OK, 'fess up.... the Dark Side of Solo...

[Stoo]

I'm tired of reading all these threads about the spiritual side of solo diving, and how diving alone somehow makes you a superior being...

Let's cut the crap and post the truth about why we like diving alone. I'll start...

If I want to, I can kick up a huge cloud of silt, just to see how big a mess I can make...

If I want to, I can stand on the bow deck of a 130 year old wreck and yell into my regulator at the top of my lungs, "Thar she blows Mateys.." (not-withstanding there never was much of a whaling industry in the Great Lakes...) And finally,

If I want to, I can call a dive when it's cold/murky/boring or I feel uneasy/cold/terrified and not have to justify my actions to anyone. In fact, I can lie through my teeth and tell anybody who asks that I just had the most amazing dive EVER!

 

[chilie]

If I want to I can arrive whenever I want to, dress at my own pace and dive for as little or long as I want. Go where I want and stay however long I want. When I ascend I can float in the water for 20 min on the surface just to float. I solo because I can do whatever I want(within safety reasons)

 

[Charlie99]

I can be sitting on the lanai of my Maui condo and say "Wow, looks like a nice day for a dive", and then be in the water within 30 minutes.

If I feel like playing peek-a-boo with a day octopus for a half hour, I can do so without worrying about whether my buddy is getting bored and going stir crazy.

My non-existent buddy never runs out of air before I do.

Nobody gives me strange looks if I decide to do my safety stop vertical, but head down, feet pointing towards the sky.

 

[PvtStash]

If I want to I can arrive whenever I want to, dress at my own pace and dive for as little or long as I want. Go where I want and stay however long I want. When I ascend I can float in the water for 20 min on the surface just to float. I solo because I can do whatever I want(within safety reasons)

Yes.

I don' solo (yet) , but when I do another reason in addition to the ones above, for me, is...

I dont want to be Responsible for anyone but me.


Its totally selfish. I don't want to have to keep tabs on you, make sure your ok and not drowning, etc.

Its not that I dont like divin' w/ buddies... , I've met some great people and good divers an I learn from All of them, but having that extra responsibility, that at any moment something might happen to my buddy that I'm gonna Have to respond to (quickly and correctly) keeps me from relaxing as much as perhaps I'd like to...

 

[james croft]

I found an old sailing ship anchor the other day while solo diving. There was no debate with anyone as to who gets to keep it.

 

[Hank49]

I'm tired of reading all these threads about the spiritual side of solo diving, and how diving alone somehow makes you a superior being...

Let's cut the crap

AAAAUUuuuuuuuummmmmmm.....(Add in the sound of dolphins chatting and seabirds in the background) SPLASH !!!
It's all about being one with the sea....long hair, brown rice, and that big, fat snapper I just speared.

 

[dannobee]

ILet's cut the crap and post the truth about why we like diving alone.

Because I can fart underwater without having to worry about what my buddy thinks.:11:

 

[jimdiverman]

I don't always solo dive, but when I do, it is usually in a cave. There are lots of little creatures to look at, and I can explore and learn the systems better if I am diving by myself, than if I am with someone else, and not leading. Its like when you need to learn how to get to a new place, and someone else drives you there. When you get there, you still don't really know how to drive yourself there until you actually get behind the wheel in the driver's seat and make those turns and memorize them for yourself.

 

[dave4868]

Solo lets me go as slow as I want, both in the water and out of the water.

Diving is a "No Rush Zone" for me....

Dave C (aka "Turtle")

 

[Zieg]

Solo lets me go as slow as I want, both in the water and out of the water.

Diving is a "No Rush Zone" for me....

Dave C (aka "Turtle")

It also allows me to go as fast as I want. I love getting underwater and going all out for as long as I can stand.