diving alone

[Nemrod]

"Has anyone here ever dove alone ? i know its not recommended and probley a stupid thing to do, but i realy wanna get out diving and noone to dive with right now "

I don't understand this, in a SOLO DIVER forum saying solo diving is "probably stupid". If this where the DIR forum this would have been removed as a troll.

No, it is not stupid, it is not dangerous, and the divers here are not stupid or dangerous. The dangers of solo diving are way overblown. The dangers are essentially the same as when buddy diving except cut in half. Let's see, people solo climb, solo fly, solo drive, solo sail around the world, solo boat, solo hike and solo everything, why not solo dive. The answer is that of course people solo dive, always have. N

 

[jakubson]

I don't think you still get the point.....

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Rodales has traditionally given favorable exposure to active advertisers.. So their opinions should be viewed with this in mind.. It wouldn't be in thier best interest to rip a product that is from a big advertiser.

this topic has been beaten to death many times.. 3cf is nothing.. 60fm is not the recommended ascent rate 30fpm is..

that means it takes 1 minute to ascend between 70 and 40 ft for an average depth of 55 fsw (2.67 atas) with a very reasonable rmv of 1.0 cuft/min that means you need 2.67 cuft of gas to get to 40 ft..

now we will take .67 minutes to get to 20 fsw (average depth 30 fsw or 1.9 atas) that means you need another 1.27cuft to get to 20 feet.. ooops you are out of gas..

to do a 3 minute safety stop (1.6 atas) you need 4.8 cu ft and finally .67 ascent to surface avg depth 10 fsw (1.3 atas) or .87 cu ft of gas..

the total required is.... 2.67+.1.27+4.8+.87=9.61 cuft of gas, a panicked diver is probably more like 1.5 cuft per min or greater..14.4 cuft+, at 80 fsw your requirement is a bit higher

Those who use the ANDI or NASDS ascent procedures would require even more gas..

The only thing a spare air is good for is to prevent an ESA, if you are going to bother spending the money and carrying something you should use the right tools.. not something thats basically a pipe dream..

All the above assumes you can immediately go to the surface.. There are many areas where you MUST go up and down an ascent/descent line.. it could take you several minutes to get to this point, you would be out of gas before you even got to the line..
The following recommendations are for a diver in control
13 cuft is adequate for about 80 fsw, 19 cuft about 100, and 30 cuft for about 130.. someone with a higher RMV would have to adjust these sizes.

Here is a spreadsheet I used to decide on a 13 cu.ft. pony to use. My main motivation was to have a pony to travel with for tropical diving. Based on the attached, I can dive solo to 90 ft. Since I rarely dive solo to 90 ft., I felt comfortable going with 13 cu. ft. I can always cut the safety stop by a minute if my assumptions are off, but I tried to be conservative. You can use this spreadsheet to find your own comfort level. DISCLAIMER: I am not saying this is THE answer - just that this is MY answer. YMMV.

 

[Hoosier]

Joel,



I think you are in the category that I referred:



The following recommendations are for a diver in control
13 cuft is adequate for about 80 fsw, 19 cuft about 100, and 30 cuft for about 130.. someone with a higher RMV would have to adjust these sizes.

Here is a spreadsheet I used to decide on a 13 cu.ft. pony to use. My main motivation was to have a pony to travel with for tropical diving. Based on the attached, I can dive solo to 90 ft. Since I rarely dive solo to 90 ft., I felt comfortable going with 13 cu. ft. I can always cut the safety stop by a minute if my assumptions are off, but I tried to be conservative. You can use this spreadsheet to find your own comfort level. DISCLAIMER: I am not saying this is THE answer - just that this is MY answer. YMMV.

 

[Bwanar]

First, I don't think your getting much after 150psi through your reg. and that is cutting it pretty close. You should have at least 500psi in reserve upon completion.

Here is a spreadsheet I used to decide on a 13 cu.ft. pony to use. My main motivation was to have a pony to travel with for tropical diving. Based on the attached, I can dive solo to 90 ft. Since I rarely dive solo to 90 ft., I felt comfortable going with 13 cu. ft. I can always cut the safety stop by a minute if my assumptions are off, but I tried to be conservative. You can use this spreadsheet to find your own comfort level. DISCLAIMER: I am not saying this is THE answer - just that this is MY answer. YMMV.

 

[jakubson]

First, I don't think your getting much after 150psi through your reg. and that is cutting it pretty close. You should have at least 500psi in reserve upon completion.

I agree, but these are all "worst case" assumptions. Assuming double consumption rate for the entire ascent and safety stop, assuming a 0.5 minute delay at max depth before beginning ascent, and assuming I am starting at 90 ft. are all worst case. Also, if I do get low on air (since I dive air in the pony), I can cut the safety stop down to 1 or 2 minutes. Since I never get into the yellow on my computer (thank you, geezer gas), in this triple worst case scenario I would be willing to shorten the stop. Since I do not expect all the worst case assumptions to hold true, I do not expect that to happen, but I will be PREPARED for it to happen.

 

[fishnchips]

I thought this thread is about Brand0n asking question on solo diving? I don't see him asking any question about Spare Air or pony bottle.

 

[jakubson]

I thought this thread is about Brand0n asking question on solo diving? I don't see him asking any question about Spare Air or pony bottle.

Just trying to share a tool I made - it won't happen again.

Bye.

 

[Goose75]

Just trying to share a tool I made - it won't happen again.

Bye.

Jakubson,

Off topic or not, thanks for the tool.

 

[jakubson]

Jakubson,

Off topic or not, thanks for the tool.

My pleasure - just trying to give back to the community.

 

[djbobbyzee]

My 2 Cents:

Solo diving's risks should be fairly apparent to the diver. If they're not, please re-read your OW manual. Nix buddy breathing, air-share, spare-air, etc. The diver must be self reliant.

I'm a mate on a local charter. My job: anchor dive & assist patrons in the water (and also on the boat). Much of my time is spent on the bottom as either a tour guide or a point of reference near the anchor line... 90% of it is spent alone. I've discovered with the appropriate amount of planning, experience, preparedness, & overall comfort in the water... solo diving is NEARLY as safe as buddy diving. Depth also predicates how 'safe' a solo dive is or is not. Personally, I will not dive beyond 60' without direct contact with the dive group. Shallower than 60' they're free to roam. The boat captain gives me complete control of the dive once in the water.

I have also too often seen 'buddies' who are a danger to one another. Mismatched divers either tend to separate, or push themselves beyond the ability level of the weaker diver. I've performed multiple assists & rescues this year alone. Each diver is different & no one can predict how they will handle a situation until it arises.

Dive solo if and ONLY IF you are 110% confident in your problem management skills & experience level. Prepare yourself mentally, physically, & with the appropriate equipment.

Just my 2 bits.
Bobby