Favorite "pet-peave" arguments against solo diving

[paulwlee]

How much sharing an experience means varies person to person.
For some, an experience that is not shared with someone else doesn't have much value. For others, (like me) sharing sometimes enhances the experience, but the enjoyment is not based on the social aspect.

People like the latter don't think going to the movies alone, hiking alone, or skiing alone is strange. The former do.

To each their own.

 

[Snowbear]

On a serious note. How about a "Team Diving" forum?

How 'bout this one?

 

[Kim]

How 'bout this one?

I just KNEW someone was going say that!!! In fact I've had the words "Doing It Together" in my head all day!!!

 

[Snowbear]

I just KNEW someone was going say that!!!

I'm glad you were not disappointed

 

[DEEPLOU]

I have never done a solo dive, nor do I go swimming without a buddy. Seems to me that sharing an experiance is much more rewarding than being alone. Like the time I actualy touched a live deer in the wild by stalking and waiting. Great experiance but had no one to share it with.

Solo dive is not just jump in the car drive to a beach and jump in the water all by yourself.

Most, if not all, my diving is done either off charter boat or beach dives w/ a group.

In the water I dive solo, and whether it is beach or boat, there is always a group around to share the experience.


Oh! this was to be pet peeves against solo diving, sorry don't have any.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I've only done a handful of solo dives, but I've loved all of them. One of them, the longest solo dive i've made, was during my Rescue course when it was my turn to be the lost body. Very peaceful, till a group from another boat almost ran over me. Then it was time for the semi-Polaris ascent followed by nicotene-enhanced simulated rescue breaths.

But they are the most peaceful dives I've done. All have been under 20 min, I figure for anything longer or for a actual rec dive--as apposed to training or gear testing--I would dive doubles or a pony/stage bottle.

 

[Rick Inman]

Crappy divers abound...and while it would be much more enjoyable for me to dive solo than to have to take on the responsibility of diving with them... I do on occassion...

And personally glad you do. Once in a while, at a snails pace, we even learn a little something...

I'm sure we all have them...the argument put forth against solo diving that just does not hold water, and maybe you hear it a lot...

OK, I'll bite. I used to solo a lot, but now know so many divers locally, I haven't soloed in many months. I now get a call to dive almost every day, and I just can't help saying, yes . But winter's coming, and the ranks do thin...
Anyway, argument that does not hold water: You put your family at undo risk by risking your own life. I'm not sure that this really is more true then UP's diving with crappy divers, or any diver who might not be qualified to dive as a proficient "Team". Yet you see those lopsided dive couples on the beach more often than you see soloers.

 

[drbill]

Although I generally dive solo, I really enjoy the social aspects of diving topside during surface intervals. I dive to do research and to document behavior, etc., underwater with my video. Because of that I am very focused on my equipment and shooting, so a buddy adds a level of complexity I don't need. After I'm through, I share my diving experience with MANY others through my cable TV show on marine ecology.

I never advocate solo diving for anyone else. That is a decision only they can make and I don't want to be responsible for leading an unprepared diver to try solo diving. In fact, I hope instructors at Casino Point will point me out and say solo diving is NOT something they should try.

However, the statistics people give for increased safety of buddy diving are my biggest pet peave. Based on my PERSONAL experience, my solo diving is much safer statistically than my buddy diving since all the incidents while buddy diving have been buddy-related. Of the last ~1,000 dives, 80% were solo and I had one incident; 20% were buddy dives and I had at least 5 incidents. When you adjust for the number of dives, the statistics become 0.125% for solo and 2.5 % for buddy dives (a factor of 1:20).

Dr. Bill

 

[Uncle Pug]

And personally glad you do. Once in a while, at a snails pace, we even learn a little something...

Rick and all, my comment about diving with crappy divers was dripping with IRONY. I don't mean for you or any of the others whom I dive with to think of yourselves as crappy divers... I do not think of you as crappy divers. I personally enjoy diving with newish divers and being a part of their progression into mature buddies.

I was merely following up on what MikeF said about many divers (tempted to solo because they have no buddy) not being able to dive for crap.

I understand the argument that many solo advocates make that diving with *crappy* buddies is a greater hazard than diving solo. But that is selfish IMO.

The true crappy divers are the ones with a selfish *me first, last and only* attitude. Those are the folks I don't like to dive with and shun like the plague.

 

[diverbrian]

A little selfish is not a bad thing. I love working with newer divers except when I am a paying customer on a trip and wish to dive with someone that won't be more of a liability to me than an asset. For the money that I pay for dive charters, I don't expect to have buddies that I have to Dive Master. Normally, I hasten to mention that this is NOT a problem. Either I am in the mood to help out that day or there is a tech diver on board that is willing to dive with me.
Sometimes this is not true. As my shop knows that I am a DiveCon it is many times built into the dive plan of the LDS representative that is actually running the dive trip that I am to take up the border collie position. Sometimes, I consider that selfish on their part as I want to simply grab a buddy and do my/our own dive. As many DM's know that "border collie" is basically a solo diver most of the time anyways.

Typically, the divers that I worry about are the divers who are continual "cowboys". We have seen them on a dive boat. Not only have they pushed the edges of dives several times with poor gas management, but they don't see a problem with it. I refuse to dive with someone who will put my neck at risk. As to entaglement issues, I have never seen a fishing net or the like on the wrecks that I dive. They are in underwater preserves. I have been hooked in small electrical wires in one of the wooden steamers up here, but on one I got out myself and on the other, I was smart enough to go down there with a buddy who got me unhooked. I have had one other entanglement issue, but again my solution (my trauma shears) where in my hand when my dive buddy came up with a better solution and spent a couple of minutes untangling me.