Entry Level Solo Diver

[SCUBA482]

I am wondering at what point in your diving careers did most of you begin to solo dive? After 100, 200 or ?# dives or experience level did it take for most of you to rationalize your ability to begin taking on this form of the sport? I'm sure their is a split camp on when, especially if you look at my diving stats, but I feel comfortable in the water and I never exceed what I am comfortable with in all undertakings. Without sounding cocky, I am pretty competent in whatever I do or I train until I am.

I have seen some post that an excuse of not being able to find a diving buddy is just that an excuse or laziness. Personally, I'd rather dive alone than with some stranger that I don't know their competency level. I'm not opposed to diving with a buddy, in fact I'd rather go with some of my pals, but there are scheduling issues for me. Bring on the criticism in my decision to begin this form of diving so early in my career.

 

[MSilvia]

I am wondering at what point in your diving careers did most of you begin to solo dive? After 100, 200 or ?# dives or experience level did it take for most of you to rationalize your ability to begin taking on this form of the sport?

For me, it wasn't about number of dives, it was about feeling that I had all my bases covered. I felt comfortable when I had a plan for what I'd do if any foreseeable situation arose and I had to deal with it myself. If a first stage failure, lost mask, entanglement, BC rupture, drysuit flood, instrument failure, silt-out, free-flow, runaway inflation, etc. are things you have no-brainer solutions (and less desirable backup solutions) for, and you're comfortable handling those situations without a buddy, you might consider solo diving.

 

[pdelannoy]

Basically I think if you know your dive site and you have a redundant air supply you can start anytime. Use common sense regarding the dive site. I had about 25 dives when I started solo diving.

PD

 

[pafindr]

My start in solo began as a DM. I would have to go down and tie off to wreck or retrieve a stuck anchor.
I would only be there alone for a minute or so but loved the fact that there wasn't anyone there.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

i won't criticize your decision but I will ask you what do you think diving alone entails? What equipment considerations have you taken into account? What do you feel is involved with planning a solo dive and how will you do that? Are you willing to accept all the risks it entails and what those risks are? Do you feel confident enough in your training and skills to perform a complex self rescue? Are you ok with the idea that should things go bad no one will be there to assist you and you may in fact die alone. Have you discussed this with your loved ones? Are they ok with it? Solo diving is not about being cool, confident, or to show off how good a diver you are. This mindset gets people dead. Solo is a personal inner thing. For me the solitude, peace and ability to achieve a near zen state are worth the risks. You need to weigh your personal reasons for doing it against those risks and with the input from those who would be affected if you were to die and add to that you skills, training, and experience.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Basically I think if you know your dive site and you have a redundant air supply you can start anytime. Use common sense regarding the dive site. I had about 25 dives when I started solo diving.

PD

Not to hijack this thread, but simply having a redundant air source (and knowing the site) does not qualify someone to safely solo dive. Remember, people do dumb things everyday and survive.....it is the ability to correct for what can (and eventually will) happen at depth. Gear failure or serious situations are not usually counted on as "IF they happen..." but "WHEN they happen....".

Do not think that a pony or spare are or doubles automatically qualifies you to SAFELY solo dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am wondering at what point in your diving careers did most of you begin to solo dive? After 100, 200 or ?# dives or experience level did it take for most of you to rationalize your ability to begin taking on this form of the sport? I'm sure their is a split camp on when, especially if you look at my diving stats, but I feel comfortable in the water and I never exceed what I am comfortable with in all undertakings. Without sounding cocky, I am pretty competent in whatever I do or I train until I am.

I have seen some post that an excuse of not being able to find a diving buddy is just that an excuse or laziness. Personally, I'd rather dive alone than with some stranger that I don't know their competency level. I'm not opposed to diving with a buddy, in fact I'd rather go with some of my pals, but there are scheduling issues for me. Bring on the criticism in my decision to begin this form of diving so early in my career.

I am generally not in favor of new (i.e. inexperienced) divers going solo. Everyone's different in terms of how they think about their dive, how well they plan for contingencies, and how comfortable they would be dealing with problems underwater ... so it's difficult to quantify how much experience is enough. But as ScubaSteve pointed out, there's more to it than just getting a redundant air source.

The biggest part of solo diving is mental. Keep in mind that solo diving's pretty simple as long as everything goes right. It's those rare times when things perhaps don't go right that you'll have to be prepared for. Our brains are hardwired for a land-based existence, and the instincts that have developed to keep us alive could end up killing us in the underwater environment if we don't overcome the natural "fight or flight" instinct if something goes wrong. We need to train ourselves how to remain calm, consider the alternatives, and form a response that'll get us out of the situation safely ... and keep in mind that you will usually only have a few seconds to do all that. So one of the major reasons why you want bottom time is to help you "rewire" your instinctual responses to handle problems that may otherwise cause you to react in a way that could be injurious or worse. "Fight or flight" just aren't good options for most underwater problems.

A coupla years ago I wrote an article that might give you some things to think about in terms of whether or not you're ready. I'd recommend you read it as a part of finding your answers ... NWGratefulDiver.com

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[VIdiverWannabe]

In my opinion there are dives in which not having a buddy is just crazy, such as any technical dive. But if your just off the beach at you local lake/pond in a place you know well then i can understand. Eitherway I also understand that you are adding an unwanted risk diving solo.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In my opinion there are dives in which not having a buddy is just crazy, such as any technical dive. But if your just off the beach at you local lake/pond in a place you know well then i can understand. Eitherway I also understand that you are adding an unwanted risk diving solo.

ANY dive you do solo is just plain crazy if you lack the skills and knowledge to understand and prepare for the potential risks.

Coupla years ago we had a fatality here in our local training mudhole in less than 30 feet of water because someone pretty new to diving decided he'd just go down by himself and practice ... while his girlfriend stood on shore and watched his bubbles. We STILL don't know what happened ... all we do know is that something spooked him and he bolted for the surface while holding his breath. I have no doubt whatsoever that the conscious part of his brain knew better ... but when the proverbial kaka hits the fan blades, you will react quicker than that part of your brain has a chance to function. If you're not mentally prepared to deal with it, the easiest dive in the world can kill you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

SCUBA482: You've gotten some good relies so far. Here is a reply I wrote to a simlar question a few days ago. It is not exactly what you asked, but I'll get to that:

"Hi Steve,

The equipment you take along is entirely dependant on the environment and planned dive.

There is often a lot of "lively" discussion regarding pony bottles, "two of everything", etc. But one of the things that concerns me with this approach is that the redundancy gained by a pony bottle can create a false sense of security and could lead to doing dives that would otherwise cause the diver to stop and think. I'm not "anti-pony" or "anti-redundancy", just examine why you feel that you need the redundancy.

As far as training and certification for solo, I'll echo what Walter said, and go one further: I really do not think "solo" can be taught. I do not believe there are any unique skills, secret handshakes, or magical equipment configurations. You should already have mastered the skills needed to dive in your local environment before considering solo.

My opinion is that solo is really just an application of basic dive skills, minus a buddy at your side. You are now responsible for all the planning, situational awareness, navigation, the works. I don't think there is a magic number of dives or a certain certifcation level to acheive before you are ready to solo.

For my own solo diving: I use the exact equipment configuration that I use on buddy dives. I usually do not take a pony. If I am planning a dive that I feel that a pony would really be required then I'd rather have a buddy on that dive.

Again, your equipment choices will depend on your environment, and what works in Hawaii may not be appropriate in other places."

Now, to answer your first question: My first solo was within 10 dives of finishing basic OW in 1976. I felt ready. But I had a long previous history of freediving/spearfishing in the same waters I'd be diving in, and I was young and stupid (18 years old), and in hindsight I was not ready.

Be safe with whatever you decide.

Best wishes.