoob

Since I see Indiana on your profile this would seem to mean fresh water. Fresh water is notorious for silt. Anchorages are notorious for old moorings, and all sorts of stray fishing line and so forth. The very act of searching in the silt will deteriorate the visibility to zero almost instantly. You will then be searching blind with no visual reference except dimmed light from above and you may even loose that. In the midst of that fun you could find your self entangled or lacerated on broken bottle or hooked by fishing tackle as you grope in the dark.

As I hope you see there are a number of things that could go wrong making this an ugly situation. Get a buddy and take it slowly or tell your friend to find someone more experience in that sort of thing. You are the diver, make your decision and let it stand. Don't let a non diver influence your risk assessment.

It is your life and his propeller.

Pete

It's how many divers die, and those usually surface first. Get a buddy then stick together...

I would dive it w/o a 2nd thought.....but I have done a considerable amount of solo time.
If u have to ask, this probably isn't the right time to pop your solo cherry.
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Greetings Scubanoob and fellow hoosier. I would take this into very careful consideration as others have mentioned. I have done dives as you describe with several of my "brothers" dive buddies. Conditions in the channel are probably slity at best. The next question is if it is narrowed down to a 20' area how deep is the silt? Trust me friend some of these channels are very silted. We dive a local lake that once you settle on hard bottom you are immersed to your waist. Better be experienced for zero visibility and the proper procedures. If you are thinking a light will cut through the silt think again it will not. I am not trying to scare you in any way just trying to acclimate you to the conditions. This is a advanced dive with a lot of unknowns. It would probably be best to find a buddy and plan your dive very carefully. Boat traffic can be a major concern here in Indiana! Boaters do not understand what a dive flag is nor do they respect the safe distance. It has been my personal experience even with surface support you will have to be VERY CAREFUL! My brothers and I have done recoveries so I am not tooting a horn but trying to make you think. Rarely is the item where it is said or thought to be. Ponder these thoughts and PM me if you like. I would be happy to help you determine your best coarse of action if you would like. In the end it is your decision, be safe and good luck.
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

What everybody else said. Tell your propellor-loser to get a big magnet if the thing is made out of steel or iron. It's only twelve feet for krisake.