Doing it by yourself

[LavaSurfer]

You can use independent doubles, with two regs. Or a pony. Or rely on the surface, if you are within twice your free dive limit. Whatever you are comfortable with. It's your life, after all.

I would be comfortable making a CESA from 40 ft but I would really like the added comfort of having at least a Pony.

My biggest fear isn't so much an OOA situation as having some other emergency arise that a buddy could assist with.

I have never dove solo but am considering all the risks as I have lots of opportunity to do so. Next week I am in Roatan alone and want to do a lot of diving. Fantasy Island Pier I hear is literally feet away from a nice wall dive.


Scooter

 

[Scuba]

Besides, safety is way over rated, live dangerous, die free.

I always get a chuckle when I read these words. You always seem to place them at an opportune point. Maybe they just naturally fit almost anywhere - in this forum. They exemplify the impression many divers have about Solo divers. LOL It must be the risk taker in me that appreciates them - WITHIN CONTEXT. Now, there goes all the romanticized fun out of it.

You say you substitute skills for safety, wink - wink. I hear you. Skill, is an integral part of safety, along with knowledge, discipline, general common sense, etc. Anyone who's been diving for a while, is either been very lucky or is doing it - safe enough. Reality is somewhere within those parameters.

Whether we want to go underwater, deep, in a cave, in a shipwreck, etc, the fact of the matter is we also want to come back alive and well. Live dangerous - but stay alive. Staying alive requires a safety conscience. Living dangerous takes some effort too, as well as a certain inclination. Have one without the other and life can become unbearable or very short. Balance is the key. And the times they do change and change some things while leaving others the same. Some adjust better to changes than others. Some don't change. All for better or worse.

From reading your posts I can see that you dive - safely..... Ouch, as opposed to recklessly. Your point is: What is safe enough? What some may consider a minimum safety factor, others may consider unnecessary overcompensation. Likewise what is safe to some is reckless to others. No arguments there, ultimately, that’s for everyone to decide for themselves. Here one can get many different perspectives on the subject to help us understand it all better.

When I dive solo I don’t brake my rules, or that of my certification agency, PADI. From what I’ve read from them on the subject, they consider it a technical discipline, and they don’t teach it - end of story. According to them you should never dive cave, deep tech, or wreck, without proper training either. Not the same as never do it. Many easily misinterpret the solo part due to their biased presentation, since they don’t sell solo courses.

 

[Nemrod]

Creed, I had a Gixer 750 and an SV650S. They are gone now because I had to convince my wife I needed a boat---lol. I plan to aquire another.

Mr. Scuba, yes, your long post captures what I was saying and pretty much as I do and yes I find myself in agreement with you. Safety is a relative term, absolute safety is unobtainable and I might as well stay in the bed but in balance it is an absolute must.N

 

[captain]

Safety and personal freedom and enjoyment must be balanced. I enjoy driving a car and wearing a seat belt does not distract from that enjoyment. I also like to ride motorcycles and for me having to wear a helmet distracts from the enjoyment. I live in a state that over the past 30 years has gone back and forth with the helmet law, currently there is one. I tended to ride less during the times when the helmet law is in effect and I plan trips based somewhat on which states have or do not have helmet laws. I approch diving much the same way. I prefer to be less encumbered by equiptment that distracts from the enjoyment of the dive. Do I give up some degree of safety, maybe, maybe not. There is currently a debate over body armor in the Army. Families and some in the military want more body coverage. Some of those doing the fighting view it differently and say it decreases speed and mobility and can decrease the ability to escape from the danger. Everything is a trade off and balancing it rationally is the answer

 

[Creed]

Creed, I had a Gixer 750 and an SV650S. They are gone now because I had to convince my wife I needed a boat---lol. I plan to aquire another.

Mr. Scuba, yes, your long post captures what I was saying and pretty much as I do and yes I find myself in agreement with you. Safety is a relative term, absolute safety is unobtainable and I might as well stay in the bed but in balance it is an absolute must.N

Yeah, my 440 was going to be a smoking little chopper, but then this Aquamaster came up on ebay......

 

[Creed]

I know what Nemrod is talking about. I think you have to be over forty to understand it though. I was born in '60 and would ride my bicycle with no protection. I used to do what amounts to free diving solo when I was a teenager. I can remember when everybody smoked and it was a good thing. I remember soda cans when you had to use a church key to open them. I remember when a parent could disipline thier child in public. It was not only not frowned upon, it was expected. I was on the receiving end and somehow I survived to be a productive citizen. Those days are gone forever. Its too bad.
I solo dive. I've been diving for many years and know my kit and how to used it blind folded. I will only solo dive under the best of conditions and when I do I am conservative and cautious. That is not to say I do not enjoy those dives. Some of the best dives I've had were solo. Diving gives me alot of satisfaction either way. Solo diving is not for everybody. But for those who partake in it, it can be a wonderful experience.

Jim

Well, I was raised that way, but I came into being in 1975. We rode without helmets, crawled through half filled culverts, swam in alligator infested bays, played with stingrays, climbed trees, whacked each other with sticks, played with poisonous snakes. I encourage my boys to do the same. Well, except for the stick whacking and the snakes. That was just plain stupid.

 

[H2Andy]

growing up in Cuba i'm surprised i survived this long... our games were basically

(a) taunt the (insert animal: dog, bull, cow, horse, mule) until it chases you
and run away

(b) hit each other with sticks (swords) until somebody bleeds. duel is over.

(c) ride a palm frond down the railroad embankement. whoever gets closer
to the incoming train (without getting hit) wins. miraculosly, no one ever
got hurt doing this.

(d) play joust on bicycles with broom sticks.

(e) throw stones at each other from behind stacks of (leaves, sticks, bricks,
sand, whatever) until somebody went to the hospital.

(f) climb trees and fight in the braches until somebody fell

(g) swim way out from shore without any equipment. try to drown each other.
swim back.

(h) push somebody from a great height (park tree, constuction site, etc.)

(i) grab hold of somebody and take them with you when you were pushed from
a great height.

and so on...

it does explain a few things about me

 

[PaulChristenson]

growing up in Cuba i'm surprised i survived this long... our games were basically

(a) taunt the (insert animal: dog, bull, cow, horse, mule) until it chases you
and run away

(b) hit each other with sticks (swords) until somebody bleeds. duel is over.

(c) ride a palm frond down the railroad embankement. whoever gets closer
to the incoming train (without getting hit) wins. miraculosly, no one ever
got hurt doing this.

(d) play joust on bicycles with broom sticks.

(e) throw stones at each other from behind stacks of (leaves, sticks, bricks,
sand, whatever) until somebody went to the hospital.

(f) climb trees and fight in the braches until somebody fell

(g) swim way out from shore without any equipment. try to drown each other.
swim back.

(h) push somebody from a great height (park tree, constuction site, etc.)

(i) grab hold of somebody and take them with you when you were pushed from
a great height.

and so on...

it does explain a few things about me

YES Now I understand why you are a litigation lawyer

Paul in VT