Diving is a solo responsibility conducted as a social activity

[GDI]

Diving is a solo responsibility conducted as a social activity

What does it mean to you?

What this statement means to me is

You are responsible for yourself, your equipment, your environment and your team.

Yourself, - limitations, comfort levels, training and experience, Your ability to handle stress and reactions to emergencies, dependency levels, health (emotional and physical), awareness, your habits, your response to others (buddies if not pure solo diving), risk assessment and acceptance

Your Equipment - is it ready, is it maintained correctly, it is correct for the dive plan at hand, correct redundency, correct gases, correct rigging and accessibility

Your Environment- depth (deep vs shallow), time, climate, water conditions, (overhead vs open water), geographical location, local resources availability

Your Team - Are you pure solo diving (thus yourself), Your family, Friends, Dive Buddies (their experience and training, equipment, comfort and stress levels- all of the same things you would look at in yourself)

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

GDI: Interesting statement.

And I agree.

Diving as part of a team would seem to be the exact opposite of diving solo, but my feeling (which I think you are expressing) is that each diver really is a solo diver in respect to being responsible for themselves, their skills, their equipment and their dive; but they also are expected to become "their brother's keeper" when diving with a buddy or part of a team.

If I can reword your original statement: I think divers have "matured" when they reach the point that they recognize that regardless of the number of divers around them, diving is a solo actvity that carries a social responsibility.

Best wishes.

 

[Cave Diver]

Diving is a solo responsibility conducted as a social activity

What does it mean to you?

I didn't read your answer, or any of the other responses yet, preferring not to be influenced by other posts.

It means to me, that I am solely responsible for what happens to me when I dive. It's up to me to make sure that I have the skills, the training and the equipment necessary. It's up to me to make sure that I am physically fit enough for the dive and that my
equipment is maintained and in good working order. I am responsible for making my own dive plan and in executing that plan.

The social part means that I am doing all of the above with a like minded buddy who is just as capable of doing each of these things on his own. I do not dive with them beyond my abilities because I believe my buddy can keep me safe, rather I dive with him because I'm assured he wont need me to do that either. As part of the socializing, we will go over the plan together, ensure we have what we need as a team and that we understand what each of our roles is during the dive. But if things go awry, each of us if fully capable of executing any or all of the plan by ourselves.

 

[AfterDark]

Diving is a solo responsibility conducted as a social activity

non-sequitor.
When I solo I dive alone. Nobody on shore, usually nobody in the water and usually at night. Only the fish are with me.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

How about "Diving is a solo responsibility, that may or may not be conducted as a social activity"?

Which I would suggest means that one is always responsible for one's own self, etc. (as outlined above), but may pursue the activity in the company of others if and as one so desires.