Solo or not?

[stakanak]

Well I have been on Vancouver Island now for two weeks without a hit from any locals on buddying up for a shore dive.
I currently have 22 dives and an AOW certification.
I was thinking of diving Ogden Point in Victoria on Sunday solo. It is a very popular spot with little current and diver markers on the breakwall. The LDS is in front of the dive spot.
Questions:
Should I have concerns on diving solo and if so, what are those concerns?
Thanks!
Mark

 

[seaducer]

The concerns could be a great many. Including cold water, limited viz, strange environment, lack of experience, anxiety about all those things.

Entanglement hazards, unexpected changes in conditions, gear failure, getting lost, losing equipment, having physical problems like cramps...the list goes on sort of like that.

Solo diving is a personal decision, one that IMHO should be made when you have sufficient experience to understand all the risks, and the ability to deal with them all.

Only you know if you can do that.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

At this point, you shouldn't think about diving solo. You need to have the proper mindset, training, and experience to mitigate the risks of diving solo. Not only would you have to worry about air supply issues, cold temperature, low vis, BCD problems, deep diving concerns (narcosis, CO2 retention, gas planning), and solving entanglement issues on your own, but you are also not familiar at all with the dive sites in that area. That's a recipe for disaster. Do yourself and your family a favor. Don't solo dive...especially there.

One option would be to pay a local dive guide to show you around underwater. The local should know where all the cool things are...and presumably he/she would be a safe, well-trained, attentive dive professional with rescue skills. Most importantly, the local dive guide would help pick a dive site with topography and conditions appropriate for your level of dive training and experience.

I'm sorry to hear that none of the locals have offered to dive with you. That's too bad. That would have been a good option.

 

[spectrum]

I hope seaducers 2nd paragraph illustrated why most that follow will say you are not yet prepared for a solo dive in an open water situation.

Your phase is common. Most divers go though this phase. This is followed by an awakening that has you saying "no way". Eventually some divers gain the experience, skills and gear then come to terms with the risks and do go solo. At this point you don't know what you don't know. It's a cliche but also the reality. Should it go sour there may not be an "Undo Button".

Pete

Pete

 

[StevenN]

I'm of the mindset that if you think to yourself "Am I okay to dive solo?" then the answer is probably no.
I do understand you wanting to dive and Bubbletrubble's idea about finding a guide is a good bet. (Maybe from the LDS at the dive spot?)
Good luck, I wish I was in the area, I really enjoy going out with new divers.

 

[walrus2]

I found myself in the exact same position, also at Ogden Point, with a similar number of dives

I got a guided dive with a DM from the dive shop. The dive was fun but it took a while until the shop got its act together and actually had two people (one to run the shop, one to go diving) on site. The breakwater is really nice, sloping down from the rubble at the breakwater with a lot of stuff living among the rubble and kelp. There can be significant waves, I wasn't used to fishing line in the water, and the locals have a special backflop entry to clear the top rubble without getting entangled in the kelp. Kelp might still be small this time of the year though. I also looked at charters. There are several options near Victoria, including from the same dive shop to Race Rocks, but when I visited there was nothing on weekdays.

If you haven't done so yet it's worth checking out Swankenstein's page (scubaboard username). He has a million photos of the breakwater and many other sites near Victoria.

 

[Van Isle]

There are free DM -led dives every Saturday from Frank White's Dive Store (meet at 0930), and every Sunday from Beyond Deep Diving (meet at 0900). I'm going camping this weekend or I'd buddy with you. Call ahead to reserve gear if you need to rent.

Drop in dives are a GREAT way to meet new buddies, even if they're very temporary. I would not recommend solo diving to a new diver, especially in 48F water with <3ft visibility. At a new site. I think if you need to ask if you're ready, you're not.

Are you in town for a while? Try posting in the local forum

VI

 

[jjhill]

I've dove the breakwater many a time and in my opinion it is not as easy as a dive as you may think. First of all if you want to see a lot of the good stuff ie the wolf eels then you have to hoof your gear and weights a conciderable distance. That alone has been known to get people so exahusted that the dive is a little harder than normal. The currents are also as you say usually very mild, but they arn't always. There can be currents especially at the far end of the breakwater that can push you around he corner where you do not want to be.

The location is also popular with fisherman so there is a lot of fishing line in the water, as well as a lot of kelp so the entanglement potential is also a concideration.

Mix this with cold water, only 22 dives experience, and unfamiliarity with the site and I would say no you are not ready to go solo.

Before even thinking about going solo you should have a much better knowledge of the site. its potential hazards, you should have more experience, you need to have a pony bottle for redundancy, in a spot like the breakwater if you are going to solo it you need 2 cutting tools due to the fish line and kelp. You need to have a backup plan ie telling somone at the shop or elsewhere your intentions, dive plan, ect and tell them that if you do not check back in after a reasonable amount of time then to send in additional help.

The breakwater may seem like an easy dive but for a solo diver it is not necesarily that easy.

My advice, get a buddy, there are a lot of divers on the breakwater ask around I'm sure you will have no problem finding someone. It is a great dive site and can be a lot of fun! Night dives on the breakwater are especially cool!!

 

[k ellis]

Id have to agree to wait until you get some more experience. I dive the local area solo on occasion but only to a maximum of 20 feet and with a shore spotter to watch for my inflatable safety sausage to come up signaling Im tangled up in something. I also have strict rules of not going near wrecks and other hazards as to prevent entanglement. I also went and purchased a book from a SDI shop called solo diver. Although I never took the course as its rather pricey I still got the beneifit of learning from the book and would recommend you read the book too. Its got some great information.

 

[Hatul]

Why don't you sign up for a boat dive, that way you're almost guaranteed a buddy.

Adam