How long did you wait before you started Solo Diving?

[master00sniper]

Interesting? It's no surprise....

Most fatal scuba accidents arise from failure to adhere to safe diving practices. Most fatal scuba accidents are entirely avoidable. Dozens of divers needlessly die every year.

Why do they happen? Because divers think they know better. They 'feel confident' to break the recommendations and procedures given to them to ensure their safety.

On this forum right now, we have a newly qualified diver...who immediately after finishing his OW course went out solo diving. He know better. Better than his instructor. Better than the textbook. Better than the agency. The rules don't apply to him.

There is no better illustration of the sort of attitude that gets divers pointlessly killed.

This 'Solo Diver' area is part of the 'Technical Diving' area of the site. Solo diving is not technical diving. However, it is included in this area in order to recognise and differentiate it as a considerably more advanced form of diving than recreational diving.

Solo diving, just like cave or tech diving, requires specific and advanced level diver training. Anyone can choose to go solo diving.... but then again, anyone could choose to enter a cave system, penetrate a wreck or use their recreational dive computer to govern a bounce dive to 60m.....

Solo diving is advanced diving. The training course exists to provide the correct procedures needed and warning/experience of the novel dangers faced. Here are the prerequisites of the course:
A. Minimum age: 21 years.
B. Minimum certification of Advanced Diver or equivalent.
C. Minimum of 100 logged dives.


Some divers consider themselves 'good' because of the rules that they break. They consider themselves 'good' because of the confidence that they have.


What they fail to appreciate is that it is precisely those attributes that make them 'bad' divers. Bad divers with bad judgement, who do not have the maturity and self-discipline to adhere to safe diving practices. Bad divers who fail to appreciate the risks that they subject themselves to. Bad divers who become bad statistic.



SDI SOLO DIVER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete this course, students must:
A. Satisfactorily complete the Solo Course written examination.
B. Complete all open water requirements safely and efficiently.
C. Demonstrate mature, sound judgement concerning dive planning and execution.

Interesting? No surprise? It is a surprise. You treated me like I was the one new fool who had ever considered diving solo right out of OW. At least I had the sense to come here and ask what I should know before I do.

Also, in response to your quotes about 'knowing better', my instructor was the one who told me I might want to try some solo dives. The book, although it does mention being qualified to dive with a buddy, does not mention being unqualified to solo dive, and ultimately PADI just wants to profit. Enough people start taking the SDI course, and PADI will have one out there as well.

Also, I find it interesting you highlighted the 'sound judgement' qualification, but you did not highlight the 100 dive prerequisite. Is it because you did not know it existed? or is it because most people here dove solo before their 100th dive?

 

[DevonDiver]

you say that most scuba deaths come from not following rules...I say most die from bilnd panic............from not being trainded to deal with panic

Panic makes you forget to perform a buddy check...leading you to begin your ascent with your air off?

Panic makes you too proud to abort your dive when you feel cold or unwell?

Panic makes you lose sight of your buddy and forget to check your air because you are busy taking photographs?

Panic makes you enter a wreck, when you have no training for penetration and aren't equipped with lights, line and redundant gas supplies?

Panic makes you go diving with that faulty regulator that you "really must get around to having serviced"?

Panic makes you go "just that little bit deeper than before, to set a new personal record"?

Panic makes you go solo diving, even though you've only just qualified on scuba?

Nope.... none of those....

Panic is what happens when you finally realise that you have been breaking the rules and now it's biting you in the ass. Panic is what happens when you realise that you don't know what to do to get yourself out of the mire....

Yes you have more then show that a new diver is seeking info on solo diving and how to do it SAFLY

?? Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to say ??

I have issue with you saying that SOLO diving is not "technical Diving" any solo diver Better know and use the same metheds of diving as any Deep, cave, Wreck diver out there, so what are you saying? Do We solo divers do deco/ well ya some of use.

Are you a qualified tech and cave diver? What methods are you talking about????

Do you think that cave and tech diving consist of nothing more than 'using a twinset' for redundancy? The ability to make a manifold shutdown makes you a tech diver?

So what part of Tec diving do we not meet?

A sample of skills that a solo diver doesn't utilise:
1) Gas switching drills
2) Multi-gas dive planning
3) Decompression procedures
4) Line laying
5) Penetration procedures
6) Accelerated decompression
7) Hypoxic gas considerations
8) Lost buddy procedures
9) Cave rescue procedures
10) High O2 procedures (analysis, marking, storage, filling)

and so on and so on and so on.......

I'm sorry but you seem to be puffed up with pride there buddy and you seem to be more then happy to slam a new diver.

Slam a new diver? They guy just graduated his OW course...and then went out and ignored every damn thing his instructor taught him. Damn right I'll slam him.

It's not a personal pride issue for me. I have a strong opinion about this sort of moronic behaviour is dangerous and because it encourages and influences others to do the same.

If he wants to kill himself, then so be it.

Rather then kick the guy try to tell him more about what it really takes to be a good, safe, smart diver. Don't you rembber what it was like to be new at it?

What's the point? Some cretin just finished their open water course. They were just taught all of the things needed to be a good, safe, smart diver.

They choose to immediately ignore all of that. They think they know better.

People are acting as though that person is some sort of poor misguided diver who doesn't know better. He does know better. He just passed the exams. He read the book. He took the quizzes. He sat in the lectures. He did his confined and open water training. He does know better.

This guy, and others, considers themselves to be a solo divers. Hogwash! Being a solo diver isn't about just going diving alone.... it is about having the right skills, experience and mindset to be safe when you are beyond the assistance of supporting divers.You don't need to do a formal course to get those attributes.... but you DO need to get them before you go off alone.

Going diving alone, without being mentally and physically prepared for it, is the exact dead opposite of what solo diving is about.

And yes...I remember what it was like to be new. I loved diving. I felt I was natural at it. BUT I LISTENED TO OTHERS. I APPLIED MY TRAINING. I developed my diving progressively and absorbed knowledge on formal training courses and mentoring by those I respected. I wasn't a moron.

 

[master00sniper]

Dam you Devon DO YOU EVEN READ WHAT I WRITE?

lol

My instructor, one who has had as many dives as you have had, has done basically everything you can do diving, and has been certified since 1963 GAVE ME THE OKAY FOR SOLO DIVING.

geez. I've only mentioned it what, 3 or 4 different times on my threads? You always seem to ignore my points and just go on with your own bull ****. How many times have i said I'm not a self proclaimed solo diver? Maybe I haven't said it in the forum yet. Here we go I'M NOT A SELF PROCLAIMED SOLO DIVER. I'm just not gonna let not having a buddy stop me.

anything else I need to clarify for you in CAPS?

Also, in your post above, how the hell do you begin your ascent with your air off? Do you get all the way down to the bottom before you realize you were only breathing the air in the hose? Yeah maybe if the bottom is only 10 feet deep or so. Do you mean descent?

 

[scuba=dude]

Solo diving is not technical diving. I teach cave, decompression, and solo diving courses. While solo diving courses cover some of the basic skills covered in tech courses, a majority of solo divers never take a formal course and do not adopt the mindset of technical divers. I did solo dives long before I was a cave diver or decompression diver and I didn't consider myself anything but a recreational diver doing solo dives.

As for telling someone more about what it takes to be a good, safe, smart diver, I have no problem with that in a course after waivers have been signed. But don't expect anyone to teach anyone else how to cave dive, decompression dive, or solo dive on the Internet.

Let's be real here, I have never met a dive instructor that ever thought that anyone was able to teach themselfs anything. Can you poast some numbers from some site that suports the claim that a "majority of solo divers never take a formal course and do not adopt the mindset of technical divers"????
Many divers have to get the info from the net to be able to get ANY info on safe solo diving. Ya I know that just pisses off the Instructors out there but really, life sucks like that some times.(I know you spent all that money to be a Instructor and all) There's no info that someone will pay for that someone elses that takes the time ,can't get for free on the net or elis where. One just needs to be smart about the sorse and back it up. Libbirys are full of books and so is the used book market.

 

[scuba=dude]

Panic makes you forget to perform a buddy check...leading you to begin your ascent with your air off?

Panic makes you too proud to abort your dive when you feel cold or unwell?

Panic makes you lose sight of your buddy and forget to check your air because you are busy taking photographs?

Panic makes you enter a wreck, when you have no training for penetration and aren't equipped with lights, line and redundant gas supplies?

Panic makes you go diving with that faulty regulator that you "really must get around to having serviced"?

Panic makes you go "just that little bit deeper than before, to set a new personal record"?

Panic makes you go solo diving, even though you've only just qualified on scuba?

Nope.... none of those....

Panic is what happens when you finally realise that you have been breaking the rules and now it's biting you in the ass. Panic is what happens when you realise that you don't know what to do to get yourself out of the mire....



?? Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to say ??



Are you a qualified tech and cave diver? What methods are you talking about????

Do you think that cave and tech diving consist of nothing more than 'using a twinset' for redundancy? The ability to make a manifold shutdown makes you a tech diver?


A sample of skills that a solo diver doesn't utilise:
1) Gas switching drills
2) Multi-gas dive planning
3) Decompression procedures
4) Line laying
5) Penetration procedures
6) Accelerated decompression
7) Hypoxic gas considerations
8) Lost buddy procedures
9) Cave rescue procedures
10) High O2 procedures (analysis, marking, storage, filling)

and so on and so on and so on.......



Slam a new diver? They guy just graduated his OW course...and then went out and ignored every damn thing his instructor taught him. Damn right I'll slam him.

It's not a personal pride issue for me. I have a strong opinion about this sort of moronic behaviour is dangerous and because it encourages and influences others to do the same.

If he wants to kill himself, then so be it.



What's the point? Some cretin just finished their open water course. They were just taught all of the things needed to be a good, safe, smart diver.

They choose to immediately ignore all of that. They think they know better.

People are acting as though that person is some sort of poor misguided diver who doesn't know better. He does know better. He just passed the exams. He read the book. He took the quizzes. He sat in the lectures. He did his confined and open water training. He does know better.

This guy, and others, considers themselves to be a solo divers. Hogwash! Being a solo diver isn't about just going diving alone.... it is about having the right skills, experience and mindset to be safe when you are beyond the assistance of supporting divers.You don't need to do a formal course to get those attributes.... but you DO need to get them before you go off alone.

Going diving alone, without being mentally and physically prepared for it, is the exact dead opposite of what solo diving is about.

And yes...I remember what it was like to be new. I loved diving. I felt I was natural at it. BUT I LISTENED TO OTHERS. I APPLIED MY TRAINING. I developed my diving progressively and absorbed knowledge on formal training courses and mentoring by those I respected. I wasn't a moron.

Dude you have no way of knowing what kind of diver anyone on this board is. You have no way of knowing what training anyone has....

 

[DevonDiver]

Also, in response to your quotes about 'knowing better', my instructor was the one who told me I might want to try some solo dives.

What's his name and instructor number?

The book, although it does mention being qualified to dive with a buddy, does not mention being unqualified to solo dive, and ultimately PADI just wants to profit.

Oh..please..lecture me about PADI training. After all, I've only certified a hundred times more divers than you have done dives....

PADI have a publically stated policy on solo diving. That policy is reflected throughout their training courses.

The qualification you were issued by PADI was on the provision that you only dived within the limits of your training and experience.

You are neither trained nor experienced in solo diving.

Cry about that all you like.... but you're being a naughty boy.... so please put the pointy hat on and stand in the corner of the room.

Enough people start taking the SDI course, and PADI will have one out there as well.

Stop talking crap. What the hell do you know about PADI? You take one entry-level course and now you feel qualified to start lecturing people about the dive industry.

I've mentioned the PADI policy of solo diving?....

Read here: [FONT=&quot]Solo Diving: PADI Worldwide's Position[/FONT]

Also, I find it interesting you highlighted the 'sound judgement' qualification, but you did not highlight the 100 dive prerequisite. Is it because you did not know it existed? or is it because most people here dove solo before their 100th dive?

Highlighted for your benefit.....as it's something you could develop now.

 

[SeaYoda]

Solo diving is not technical diving. I teach cave, decompression, and solo diving courses. While solo diving courses cover some of the basic skills covered in tech courses, a majority of solo divers never take a formal course and do not adopt the mindset of technical divers. I did solo dives long before I was a cave diver or decompression diver and I didn't consider myself anything but a recreational diver doing solo dives. ...

Rob,

Just wondering, if a cave diver never wants to go beyond NDL is he a technical diver? What makes a technical diver a technical diver? Is it going beyond NDL, special gear, special classes? I could care less what solo is classified as but there are gear considerations and things that need to be learned - in formal class or not.

What is a technical mindset vs recreational mindset?

 

[Thalassamania]

Demonstrate mature, sound judgement concerning dive planning and execution.

You don't see that till the brain fully matures at 25.

 

[master00sniper]

Devon your link is dead. But it doesn't matter, I'm pretty sure I know what your linking. I've read a .pdf on PADI's position on solo diving. Your right, I don't fall under that category. It doesn't mean, however, that PADI is right when it comes to every diver.

 

[Thalassamania]

In my experience PADI's usually wrong, but that doesn't make you right either.