Doing it Solo - DIS?

[dugout]

My self rescue canister:

I like your little kit! I have one of those Mc Murdo canisters "expensive pencil holders" on my bench. Got it for Christmas from one of the kids a while back but never found a use for it. A kit like that would be nice strapped to my fishing float in case I lost my boat. Cell phone, a couple flares, my pipe, lighter, and a tin of King Edward's finest. Heck, I'd be all set!
Good idea, Thanks.

 

[captain]

Computer- Oceanic air only, I have my own compressor and only dive air.
Depending on the type of dive I may or may not have a 50# lift bag
Redundant air -none
Surface audio- whisle
I try my best to avoid the need for rescue.
I dive the Louisiana oil rigs which are also subject to strong currents and unpredictable storms and we have our share of bulls.
I once had a dive boat lose me for a while on a drift dive, didn't consider it a near death experience but I have had several on land and in the air.
Thanks for the invite. If you ever are in Louisana give me a shout and I'll take you to the rigs.

 

[Charlie99]

And lastly I dive with an underwater canister that contains a 2 way VHF radio, a splash proof GPS and signal flare, pretty much guarenteeing I'll get found way before someone who doesn't have one.

Do you bring your self-rescue cannister along when you dive with a buddy? Why or why not?


I do my solo dives in the same exact gear I'd use for a buddy dive in the same circumstances. My only concession to solo is that I limit my dives to depths where I am comfortable doing a CESA. I've done a practice CESA from 90' with a bit less than half lungful of air, and a practice CESA from 60' after a full exhale and then waiting a few seconds. Oh, and I'm not as likely to gather up stray fishline I find during a dive, and just generally am more cautious about entanglement hazards.

Charlie Allen

 

[Johnoly]

Do you bring your self-rescue cannister along when you dive with a buddy? Why or why not?

I solo about 70% of the time. Yes, I dive the same rig all the time, every time, even if I have to fix the crappy suction pipe in the lake for my lawn sprinkler. My gear setup is not for everyone (more like no one). One thing we can all agree upon is that we are passionate about our equipment that we dive with. We fix it, change it, and most importantly trust it.

 

[Nemrod]

""What Computer do you dive?
What Surface marker do you use?
What redundant air do you have?
What surface audio device do you use?
How do you plan to make contact with a rescue party?""

Wow, you are the opposite of the Captain for sure. He is even more streamilined than me.

Computer, my brain and Navy Tables--like DIR, I don't use computers.

I carry a sausage with spool since I mostly don't use a BC--but I can swim really, really good.

Redundant air--usually none--don't need it , that is overkill for most dives

Rescue party, I don't need to be rescued because I can swim really, really good, but I suppose I could pop my mask on to my forehead and all the PadI Police would come storming in to rescue me.

Interesting about the rain storm, I had a water spout on top of me once and the boat lost my wife and I for about an hour.

Ever seen those PRB?

N
NAVED Master Diver 111

 

[dirtpoor]

Yikes a really good thread,

As a semi-comercial diver for sea urchins I dive solo every dive. There are 4 divers on the boat and we work as a team to locate the urchins and understand the conditions we dive in but when it comes to splash time you are a completely self contained unit, alone in the water and better be ready for whatever happens to you. The other divers may be in the water close to you but when it all falls apart you had better be able to deal with it yourself as they will be out of range or have their heads down working and making noise enough to cover anything you may attempt to do to contact them.

I have been diving since the mid 70's and solo diving happens to the best of buddies quite often. You start with a plan with a buddy, get seperated and all of a sudden your alone. This is in many respects solo diving. A real example might be if you happened to get caught in a monofilament net on a wreck just as you go to make your assent, and you have lost your buddy, you are in a world of trouble if you are unprepared to do a self rescue. Your buddy also low on air will probably follow your plan and after not locating you begin his assent, as planned! Low on air, and caught in a net. A pretty scary proposition unless you are prepared. Redundant knives, a pony that is full, and enough experience to remain calm and focused on what you will do to get back to the huge air tank at the surface. The experience part is very important. It may come with 50 dives or a 100, you may dive the first time ever and be ready to do solo diving, most of it is in how your brain reacts to very stressfull situations. Some very good divers do not have the apptitude to solo dive as they do not have the ability to think clearly when stressed to the max.

I have been in some scary situations alone. Nothing immediately life threatening but complicated and stressfull. Entanglements happen easily, o-rings fail sometimes, equipment breaks and you get a very narrow focus and forget your other "obligations" and find yourself very skinny on air.

I could go on and on but I enjoy solo diving. It has its risks but it has its freedoms as well. you get to focus on what you are doing, you are responsible for only yourself, and you do not need to worry about the other guy.

Just as an aside I dive in the north Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia in the winter. Water temps drop to 32 in February. We deal with a completely different set of conditions than most as everything and I mean everything is affected by the cold, your gear, your body, your brain.

Cheers and Happy New Year

Sandy

 

[Doc Harry]

"DIS" - Right On Brother! I like it.

 

[all4scuba05]

DIS....I like that. Do we dress all black?

 

[TomP]

lol... When i spun up this thread i hoped some consistency / themes - oops almost said 'best practices' - would emerge.

So far, what we've got is a high degree of certainty with a low degree of concensus.

Given the nature of solo diving, i'm beginning to believe that makes a lot more sense.

 

[Diver Dennis]

A lot depends on where you dive. I spent most of 2006 diving in Asia. I was solo diving in every country I visited, not every dive but for most. Except in Malaysia where they gave me my own DM and it was same ocean diving. Warm water diving in good vis is a lot different than cold water low vis diving so there is a difference in equipment such as redundant air. As an amateur photographer, solo diving makes my diving a lot more enjoyable.