First Solo

[rx7diver]

Fellow solo divers,

At one point my dive computer faulted, and I lost record of a bunch of dives. Yesterday I found a forgotten notebook of printed profile downloads from that lost bunch. One was of my deepest dive ever. But another was of my first *real* solo dive. Brought back vivid memories of that wonderful dive: Gliboa Quarry, Ohio, a while ago.



Drysuit, Scubapro BC, PST HP 80, iirc. Started out in the shallow part of the quarry. Meandered over the rise to float, briefly, horizontal, neutrally buoyant, shallow, over the deep end next to the sheer wall. Exhaled to slowly float straight down, only to stop, momentarily, suspended just above the deep silt at the base of the precipice. Inhaled to initiate ascent. Rotated to vertical to gaze up at the sunlight playing on the surface. I can still hear the metallic ringing of air in my regulator, still see the dark turn to twilight as my eyes adjusted during my descent, still taste the quarry water, still see the beautiful surface from way down below growing closer as I ascended.

So happy to have found this old download of this lazy, magical, impromptu dive.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Kharon]

Wow - that looks like some serious yo-yo and a huge reverse profile.

 

[rx7diver]

Wow - that looks like some serious yo-yo and a huge reverse profile.

Kharon,

I am trying to remember why I was there. I almost never dove the shallow side of Gilboa. Did my dive rescue course over there on the shallow side, but otherwise just occasionally accompanied open water and advanced open water classes (from Divers Incorporated, Ann Arbor & Plymouth & Novi, MI) there as an unofficial safety diver when I simply wanted to get wet.

I think I must have been observing that day, as, evidently, I spent several minutes a couple of times at depths shallower than 34 ffw (is this the "serious yo-yo" to which you refer?) before wandering off over the rise. Probably the class was out of the water debriefing when I began my "swim-about."

By this time, I was already a "tech diver" with some significant experience (and, so, almost always dove the deep side of Gilboa practicing tech when I was at Gilboa), but I still really enjoyed strapping on my simple, no-fuss rec gear and getting wet.

But, yes, not the smartest dive. I'm certainly not recommending that anyone should swim off by himself/herself and drop down to 125 ffw, solo, without bailout, for a first solo dive, just to enjoy the ethereal experience—which is why I posted this in the Solo Diver forum and not in a more accessible forum.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Kharon]

.. I spent several minutes a couple of times at depths shallower than 34 ffw (is this the "serious yo-yo" to which you refer?) before wandering off over the rise. Probably the class was out of the water debriefing when I began my "swim-about."

Sorry, I must be mis-interpreting your graph. It looks like you dropped to about 20 feet twice and then back to surface, finally dropping to near 125 then back up. Probably nothing dangerous - just something I probably wouldn't do on a first solo dive.

 

[rx7diver]

Sorry, I must be mis-interpreting your graph. It looks like you dropped to about 20 feet twice and then back to surface, finally dropping to near 125 then back up.

No, you're interpreting the graph correctly. This is not inconsistent with my description, I think.