and enjoy it very much although I don't go solo as much as I used to before getting hooked up with ckharlan66. There are times though when I will dive solo just for my own enjoyment.
How do you feel about solo diving?
- Thread starter radagalf
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detroit diver
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Deepblue,
Welcome! Ladies and Gentlemen-another Michigan diver!!!
Welcome! Ladies and Gentlemen-another Michigan diver!!!
OP
Unfortunately, I dont' have the time to start searchign all the threads to see if something I want to know about is already done..
(Not pointing fingers, just stating that I'm lazy at times... he he).And thanks everyone for your opinions... I have to say I am surprised... there are more solo divers than I thought.
I had the unfortunate experience of being on a dive with someone that went solo and did not survive. This was a very experienced diver, in fact a Solo Dive Instructor. No mater how good you are, how many dives youve made, **** happens. I think that anyone that dives solo is first a candidate for a Darwin Award and secondly, and more importantly, very selfish. Sure there are a lot of things worse than dieing while doing what you love but think about the effect on others. Your family, your friends, the searches and rescue crew, the quarry or boat operator.
Mike
Mike
ElectricZombie
Contributor
Most of the time, I end up having to dive solo. When you teach a class, and go to do checkouts, you are solo the whole time. When you DM on a charter, you solo dive. When you volunteer to assist someone with their checkout dives, you are solo. Underwater hunting, mostly solo. Photography, solo. There any many instances where you have to dive solo.
There are other times when you don't have to dive solo, like on a regular charter with no students. Now you have a new issues to deal with. Is it safer to dive alone or with a buddy who is a complete idiot. I would say it's better to dive alone. On random charters, where you don't know anyone, who knows what buddy you'll get. If I don't feel comfortable with a buddy, I'll dive alone instead.
Ideally, I would rather dive with a buddy. However, not many people are good divers. There are maybe 5 people that I would feel comfortable diving with. Someone I could depend on if something went wrong. I can't always dive with them so, I need an alternative. I am not saying that diving solo is preferred, it's not. Having a buddy greatly improves safety...the key is finding a good buddy, a very difficult task.
Regardless of if you solo dive or not, everyone should have the ABILITY and SKILLS to do so if needed.
Solo diving, and diving in general actually, requires absolute perfection in skills, mindset, composure, equiptment, etc. Most people can't do this so, I would not recommend solo diving.
When you solo dive you assume all risks.
I'm comfortable solo diving when necessary or when no other option exists, but a buddy would be better. The problem is finding a good buddy.
There are other times when you don't have to dive solo, like on a regular charter with no students. Now you have a new issues to deal with. Is it safer to dive alone or with a buddy who is a complete idiot. I would say it's better to dive alone. On random charters, where you don't know anyone, who knows what buddy you'll get. If I don't feel comfortable with a buddy, I'll dive alone instead.
Ideally, I would rather dive with a buddy. However, not many people are good divers. There are maybe 5 people that I would feel comfortable diving with. Someone I could depend on if something went wrong. I can't always dive with them so, I need an alternative. I am not saying that diving solo is preferred, it's not. Having a buddy greatly improves safety...the key is finding a good buddy, a very difficult task.
Regardless of if you solo dive or not, everyone should have the ABILITY and SKILLS to do so if needed.
Solo diving, and diving in general actually, requires absolute perfection in skills, mindset, composure, equiptment, etc. Most people can't do this so, I would not recommend solo diving.
When you solo dive you assume all risks.
I'm comfortable solo diving when necessary or when no other option exists, but a buddy would be better. The problem is finding a good buddy.
Been solo in shallow waters (120' and less), and find it very enjoyable. However, it's in an area that I can navigate in near zero vis, because I've been their so often. Never in confined spaces or overhead environments, and never without letting someone know I'm their. I would never consider it without fully redundant air, and two of everything else. Even with this, the risk is obviously much higher than it would be with a buddy.
I don't make it a habit, but I don't vilify it either.
I don't make it a habit, but I don't vilify it either.
Most divers I see are solo divers. That is not hyperbole. Next time you're swimming along that nice reef on vacation, take a look around and ask yourself, "How many of these 'buddy' teams would actually be effective in a serious emergency?" It's been my experience that they're almost all solo diving - they just don't know it.
"Buddy" isn't defined as the guy you swap lies with during the boat ride. If you don't know - exactly - where each other is at all times, you aren't buddies. If you can't get to each other within one breath, you aren't buddies. If you don't practice skills and rehearse drills together, you aren't buddies. Here's one last kicker: if you don't at least have rescue/stress training, you aren't capable of being a buddy.
Given a dive site that I know well, with no current, warm water and good visibility, I may decide to go for a solo dive. You won't catch me solo far from shore, or in water over about 40ft or penetrating anything, but solo diving has worked successfully for many divers for many years.
I don't argue that solo isn't riskier but solo doesn't automatically equal death in an emergency. My one and only OOA emergency was on a solo dive with no backup gas. (J-valves suck!) Proper planning meant that even OOA was something I could cope with by myself.
Steven
"Buddy" isn't defined as the guy you swap lies with during the boat ride. If you don't know - exactly - where each other is at all times, you aren't buddies. If you can't get to each other within one breath, you aren't buddies. If you don't practice skills and rehearse drills together, you aren't buddies. Here's one last kicker: if you don't at least have rescue/stress training, you aren't capable of being a buddy.
Given a dive site that I know well, with no current, warm water and good visibility, I may decide to go for a solo dive. You won't catch me solo far from shore, or in water over about 40ft or penetrating anything, but solo diving has worked successfully for many divers for many years.
I don't argue that solo isn't riskier but solo doesn't automatically equal death in an emergency. My one and only OOA emergency was on a solo dive with no backup gas. (J-valves suck!) Proper planning meant that even OOA was something I could cope with by myself.
Steven
OP
LOL I wish I could go warm water diving and experience the SOB system!!! Up here, if he's not within 10' on some good days, its the good ol' swim around 1 minute and surface <sigh>. Why can't they just keep up?
I don't plan to dive solo it just happens sometimes! Like the other week when my buddy shot up on the ascent when the last thing I said to him before descending is "remember I am doing deep stops" - besides which the rate he was going up I could not have caught up anyway!
The look on the o/w students eyes though as they saw me trawling up and down at 4.5m looking for him! They don't see many people diving with twin sets out here, let alone solo!
Jonathan
The look on the o/w students eyes though as they saw me trawling up and down at 4.5m looking for him! They don't see many people diving with twin sets out here, let alone solo!
Jonathan
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