To dive alone ...

On another thread, there was some debate as to whether or not "solo" diving was more dangerous than "buddy" diving. How about an unscientific poll? We ALL know what we were taught, but how do you DIVE?

I feel as though buddy diving is so you have:

1. Spare gas on your buddy's back. (Replacable by pony tank)

2. Help if you are entangled ( stay away from reef)

3. Calming influence

I dont strictly follow the buddy rule, and usuall dive as a "SOB"- same ocean buddy- as long as my buddy has the experience to not be "baby sat". I feel, however that once a diver reaches a certain proficiency, a buddy is not as needed. (As long as you are prudent and careful)

Above 80', I still within about 1/2 of viz, but with FREQUENT glances at my buddy.

80-100' -- we start closing the distance

deeper than 100' -- no more than a couple of body lengths

Some buddies can be side by side, right at arms length, but not really aware of their buddy.

Good buddies can spread out over the reef but still keep a good eye on each other. If one finds something interesting, the other will be there in a flash.

A good test of buddy awareness is to simply come to a halt. A good buddy will respond in no more than 5 seconds, preferably less.

There is way too much emphasis on the buddy system, especially in some areas of the country:

IT SUCKS!!

Where I live sometimes you can't find people to go with over half the time, and the places available to dive mandate it, so you either dive alone or don't go at all.

Everybody has the same excuses:

1. Aw, I can't make it, the wife has got me doing other things, we have to go to a family function! WUSSY!!

2. Aw, it's raining out. Hey wussy, it doesn't rain underwater!!

3. Nah, Nascar's on, can't miss that. Ever hear of god damn VCR??

4. Nah, got **** to do around the house. then i'll pop in at the house unexpectadly and he's sitting there on his fat ass scrathching himself. Or herself

5. Then there's the ol' favorite: "Not now, I got a headache!'

Where are all the diveable divers?? I think half of them just buy their gear and pretend their divers.

sharpenu once bubbled...
On another thread, there was some debate as to whether or not "solo" diving was more dangerous than "buddy" diving. How about an unscientific poll? We ALL know what we were taught, but how do you DIVE?

I feel as though buddy diving is so you have:

1. Spare gas on your buddy's back. (Replacable by pony tank)

2. Help if you are entangled ( stay away from reef)

3. Calming influence

I dont strictly follow the buddy rule, and usuall dive as a "SOB"- same ocean buddy- as long as my buddy has the experience to not be "baby sat". I feel, however that once a diver reaches a certain proficiency, a buddy is not as needed. (As long as you are prudent and careful)

Click to expand...

I don't think that anyone thinks that solo diving is as safe, or "safer" than buddy diving, at least I don't.

To me, the question is, is the additional risk acceptable in some instances?

Is it minor, medium, major?

I don't advocate solo penetration or cave diving, although others may.

I guess if you pass out underwater alone, you could die.

But I don't know a lot of divers that spontaneously faint...

Most all of us are hunting or lobstering and so it's pretty much a solo endeavor most of the time.

Forget about stopping 5 seconds and having the buddy respond. Here in Canada with the hoods on, I amuse myself by banging on my tank for several minutes and still my buddy can't hear me. Definitely look at your buddy every, I would say, 30 seconds at the most, I look every 15.

More than 90% of my dives are solo and are all from my kayak. I don't feel any more comfortable with a buddy than I do w/o one. Actually I prefer to solo dive, other than the dives with my gf, who still works for a living as I am retired. .
:shades:

Having a highly skilled and like-minded buddy is always safer than diving alone. (Your buddy is your backup.)

If your buddy is not skilled and is borderline dangerous, it may be safer for you to dive alone. Unfortunately, this is a decision that you will have to make often if you dive with strangers.

You need to always be close enough to your buddy so that in an OOG situation, you can reach them without having to kick too far. Would you really want to kick 60 feet to your buddy when you suddenly find out that you are out of gas? I don't think so.

My buddy and I always stay within a reasonable distance from each other and constantly monitor each other.

Most divers are going to dive the way they feel comfortable. Smart divers will not dive alone, or will only dive alone under the most rigidly controlled circumstances.

99% of all divers who dive alone will survive nicely. Most all bad things that could occur underwater are extremely low probability events. On the other hand, they can also be extremely high consequence events.

But every once in awhile something happens underwater that was not planned. If shore diving, the surf comes up radically during the time you are down. Strong downwellings or currents can drag divers down or far offcourse. A mouthpiece can suddenly fail, and the diver inhales a lungful of gas and seawater mixed. A diver can become enmeshed in the invisible floating shroud of a monofilament fishing net. Fatigue or medical problems can occur. Narcosis is always waiting in the wings, to play hell with unwary divers. Even the best make mistakes, and unfortunate circumstances can happen to anyone.

On the day that something goes radically wrong underwater, and that something is low probability but high consequence, the diver that suffers that failure better be diving with a buddy.

If the low probability event happens while they are solo, their survival is doubtful.

Those are the odds that solo divers accept. So long as they are willing to play those odds, so be it.

None of us are going to live forever.

sharpenu once bubbled...



1. Spare gas on your buddy's back. (Replacable by pony tank)

2. Help if you are entangled ( stay away from reef)

3. Calming influence

Click to expand...

!. a Pony bottle dosent have a brain, an extra set of eyes, or a helpfull hand.

2. the reef is where the life is. ie: coral, fish. stay away from the reef and you looking at sand.