How many of you think solo is OK to do and why?

[DaleC]

The "which is safer" argument is a bit specious IMO. It assumes you have two choices in regard to the activity; a safe form and a less safe form. Solo diving can be (should be) an activity in itself, not a substitution or "lesser form of another activity. An intentional solo diver is not minus a partner because a partner is not an intended part of the activity. It's a different approach to diving.

To me, the danger is when you think in terms of buddy diving but choose to dive without one. That would be more dangerous because then you are lacking something. I think if one is going to solo dive they should view it as a stand alone event and retool accordingly. Whether that's equipment, environmental knowledge, improved navigation skills or a more conservative approach in general is up to the individual and conditions.

When I made the decision that I would dive solo I took my diving back several notches and worked myself forward again from a new perspective. I used to argue with Sas about this sometimes on the board as she believed one should be able to solo dive anything one would buddy dive. I did not believe so as I know I am far more willing to extend my safety envelope with a good buddy than I am solo. I not only look at my capacity, but my ability to cope with a loss of capacity. With a buddy I trust, I know I would risk that loss more.

 

[drunkendiver]

Most of my dives are solo. I'm very careful where I dive when going solo. Very cautious about entanglements etc. I think the biggest risk would be a medical one (heart attack, etc.). It's a risk I understand and take.

That being said, I'm very comfortable in the water by myself and with my gear. If it was required to have a buddy I probably wouldn't get in the water the few times a year I do because of time, work, coordination. Although I think you are much better off with a "competent" dive partner often that isn't practical at least in my case.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

What gets to me is the vast amount posting that they are OK with solo diving at shallow depths. Kinda like being a little pregnant. From what I have seen more have died in "shallow" depths than deep dives. IMHO, you need to be equipt from the surface to the bottom and back up. My buddy and I both agree that at our level of training, and the dives we are doing, there is no dive that we plan that we should not be able to do alone. There are times when your buddy will not be able to help you.

 

[CT-Rich]

Whether it's scuba or something else, almost every serious accident is the result of a chain of events where removing any single deficiency would likely have prevented the bad outcome that results from the uninterrupted chain. Solo or not, recognizing the little problems and fixing them is a good thing.

I teach lab safety and I always point out that accidents are caused by the confluence of two mistakes. for example, a heated test tube shatters because you failed to identify a defect in the glass. It isn't a lab accident if you are doing everything else correctly. If you don't have safety glasses.... well now you have an accident.

The same is true of diving. an entanglement is not an accident. Lacking the tools or techniques to extricate yourself from it makes it a problem. If you go into the water with a crap insta-buddy, you had better have all the other tools. Trusting a stranger to be able to help you is already mistake one, not being able to self rescue would be mistake two.

I agree that solo diving should be looked at as a different pursuit to team diving. There is a different set of dynamics when you are working as a team, even if you are just towing a flag and taking pictures.

---------- Post added January 27th, 2015 at 10:18 PM ----------

If I had the option of solo diving back in the 1980s I would not have gotten out of diving for a time.

 

[redacted]

What gets to me is the vast amount posting that they are OK with solo diving at shallow depths. Kinda like being a little pregnant. From what I have seen more have died in "shallow" depths than deep dives. IMHO, you need to be equipt from the surface to the bottom and back up. My buddy and I both agree that at our level of training, and the dives we are doing, there is no dive that we plan that we should not be able to do alone. There are times when your buddy will not be able to help you.

I couldn't agree more. Depth will have an effect on my redundant gas supply plan but no effect on whether or not a dive can be done solo. But other conditions, like entry and exit conditions may be considerations on whether a dive can be done solo or would be better done with a good buddy.

 

[Z Gear]

After reading all of the posts on the thread I have come to the conclusion of the following:

Solo diving although prohibited and discouraged in OW training is , with out a doubt alive and very popular among experienced divers. I never realized this, until now.Good eye opener.

Having said that, it does not justify the current approach most schools have toward this subject. It needs to at least clarify the following to newer divers like myself. The mere fact that as one gains experience is not enough to jump in to solo diving. It is the kind of experience coupled with a degree of knowledge necessary to equip ones self for solo diving. This constitutes a higher level of training that is not taught in most dive training programs.

Instead of hiding the subject of solo diving they should directly address it and ensure that there is a proper training program for it. All the OW training programs should have something similar to the SDI solo diver course. It does a have 100 logged dives prerequisite which is understandable. It also requires an SDI advanced certification or equivalent. This is definitely a good direction.

I apologize, If some were offended by the first statement that you "opt do something that you know is unsafe". You have to understand, this is what is taught in OW course. It is not what I believe, it is what I knew before I decided to post this thread.

I learned a lot from most of your inputs, a lot of good info and tips on what to do and not to do. VERY HELPFUL.

Thanks

Frank G
Z GEAR - Z Gear

 

[TMHeimer]

What gets to me is the vast amount posting that they are OK with solo diving at shallow depths. Kinda like being a little pregnant. From what I have seen more have died in "shallow" depths than deep dives. IMHO, you need to be equipt from the surface to the bottom and back up. My buddy and I both agree that at our level of training, and the dives we are doing, there is no dive that we plan that we should not be able to do alone. There are times when your buddy will not be able to help you.

Agree with you & your buddy. But diving to 30' solo is glorified snorkeling (which is the majority of diving I do). Anything goes wrong (and you are conscious), you can CESA to the surface. If you do get entangled, you have a tank to breathe from while you try to solve the problem, so I guess it's actually safer than snorkeling solo those depths. Yes, if you are trained to go deep and plan accordingly you should be able to do that dive solo. But if a bunch of bad stuff happens at 130' you can't CESA (well, I doubt I can anyway).

 

[DaleC]

I can think of many dives I would not do solo that I might contemplate with a competent and committed buddy. It has nothing to do with lacking skill but rather a realistic understanding of my own limitations and the fact that I have to operate as an autonomous unit. While it is true that a diver should be able to exit a dive safely when buddy separation occurs it is not the same as continuing a dive alone or coping with problems that could occur during a dive.

Dave Shaw felt descending solo was as safe as doing so in a team but there was no way Don Shirley could have survived his vertigo if he had planned to decompress solo.

A competent buddy team can share resources and problem solve to a higher degree than a solo diver can so it stands to reason that a cohesive team could take on dives of a higher commitment level and deal with more complex issues. That doesn't mean that a solo diver cannot do difficult dives, it just means they have to understand how they are limited and avoid circumstances where those limitations could effect the dive.

Dives that require long deco obligations can be problematic when solo. Fatigue can become problematic. Vertigo, Hypothermia, Narcosis... I would seriously question someone who believes they can cope with all problems equally alone than with a competent partner.

Another aspect to consider is what happens post dive. Some boat divers may not get that but I dive remote locations in cold weather and water. The dives I plan solo need to have a consideration of getting in the water, getting out, and being able to drive away. I would accept far more exposure in a group than I would alone. For example, I need to be reasonable sure I can deal with a full drysuit flood at the worse possible moment, exit, regain my vehicle and rewarm. The dive commitment level I would accept in that regard solo is less than I would in a group.

 

[scubadada]

One of the foundations of the SDI Solo class is that it is 60 ft max depth while solo diving. One of the reasons is narcosis.

Really? I didn't get that from the course

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Sorry, I see this has been adequately addressed and OP has withdrawn the claim

 

[Bob DBF]

What gets to me is the vast amount posting that they are OK with solo diving at shallow depths. Kinda like being a little pregnant. From what I have seen more have died in "shallow" depths than deep dives. IMHO, you need to be equipt from the surface to the bottom and back up. My buddy and I both agree that at our level of training, and the dives we are doing, there is no dive that we plan that we should not be able to do alone. There are times when your buddy will not be able to help you.

It's not "Kinda like being a little pregnant", it's more like risk management which is at the base of diving, buddy or solo. From what I've seen, more divers have died from medical events regardless of depth or buddy status. Although there is something to be said for being able to do any dive buddy or solo, it is your choice and how you manage your risk. To say a 130' dive on 100 cuft tank has the same risk as a 30' dive on the same tank astounds me, no matter what issue I have had, I would have rather been at 30'.

It's not that a 30' solo dive is safe, but you have to learn somewhere, and from my experience 30' is a better place to find your weaknesses than 60' or 100' or 160'.



Bob
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That's my point, people, by and large, are not taught that diving can be deadly, they are taught how safe it is, and they are not equipped with the skills, taught and trained to the level required to be useful in an emergency.