Covid's impact on your diving ...

[Pressurehead]

Agree. I think a pro diving with a student(s) is somewhere in between diving solo and with a certified buddy. Though it can be dangerous if the student panics. That get into the solo vs. instabuddy thing.

And 'that's the kicker'. Enough of this going around in circles.
Covid's impact on your diving
So many people now coming to Queensland [now we have opened our border] the traffic to and from some of my usual dive sites is a lot slower, and accommodation for the this crowd coming north is scarce [and surprise surprise the cost has gone up also].

 

[Blackcrusader]

Storker doesn't have to explain anything to anyone. I'm asking because I'm curious. I know that Storker is an underwater photographer and some photographers like to dive alone because catering to a buddy can become a nuisance when trying to get those great underwater shots.

Yup I like to take photos too. I Often buddy up with other photographers as we have more eyes looking for things. We ask each other what we want to get photos of and are patient with each other.

Sometimes if with an insta buddy they leave me and follow others if they are not interested. My dive buddies I plan vacations with will never do that. I will do the solo. I'm also comfortable being at a distance from other divers where if anything happened I can take care of things myself. It's sort of been that way how I was trained with my BSAC instructor. He really focused us on being able to deal with any difficulties by ourselves. My thing is that I have a very good SAC rate so often end dives earlier than I could. I also find other divers either get bored or cold after 60 minutes but I am fine doing 90 minute dives given the chance. As a lot of photography is done is shallower depths 2 hour dives are possible.

I've really considered that even when I dive with other people I am really alone it's not like they are watching you all the time.

Here's me with two instructors one an insta buddy for a few days the other a regular dive partner.
Sometimes I get good dive video from just hanging around.

 

[Ianb1122]

Was slated to conduct my dry suit course and then I got quarantined because of a close contact with a COVID positive person. All my tests were negative but had to miss the pool and open water dives for dry suit. It's cold enough here in Germany where my diving is now on hold until I can finish my dry suit course. :-(

 

[Storker]

So, why is it a hard "no" for you?

I was going to let this pass, because I'm under no obligation to defend my personal limits to anyone (just as no-one is under any obligation to defend their personal limits to me. Your personal limits are your personal limits, and there's no way I'm going to pressure you on those). But then came:

No, they are under no obligation to explain. But, if they are willing to explain, it may be helpful to others - they may have a thought process from which others can learn, perhaps they have had some experience that has informed their decision, and others can benefit from understanding. Maybe not. But, it is a very reasonable question to ask.

Storker doesn't have to explain anything to anyone. I'm asking because I'm curious. I know that Storker is an underwater photographer and some photographers like to dive alone because catering to a buddy can become a nuisance when trying to get those great underwater shots.

Yes, I usually carry a camera when diving. Unless I'm picking clams, in which case my catch bag and handling it when it's almost bursting is occupying a significant amount of my mental bandwidth. But since I'm a buddy diver at heart, I'm not shooting macro. Because I have this idea that macro UV photo is pretty boring for the buddy. I shoot WA and enjoy using my buddy as a model, and - with a good buddy who I'm familiar with - get the bonus of having my buddy help me spot good subjects.

But I've always been a buddy diver. Even my worst buddies have given me a feeling of security better than diving alone. Perhaps because diving up here is in individual buddy pairs responsible for planning and executing their dive, not as a flock of sheep blindly following a DM. My buddies are generally truly independent divers, as anyone with an OW cert or similar should be.

After nearly a couple hundred dives, I've gotten used to diving together. I also thoroughly enjoy the pre-dive anticipation and banter, the soundless communication underwater and the post-dive chat. It gives me another dimension to the whole experience. So, both for perceived safety and the total experience, I choose to dive with a buddy. If they're better divers than I am, I learn something new, if they're n00bs I get to pay back to the diving community some of what I got from the community when I was a n00b by (hopefully gently) mentoring the n00b.

Diving solo would be a watered-down experience for me, and being used to having a wingperson covering my arse it would make the whole dive less enjoyable.

 

[TMHeimer]

Lots of discussion always on solo vs. buddy, always with good points made by both sides. One thing about solo recently is you're about as safe as you can be regarding Covid. Which relates to the thread title.
Diving aside, since March I have passed several times when people not from my "bubble" have suggested we drive somewhere together.

 

[Colliam7]

I'm under no obligation to defend my personal limits to anyone (just as no-one is under any obligation to defend their personal limits to me.

ABSOLUTELTY!

But I've always been a buddy diver. Even my worst buddies have given me a feeling of security better than diving alone. Perhaps because diving up here is in individual buddy pairs responsible for planning and executing their dive, not as a flock of sheep blindly following a DM. My buddies are generally truly independent divers, as anyone with an OW cert or similar should be.

After nearly a couple hundred dives, I've gotten used to diving together. I also thoroughly enjoy the pre-dive anticipation and banter, the soundless communication underwater and the post-dive chat. It gives me another dimension to the whole experience. So, both for perceived safety and the total experience, I choose to dive with a buddy. If they're better divers than I am, I learn something new, if they're n00bs I get to pay back to the diving community some of what I got from the community when I was a n00b by (hopefully gently) mentoring the n00b.

Diving solo would be a watered-down experience for me, and being used to having a wingperson covering my arse it would make the whole dive less enjoyable.

THIS is truly a great explanation of one diver's thinking. THANK YOU for posting it.

When someone asks, 'WHY', it is not necessarily a basis for a follow-up 'gotcha'. It is the fact that many members truly want to understand the rationale behind other diver's decisions. And, you have done a great job of providing that!

 

[Dody]

Without the Covid, I would not be a diver. Usually, I am a workaholic. Dealing with several missions at the same time in several countries. With the travel restrictions, I have been working a single mission for the last months and even though my revenue dropped, I used the spare time to learn diving, get certified and hooked (I dive several times a week). I just hope that when life returns to normal, I will still have the time to dive regularly. I mainly travel through Africa and never know where I will be in 12 months.

 

[Pressurehead]

Without the Covid, I would not be a diver. Usually, I am a workaholic. Dealing with several missions at the same time in several countries. With the travel restrictions, I have been working a single mission for the last months and even though my revenue dropped, I used the spare time to learn diving, get certified and hooked (I dive several times a week). I just hope that when life returns to normal, I will still have the time to dive regularly. I mainly travel through Africa and never know where I will be in 12 months.

Great to hear something positive, well done.

 

[Dan]

I thought 2020 would be my busy diving season, starting with a trip to Raja Ampat in January, Raja Ampat Jan 2020 Trip Report

I had 6 other trips planned for the rest of the year:
1. French Polynesia in May
2. Guadalupe, MX in July
3. Jupiter, FL in August
4. Cocos, CR in September
5. Tiger Beach, BS in November
6. Raja Ampat, ID in December

Then COVID-19 messes everything up:
1. French Polynesia trip was cancelled, French Polynesia Master is moving to Galápagos & rescheduled me to Galápagos in November 2021.
2. Guadalupe trip was rescheduled to November 2021.
3. Jupiter trip was cancelled.
4. Cocos trip was rescheduled to September, 2021.
5. Tiger Beach trip is rescheduled to early next year with TBA dates.
6. Raja Ampat trip is cancelled.

Fortunately one of my dive buddies is an avid cyclist and let me rebuilt his old road bike & I found a new hobby, cycling. I started to cycle in March. Did it almost everyday (20-30 miles/day on weekdays & 40-80 miles on weekends). Lost 20 lbs so far.

In between cycling activities, I dived twice in local lake Mammoth Lake, Mammoth Lake 2020 Part 2 and tried to boat dive to Kraken/Rig in the Gulf of Mexico twice, but bad weather kept blowing off the plan.

Finally, @Dom@DiveAdvice posted some good deals and I booked the Okeanos Aggressor I for Dec. 1-11, 2020. So here I’m in Costa Rica to complete my 2020 diving activities.

My 2021 diving plan, so far is:
1. Socorro in January (if there’s a good deal).
2. Belize in February
3. Tiger Beach sometimes in 1Q.
4. Socorro in May
5. Malpelo in July
6. Sangalaki in August
7. Cocos in September
8. Guadalupe in November
9. Galápagos in November
10. Raja Ampat in December

Update:
Just came back from Cocos. So I made 66 dives this year.

My 2021 diving plan, so far is:
1. Socorro in January.
2. Belize in February
3. Tiger Beach sometimes in 1Q.
4. Socorro in May
5. Malpelo in July
6. Silver Banks in April
7. Sangalaki in August
8. Cocos in September
9. Guadalupe in November
10. Galápagos in November
11. Raja Ampat in December

 

[elpiratafer]

Just as @Dody the Covid situation has brought me into diving. I was on holidays this summer up northwest of Spain (Galicia) and was jealous of the people diving so I started my OWD ACUC training in Madrid...and just when we were about to go to the sea we were enclosed again, so half way there. Now I just spend most of my spare time reading about diving, watching videos to learn a bit more and reading boards just like this. Not sooner things start to clear a bit I´ll finish my course and, hopefully, I´ll be heading to the beach...fingers crossed!!! Any suggestions for a (half-way to certify) OWD?