Certification question

[mello-yellow]

I know solo certifications exist. I do not have one.

I do have NAUI technical certification -- advanced nitrox and decompression. I was told this "counts as solo certification" or "solo certification is included in tech", but never saw it in writing. Is this actually true?

I dive solo quite often, but never to decompression depths.

 

[mike.chuanshi]

I'm not a tech diver, but my instructor is a tech diver/instructor and has brought this subject up a few times. Based on what he has said, I'm under the impression that tech is always solo to some degree, simply because you have to be prepared to be self-reliant in the event that something happens. He has always said that he doesn't advocate for or against going diving alone because that is a decision that only the diver can make. That being said, it seems implied that being a certified tech diver provides the option of going alone.

Like I said, I'm not a tech diver personally so I could be totally off the mark. I'd be very interested in hearing what some of the veteran tech divers on here think about this.

 

[flots am]

I'm not a tech diver, but my instructor is a tech diver/instructor and has brought this subject up a few times. Based on what he has said, I'm under the impression that tech is always solo to some degree, simply because you have to be prepared to be self-reliant in the event that something happens. He has always said that he doesn't advocate for or against going diving alone because that is decision that only the diver can make. That being said, it seems implied that being a certified tech diver provides the option of going alone.

Like I said, I'm not a tech diver personally so I could be totally off the mark. I'd be very interested in hearing what some of the veteran tech divers on here think about this.

That depends on your risk tolerance and how you plan your dive.

There are divers that always dive with an identically trained and equipped buddy and do gas planning assuming one will always have enough gas to cover any failure in the other.

Solo divers plan their dive to be self-reliant, and don't include their buddy in gas calculations either as a donor or a recipient.

This is completely up to the diver and his/her risk tolerance and confidence in the ability to handle anything.

I'm solo certified and will happily do pretty much any no-deco dive solo. However there's absolutely no way I'll do any sort of overhead dive solo, since the penalty for "being wrong and solo with an overhead" is generally death.

flots.

 

[knotical]

It depends in part on the use to which you would put such a certification. If you intend to solo dive with a charter boat or resort dive operation, it will depend entirely on what certification (if any) they will accept to allow solo diving. Some would recognize certain tech certs as inclusive of solo, some not.

 

[mello-yellow]

That was kind of part of my point -- what is solo certification FOR, anyway? I've never seen a dive boat captain ask for one.

 

[doctormike]

That was kind of part of my point -- what is solo certification FOR, anyway? I've never seen a dive boat captain ask for one.

I have, and have used it. Our local quarry also requires it.

I guess tech training includes redundant gas supply, which is really all that solo requires, so it would make sense from a training point of view. It would be up to each captain to make that call, I guess.

The SDI solo course makes it clear - no overhead, virtual or physical.

 

[Dive-aholic]

That was kind of part of my point -- what is solo certification FOR, anyway? I've never seen a dive boat captain ask for one.

There are some quarries and dive boats that do require the SDI Solo Diver card before they will allow divers to dive solo. As has already been stated, the SDI Solo course is a strictly recreational no decompression course. It's intended for single cylinder divers with buddy bottles. That being said, a tech cert does not substitute for an SDI Solo card. Tech classes are about being self-sufficient and not depending on your buddy. They are not about solo diving. While the skills may be the same, the mind set is completely different.

 

[dytis-sm]

I also have not seen anyone ask for a solo certification card. The card does not qualify you, it is your ability to be self-reliant for everything and anything while diving. So I am not sure why you are concerned if your card "covers" you to dive solo.

Solo diving requires a lot of planning and going into deco is ok if planned (with adequate reserves). Personally I am not a solo advocate, or plan to dive solo, but end up solo sometimes either because of a lousy buddy or losing one while hunting. So I am always prepared to continue and end a dive on my own. Was I trained? Yes and no... I have gone through (very meticulously) the TDI solo manual which pretty much covers everything you need to plan for. I have not cross checked what I self studied in the actual class, but that is an amount of risk I am willing to take...

 

[doctormike]

The card does not qualify you, it is your ability to be self-reliant for everything and anything while diving.

Well, I guess, in the sense that a cave card doesn't qualify you to dive in caves, and a trimix card doesn't qualify you to dive trimix. But I think that the whole point of certification is that the cards are seen as evidence of past training, by third parties who have a liability interest in controlling what sort of diving is done from their boat or on their prop. Do with that what you will...

So I am not sure why you are concerned if your card "covers" you to dive solo.

Because there are places where you can't solo dive without a solo card

going into deco is ok if planned (with adequate reserves).

Not according to the SDI solo course. But maybe other agencies are OK with that, and I know that a lot of people do that in our area (NYC).

Personally I am not a solo advocate, or plan to dive solo, but end up solo sometimes either because of a lousy buddy or losing one while hunting. So I am always prepared to continue and end a dive on my own. Was I trained? Yes and no... I have gone through (very meticulously) the TDI solo manual which pretty much covers everything you need to plan for. I have not cross checked what I self studied in the actual class, but that is an amount of risk I am willing to take...

Sure, that would be your call. As long as you don't involve a boat captain or a quarry that has a problem with it, there is no scuba police...

 

[Steve_C]

Have had a couple times (Jules in Key Largo and on a boat in the Keys) that allowed solo with the card. Solo is not my first choice but if there is nobody else to dive with it comes in handy. Never had them say solo card or tech card. Have had a time or two where they took the DM card before I got the solo one.