Anything else I should have/do

[Hawkeyegregg]

I do a lot of solo dives and my loved ones regularly express concern as I'm sure many of you also experience. I've read through a great many of the posts here and talked to other solo divers but I thought I'd post what I do to minimize risk and ask if there are other things I should have or do short of not soloing.

Things I have or do:
1. I am comfortable with and confident in my gear
2. I dive an area I litterally know as well as my backyard
3. I carry a sturdy and sharp knife
4. I carry a pony bottle
5. I almost always dive under 30' and never more than 40'
6. I "file" a dive plan
7. I have a bcd mounted air wistle
8. I carry a signal tube

So am I missing anything?

 

[MrConclusion]

Sounds pretty good.

Maybe consider adding a pair of "EMT Shears" because they are useful for cutting monofilament or metal lines. I prefer to carry two cutting tools in separate locations, in case one is dropped or unreachable during entanglement.

 

[Hawkeyegregg]

A good and simple idea - redundancy, redundancy.

 

[Charlie99]

I carry a knife and EMT shears, both on lanyards that go around my wrist before I use them.

At 30' or 40' I wouldn't bother with a pony, particularly if it increases the hazards of a surf entry.

Make sure your exposure protection is adequate. Going hypothermic makes you go stupid; and you aren't bringing along a redundant brain.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

How and with who do you file the dive plan? I always let my fiance know where, when, how deep and how long I plan to be. It's also a good idea to let them know the purpose of the dive, ie:Nav practice, S&R, fish ID, whatever. Eases their concerns that I'm not practicing UW demolition. I also always carry a small reel and lift bag along with a safety sausage. A primary and backup light. on day dives usually a surge and Q40. Necessary maybe not but it helps where I dive as at 40 ft it can sometimes be kinda dark and looking underneath the platforms for fish and dropped items requires a light. I second the shears also. I also back up my computer with a dive watch, tables and backup depth guage. Of course it's not unusual for some of my solo's to be in excess of 80-100 ft. I have a console mounted compass and a wrist one as well. I'll take the wrist one when vis is real bad and want to have my hands free. I'll also be adding a finger spool to use as a further aid when the reel is too much. And I'll second good proper exposure protection. And unless it's really hazardous to entries and exits I'd keep right on using that pony. Your octo even shallow may not be good enough if your reg fails. Better redundant than bent or dead. Have fun and be safe.

 

[Charlie99]

. A primary and backup light. on day dives usually a surge and Q40. Necessary maybe not but it helps where I dive as at 40 ft it can sometimes be kinda dark and looking underneath the platforms for fish and dropped items requires a light.

Another reason for carrying that light is that it's a very good surface signalling tool if you end up drifting until it's dark. Two other items always in my BCD that aren't on the original poster's list are 1) signal mirror, and 2) lung-powered whistle (in addition to the Dive Alert).


My "dive plan" is simply telling my wife what site or sites I intend to dive, and when I should be back. This only helps if I get caught in a current and pulled offshore. In the warm water of Maui, an hour or two delay in starting to look for me isn't a big deal. In colder waters, it could be.

 

[gjm]

One thing that I've discovered since solo diving is that I listen to that voice in the back of my head. If something doesn't look or feel right I call the dive. I think being mentally prepared to dive is also extremely important to solo diving. If I'm not with it I don't dive.

enjoy the dive

john

 

[Diver0001]

I do a lot of solo dives and my loved ones regularly express concern as I'm sure many of you also experience. I've read through a great many of the posts here and talked to other solo divers but I thought I'd post what I do to minimize risk and ask if there are other things I should have or do short of not soloing.

Things I have or do:
1. I am comfortable with and confident in my gear
2. I dive an area I litterally know as well as my backyard
3. I carry a sturdy and sharp knife
4. I carry a pony bottle
5. I almost always dive under 30' and never more than 40'
6. I "file" a dive plan
7. I have a bcd mounted air wistle
8. I carry a signal tube

So am I missing anything?

Good list.

By "file" a dive plan do you also mean that you leave instructions for someone to alert 911 when you don't come back on time?

Something I would consider adding to the list is "cell-phone"

Also I personally do solo dives in places where if you have an accident (in this case I mean like falling down and breaking a bone or something on entry/exit or such-like) that someone is likely to happen along and see you. This happened to a buddy of mine. He slipped and got his leg jammed between two rocks and fell over sideways and broke it. He was is far too much pain to get himself all the way back to the car to call the EMS.

In other words. Don't just plan contingencies for the in-water part of a solo dive. Plan it from door-to-door.

R..

 

[rmannix]

It is a slight advantage when diving solo that there's no worries about ending a dive.
Nobody to PO or argue with.

 

[rivertanker]

A lot of good info here. I would add that it helps me to solw down when solo diving. I just take more time to do a predive check and then, in the water, ramp up your situational awareness during the dive. Remember, there is no buddy to point out airleaks or that you dont look so good.

On the other hand, without the other diver, you can take as long as you like. For me , sometimes the best part of a dive comes after. I sit on the shore and make some coffee on a small stove, heat a hot snack while watching the day draw to a close and write up my log.

I love what somebody said here: "safety is great, just dont let it get in the way of life"