no dive buddy, dive solo?

[drydiver]

Another tactic and one that I used as a new diver with no buddies, was to use the buddy search function here, join a local dive club, post here about looking for dive buddies, or even pm someone you see posting from your area that sounds like-minded and ask. I agree it can be difficult sometimes finding like minded people...sometimes the only way to find out what you do and don't like in a potential buddy is to just get out and dive with new folks. If you are really lucky and mention that you are looking for a mentor, you may actually find one and be pleasantly surprised I did all those things, found an awesome mentor and now have lots of buddies. Can you tell I think it is more fun diving with buddies?


Donna

 

[darushin]

I have a Passion for scuba diving and I keep running into a situation where I want to dive but can't because I have no dive buddy. Seems kind of ridiculous that something like this can keep me from diving. Diving solo has crossed my mind many times but I want to get the boards advice about solo diving and if ill just get yelled at or frowned upon for doing that. I'm not doing super deep dives or anything out of the ordinary, I just want to get in the damn water. I'm not reckless and am probably the most careful person. Being a former marine, I'm very calculated in everything I do. Tried looking for buddies but, when I do find one, they are usually on a different page than me, or are just not reliable. I would enjoy things more solo. Thoughts?

At your exp. level I would highly recommend against it. Even when nothing goes wrong diving solo requires not just good planning but the ability to function effectively while being task loaded. Throw a problem into that equation, and to be honest even most experienced divers will be pressed out of their comfort zone. However if it is something you wish to do I would recommend sufferig for a little longer and pursue the following education leading up to a Solo diver cert.

1) Rescue Diver (very good for stress management and learning self rescue)
2) Side Mount (Good task loading practice. Also helps on redundancy requirement of Solo)
3) Cavern/Cave training (If you get a good instructor you will learn dive planning, situational awareness and self rescue)

Daru

 

[Fr8dawg]

I had the same problem starting out. Heck, im still starting out, really! Heres what I did, and am doing now. Take more classes! Just having the open water card really is a bare minimum level of training. Taking more classes will make you better and get you around diving untill you find some buddies. Hang out at the local shop (this is covered with taking classes!). You'll meet dive buddies in no time! I cant imagine why anyone would specifically choose to dive solo. I can see why someone would consider it for lack of buddies, but beyond that, i dont see the point. A cert for solo diving? no thanks... Its so much more fun to dive with other people, not to mention safer (most of the time at least).

 

[redacted]

I had the same problem starting out. Heck, im still starting out, really! Heres what I did, and am doing now. Take more classes! Just having the open water card really is a bare minimum level of training. Taking more classes will make you better and get you around diving untill you find some buddies. Hang out at the local shop (this is covered with taking classes!). You'll meet dive buddies in no time! I cant imagine why anyone would specifically choose to dive solo. I can see why someone would consider it for lack of buddies, but beyond that, i dont see the point. A cert for solo diving? no thanks... Its so much more fun to dive with other people, not to mention safer (most of the time at least).

Imagine being the only diver in the water on the entire island of Cozumel. There are many things that require 2 or more people to enjoy. Diving is not one of those things.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

With so few lifetime dives, you aren't equipped for solo diving.

Rather than seeing solo diving as the only option, perhaps you haven't fully explored all the ways of finding dive buddies.
Have you considered joining a dive club?
Another option is to take a class (AOW, peak performance buoyancy, drysuit, etc.) in order to meet potential buddies.
Or perhaps you'd hit it off with DIR divers in your area.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have a Passion for scuba diving and I keep running into a situation where I want to dive but can't because I have no dive buddy. Seems kind of ridiculous that something like this can keep me from diving. Diving solo has crossed my mind many times but I want to get the boards advice about solo diving and if ill just get yelled at or frowned upon for doing that. I'm not doing super deep dives or anything out of the ordinary, I just want to get in the damn water. I'm not reckless and am probably the most careful person. Being a former marine, I'm very calculated in everything I do. Tried looking for buddies but, when I do find one, they are usually on a different page than me, or are just not reliable. I would enjoy things more solo. Thoughts?

As someone who loves to solo dive, I'm going to suggest that it's the rare person who could do it safely and competently at your experience level ... assuming that your profile is accurate and you have less than 24 dives.

This is partly about skill, but more about mentality. First off, how do you prepare to deal with issues you haven't even imagined yet ... much less measured yourself against to see how well you'd handle them? Then there's the fact that an important part of what's going on as you gain experience is that you're acclimitizing yourself to an environment we humans were never designed for ... and "rewiring" instincts that serve us well on land, but can kill us quick underwater. At many levels, this is going on without your even being aware of it, because it's happening at the instinctive level ... much the same way as hours behind the wheel of a car better prepare you to avoid accidents even though you're not consciously thinking about it.

And finally ... are you really skilled enough? Most of us imagine ourselves as more skilled than we really are. The recreational training programs don't really test your ability to deal with spontaneous emergencies ... which is pretty much a fundamental skill for solo diving.

Some time back I wrote an article for folks like you ... enthusiastic, relatively inexperienced divers who were asking themselves if solo diving is right for them. You can find it here ... NWGratefulDiver.com

Please read it, and evaluate yourself honestly against the criteria of skills and mindset it describes. Solo diving is an individual decision ... nobody but you can really determine when you're ready to manage it responsibly. The agency that promotes a solo course sets a minimum limit of 100 dives for valid reasons ... but we're all unique individuals, and we each learn at our own pace and in our own way.

My thought is that, in general, if you have doubts about your readiness, you're probably not ready ... but without being able to dive with you and evaluate your physical skills, mental approach to diving, and psychological readiness to handle emergencies in a calm manner, nobody can really tell you whether or not you're ready to give it a try.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Scuba_Noob]

1. Not with your experience (0-24 dives)
2. Not without proper training (e.g., SDI solo diving course)
3. Not without proper redundant gear (i.e., pony bottle, second mask, etc.).

1. You have too few dives to be comfortable enough in water that you would be able to handle most possible emergencies. You haven't yet dealt with many of the potential issues underwater. Also, you haven't grown accustomed to your gear so that all the safety checks are second nature (e.g., checking your gauges regularly, etc.). You likely can't multitask well without sacrificing safety and buoyancy yet.

SDI has the 100 minimum, but I'd suggest more. Also, I wouldn't even contemplate solo diving until I at least was up to the rescue diver level and maybe the divemaster level.

2. Even with the experience, there are many things that could go wrong specific to solo diving. Taking a course and getting proper training will help prepare you for possible scenarios.

3. Even with proper training and experience, if you somehow run out of air or lose your mask (or any number of issues), you're going to be in a bad situation and you may panic with your current experience.

 

[TSandM]

I understand that it can be frustrating, when you want to dive and can't find anyone with whom to do it. I've been there -- in fact, I've been there a number of times recently! My work schedule is such that I have a lot of time to dive when other people aren't available (during the week, during the day) and my husband, who has a similar schedule, doesn't necessarily want to dive as much as I do. I have dived in my own pool (back when I was a novice) to work on my skills, and although I think to some degree even getting in a pool when there is no one nearby is risky, I did it.

The thing about pools is that they are pretty much a completely controlled environment. I know darned well my pool isn't silty (if it is, I'll can the pool care company) and that there aren't any nets or fishing line in it. My own personal pool is only 9 feet deep, and if I can't stand up in it, two good kicks will bring me to the surface. I solo dive in my pool. I won't do it anywhere else.

You see, the biggest issue that new divers have is not so much that their skills aren't polished, but more that they don't have the experience to know how they will react to problems. When you have a major problem underwater, the biggest thing you need is to remain calm and continue working on a solution. When you are a new diver, you have no idea whether you will be able to do that. Getting a bunch of dives under your belt will almost certainly introduce you to at least a few issues, and you can find out whether your first reaction is calm and methodical, or more emotional. People whose first reaction to an issue is adrenaline-filled are not good candidates for solo diving.

 

[Herb-alaska]

First off please don't jump all over me and this. This is my perspective and only mine.

Solo diving is a choice the same as all diving is. It is a choice about risk and how much risk you are willing to absorb for the reward that you obtain. You also have to review who and how much will the people around you be affected by your choice. If you go into the water and leave your dive buddy you are making a choice for him and that is not cool. If you walk into the water alone you make the choice for yourself. No one is going to be physically hurt by your choice because there will be no rescue it will be a recovery and in a recovery situation we make darn sure that no one else is going to be hurt to recover remains of a diver who is gone.

No for me I have been solo diving from dive 5 after my OW class. Was it smart not really would I tell you to do it no. But I respect your opportunity to make that choice if it is right for you. If you dive solo study think and plan what are you going to do if because no one else is going to be there to untangle you , remind you to check your air or hand you a regulator is you run short. I spent a lot of dives in the 20 - 26 area where we did our OW dive 1 - 4. I practice all my skills again and again. I added a pony that acts as my redundant source, I practice with my pony. I practice with removing my rig and putting it back at depth, I swim on my air 2 I swim with out my mask etc. I have taken every dive class available to me ( rescue ) and would take more if it was available, all because I know if it hits the fan it is up to me to figure it out. I know that the chances of a negative outcome of my diving are higher than if I had a buddy diver with me. I accept that risk and would not expect anyone to say anything on the boards other than he knew his choice and was doing what he wanted to do.

Why do I solo dive, I solo dive because I don't have a lot of dive buddies around. we live on a small island that does not have an active dive club, the club I follow is 500 air miles from me. I dive solo not by choice but if not I would have about 140 fewer dives than I do now. If I had a buddy call to dive I would dive with a buddy every time over solo, however I am not afraid to solo dive I don't think that diving solo is anything special other than a choice the same as if you choose to ride a motorcycle with out a helmet ( BTW I wear a helmet because there is no way i am ending up a vegetable on life support)

do I have a death wish no but I love to dive and darn it I am going to dive, as safely as I can. Think about your choice and make it and then don't whine or complain about the results of your choice and make sure if you have small children you stay out of the water until they no longer need you. Because their needs take priority over your need to dive.

End of my opinion

 

[Quero]

I'm a solo diver who often and rarely dives solo. That is, I have the training. I am effectively solo when I'm working with uncertified divers. When I dive for fun I always want a buddy, not just for safety, but because it's more enjoyable. In the worst cases, when I'm traveling alone (fairly often), I simply hire a DM to dive with me, particularly in unfamiliar places and at dive sites I've never visited.

Have you been reading the regional dive forum for your area here on SB? The Great Lakes Wrecking Crew covers Wisconsin, Great Lakes Wrecking Crew
and doing a search of that forum brings up a few threads in which Wisconsin-based divers have posted such as this fairly recent thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gr...w/371722-wi-diving-60-mile-radius-sparta.html
Perhaps just write to these guys and ask what they know about dive clubs, informal mentoring groups, scheduled trips, etc.

You could also introduce yourself to them all publicly in the regional forum and ask for advice about how to find buddies locally.