Equipment for Solo Diving

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When diving solo, I carry the exact same gear as when I'm with my buddy: PST E8-130 with 19 cu.ft. pony, primary Zeagle/Apeks reg on main cylinder, backup Zeagle reg on pony (both valves are DIN, SPG's on both 1st stages), Dive Rite TransPlate with GUTS tall SS bp, knife, shears, drysuit for redundant buoyancy. Seems to have worked well for me.
 
Aside from my regular gear, I just add a 13 cu ft pony for solo dives. According to the math, this can get me up from 100 feet. I am also more conservative in my gas management. My solo dives are always to 90 feet and just stay there and wait for the fish to swim by. The dive site is popular for pelagics and napoleon wrasse swimming by. I do not go exploring. Might be boring for some but not for me.
 
Green_Manelishi:
A question for those diving a single (with ANY type of valve) ... I use an H-valve on my singles.

CAN YOU REACH THE VALVE AND SHUT IT DOWN IF NECESSARY?
I just use the standard K valves on my singles and this last new AL I bought today has a new style that I hadn't seen before just heard about, Y valve I believe. Looks Like a y anyways. As far as being able to reach my valves? I can in two different ways; 1) lift up on the bottom of tank, easiest to do 2) take the whole bc off and then I can really reach it, rather not do it that away.
 
awap:
I've thought about a spare mask but just don't want to add the clutter unnecessarily. I guess if you are not comfortable without a mask, you really should carry a spare regardless of whether you are solo or buddied (unless maybe your buddy will share his). So I've been working on a more compact alternative monocle design using a single lense from a pair of swimming goggles and a tube to allow clearing. I'll let you know when I think I have a working prototype. Biggest problem so far is getting my wife/buddy to stop laughing at my failures.
She may laugh but, you may just come up with something that could make you the next Bill Gates of diving. Keep me updated.
 
SmokeAire:
Not if it will save you life some day.
I'm not there yet as far as your kit is concerned but after both my cavern/Introcave course I learned you can not have too much air.

That too is my theroy of gas management. Never ever too much air.

I am always in the process of re-evaluating gear and tweaking the configuration. I am changing to an air 2 on one inflator to reduce complexity of mutliple Ocot units.

That is about it for me and config changes for now.
 
Not to put a damper on things here, but I think it is time for a reality check of sorts. Many of the configurations suggested do not really meet the redundancy requirements of solo diving.

Some of the solo divers posting are stating they use a normal rec setup with no redundant air supply other than the surface and are relying on an ESA to get them out of a sudeen OOA situation. It is always a good idea to limit your depth solo diving to no more than twice the depth you can free dive to, but not having a redunant air supply leave you vulnerable if you are ever prevented form leaving the bottom for any reason, even briefly, if that event coincides with an OOA situation.

Only slightly better are divers who are using H valves. H or Y valves provide no insurance against blown neck o-rings, burst discs, etc where the leak cannot be stopped or isolated. They also require prompt action by the diver to identify and shut down the offending regulator in the event of a free flow. That reuires a good deal of proficiency, training and ongoing practice - more than just seeing if you can reach your valves. Even with good skills and technique, you are only working with a single tank and far less volume, so any air loss in the time it takes to shut of the offending reg is far more critical than with doubles.

A set of independent doubles, or isolator manifolded doubles are far better options, each with different advantages and disavantages. Both offer more air, and you can never have too much air solo diving.

Independent doubles offer the advantage of requiring no action in the event one reg freeflows as the other tank is entirely separate and the logistics are much easier if you do short/shallow dives in addition to longer/deeper dives.

Isolator manifolded doubles offer the option of diving with the isolator closed, like independent doubles, but with the added option of turning off a free flowing reg and then opening the isolator to access all the air in both tanks. The isolator can also be left very slightly cracked open to allow the tanks to equalize to simplify air management yet minimize air loss from one of the tanks if a leak develops in the other tank/reg. Or the isolator can be left open and at worst you still have more time and air volume to play with compared to a single tank with an H valve in the event you have to shut something off.

Finally, some divers are relying on small pony bottles and this can often lead to a false sense of security. Simply put, regardless of math computations that state otherwise, 13 cu ft is not enough in the real world. If you are solo diving 19 cu ft should be the minimum and 30 cu ft is better for shallow diving and required for deep diving.

In the real world an immediate ascent is not always posisble, a slower ascent and longer saftey stop is almost always better and small ponies are often not as full as their owner thinks. Each reg check and each time the reg is pressurized air is used that in very short order reduces the air in a small pony.

Regardless of the pony size used, the pressure has to be checked before each and every dive and the diver has to ensure the pony tank/reg is on if it is back mounted.

Training and experience issues aside, if you do not have the proper equiment to solo dive, you should not be solo diving. Period.
 
Green_Manelishi:
A question for those diving a single (with ANY type of valve) ... I use an H-valve on my singles.

CAN YOU REACH THE VALVE AND SHUT IT DOWN IF NECESSARY?

I agree ---it so much quieter when you shut down your valve on your single :wink:

Can't reach the valve i drysuit - can in wetsuit.
 
stingray1:
I just use the standard K valves on my singles and this last new AL I bought today has a new style that I hadn't seen before just heard about, Y valve I believe. Looks Like a y anyways. As far as being able to reach my valves? I can in two different ways; 1) lift up on the bottom of tank, easiest to do 2) take the whole bc off and then I can really reach it, rather not do it that away.

What was the brand of the y-valve?
 
DA Aquamaster:
The isolator can also be left very slightly cracked open to allow the tanks to equalize to simplify air management yet minimize air loss from one of the tanks if a leak develops in the other tank/reg.


How far to do you open your isolator when you have it "cracked"? I've been messing with this... giving it a half turn, quarter turn, etc. Or do you just literally crack it? I've been unable to measure any substantial gains between the different settings.

Have you ever been able to successfully measure the difference in flow rate with a valve/regulator malfunction and a "cracked" isolator?

All that aside, its a great point. One that I wish I had made when I posted my original post about my manifolded doubles. I personally prefer the manifolded doubles because it is the same if I'm solo or just deep.
 
DA Aquamaster:
{SNIP some good stuff}

Finally, some divers are relying on small pony bottles and this can often lead to a false sense of security. Simply put, regardless of math computations that state otherwise, 13 cu ft is not enough in the real world. If you are solo diving 19 cu ft should be the minimum and 30 cu ft is better for shallow diving and required for deep diving.

{more Snip}.

30cu ft toascend from a 15' dive off the shore of lake huron? To ascend from a 40 ft quarry dive?

What you need depends on the dive you are doing. A lot of arguments about equipment - and about solo diving generally- lose sight of that.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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