So who're the Solo Divers out there and did you learn anything useful / extra?

[victorzamora]

Switch to the redundant air supply (we used a 40cf sidemounted tank for that)

Sidemounted or slung?

Reason I'm asking is because I've been curious about gas planning for solo dives when sidemount. It seems like you could almost use more of your tanks in SM solo vs with a buddy, just using "normal" rock-bottom gas planning. This is some training I want my wife and I to both get. The best rescue is self-rescue, and I think this training would go a long way even if you don't plan on diving solo.

 

[Progen]

The instructor called it sidemounted out of convenience and I just followed suit. Top was clipped to the shoulder D-ring and the bottom to the waist D-ring.

Anyway, I made a huge mistake in my solo dive which I only realized after about 10 minutes and I was already somewhere in 13 -15 metres of water. I'd forgotten to brief the boatcrew before jumping into the water. Now I have to keep knocking my head and tell myself that IF I were to dive solo outside the confines of a course where no one has any idea of the direction I'd be heading and if I forgot again, I MUST abort the dive, surface and if there's still enough air, brief the boatcrew before going down again.

One more thing that the solo dive had taught me was how important it was to stick to the planned course. Just one turn to look at something on either side, another 10 - 15 kicks without getting back on course and there's a good chance you'll be way off.

 

[chillyinCanada]

And where do you leave your dive plan if doing shore dive?

 

[dkktsunami]

Ditto

 

[oldschoolto]

All I ever knew was solo diving.... I can't Imagine getting in the water not 100% ready to save my own life.... Having a buddy is great and all, BUT... I don't count on it... I guess I'm just old school....

Jim...

 

[Progen]

And where do you leave your dive plan if doing shore dive?

Wasn't mentioned unfortunately but if I were to do one, I'll probably inform two friends where I'll be going, what I'll be doing and what time I'll check in by phone, failing which they were to send help. Definitely much riskier than having a boatcrew minutes away but if it were just a matter of being dragged out to sea, I'll stand a much better chance of survival than if no one had a clue where I had gone.

Or I could just leave my dive plan with the lawyer to be read out together with my will.




Here I was after the surface swim. I wanted to swim all the way to the jetty and climb out myself but there was just too much boat traffic there so the instructor called me up to the boat instead. I held the extra tall SMB high during the swim JUST IN CASE! Had no urge to become propeller bait that day.

 

[tursiops]

I've taught the course to maybe 35 divers. They all learned something. Most of them had never given a thought to SAC rates and how to plan a dive around gas usage. Most viewed a Spare Air as a cool tool; they realized how little it might help them because it is too little. Most realized that diving solo is a different head trip than diving with a buddy. Most now dive with a buddy anyway, but are sensitized to being self-sufficient at all times. And some of them were "diving solo" prior to the class, but without an independent air source, without any gas planning, and without any thought as to what might go wrong and what they would do about it. they were the ones that probably benefitted the most from the class.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It looks like I'll be offering the course this coming season. Just need to send in the paperwork. What I learned in my SDI Solo course was a bit of everything that any OW diver should know - gas planning, self-rescue skills, SMB deployment, and sticking to a plan once it's made but I was fortunate in that I had an instructor who was also a long time cave diver and instructor.

We did the SMB deployment from depth and reg recovery skills maskless. Take the mask off and slide it over your arm. Then while hovering neutral and horizontal get the SMB and Spool out, attach the SMB to the spool, deploy it, and then surface. Put the mask back on and descend. And do this without changing position in the water column by more than a foot or two.

He also had doubles set ups for those that did not have them and we did valve drills with the mask off.
Everyone also had to sling a bottle.

I also learned during this class to always carry a mirror. Not just for signaling. I mean how else are you going to do a buddy check, bubble check underwater, and surface gear check without one? You're alone. Your buddy is staring back at you in the mirror. It's also a good time to ask that guy if this dive is a good idea. Now I always have one and find it more and more useful. I recommend it in my wreck class. Nice safe way to check the top of that opening without sticking your whole head into it. I use it to reflect light into some areas.

And if taught properly you can fail it as well or maybe learn that Solo Diving is not for you. And I have also been fortunate to on several occasions dived and trained with the editor of the course. Open the cover of the manual - Steve Lewis (aka Doppler) not only edited it but wrote a good bit of it(anyone familiar with any of his other works like "The Six Skills" can see his style throughout the book).

And my Solo Instructor? - a little farther down on the page - Bill Downey

 

[AfterDark]

And where do you leave your dive plan if doing shore dive?

I leave mine at home and in my car both.

---------- Post added November 29th, 2013 at 12:01 PM ----------

Some places require them; which was the reason I got one.

I avoid those places.

 

[RJP]

Some places require them

I avoid those places.

You must avoid A LOT of places...

:shocked2:

Most places don't allow solo diving even with a cert. I once emailed a dive op in Curaçao to asked if they allowed solo diving with a solo c-card...

"Sure as long as your buddy has one too..."



That said, they didn't say anything about me driving away with tanks in my car.

---------- Post added November 29th, 2013 at 02:26 PM ----------

Wasn't mentioned unfortunately but if I were to do one, I'll probably inform two friends where I'll be going, what I'll be doing and what time I'll check in by phone, failing which they were to send help. Definitely much riskier than having a boatcrew minutes away but if it were just a matter of being dragged out to sea, I'll stand a much better chance of survival than if no one had a clue where I had gone.

Leaving a dive plan with someone elsewhere in case of emergency is really just a way to make sure that your body has a better chance of being recovered.