If you have to ask, you're not ready to solo......?

[H2Andy]

i do not agree that simply asking "should i do x" would disqualify you for doing x

in fact, "should i do x" indicates the sort of mature person who might be ideal
for doing "x"

it's the people who don't stop to ask "should i do x" that worry me, and just because
they don't ask doesn't mean they're ready

the bottom line is, asking "should i do x" is just a question, and the answer could
be "yes" or "no" and you simply dont' know until you start asking that, first of yoruself,
and then of others

this will be true when someone is a beginner, since most things will be new
and unfamiliar

"should i do x" indicates to me a thinking diver, and that's always a good thing

 

[Puffer Fish]

Not so for me....I get a pat on the head and told what to do by the Instructor that finished up last month...so You have to get devious or have a big mouth...I usually try and alternate. Note what an old chick I must be...certed in '75!

If anyone is doing solo diving, and is unaware of the fact, that is a problem.

Shore diving is different here, we have huge volcanic rocks and pounding surf you don't have in Florida. I grew up all over that place, so don't argue with me you grumpy old fart....you have mangroves, swamps, and gators. Florida is a cakewalk compared to this place.

Youngster!!

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Ok,
I'm out of this one.... beginning to remind me of MOF/NMOF without all the postings... :14:

 

[H2Andy]

lol

there's a point where basically the thread just starts to repeat itself over and over

 

[Wet Willy]

I am a pilot and the decision is mostly the perogative of the instructor.However, the instructor will discuss the possiblity of solo flighr before making the final decision.
Secondarily, I am certified for cave diving and the issue of solo diving has been raised in this speciality area as well. Jury is still out but most lean toward diving with a partner.

 

[Guba]

I have personally witnessed many young "braves" who were extremely confident that they could take that guy at the other end of the bar...and got their lights punched out.
I have a friend who is supremely confident that he can climb into the cockpit of an F-14 and smoke bandits all day long...because he is an "ace" on the computer simulator.

My point is that it's good that the young man asked. He had doubts or he wouldn't have. He needed to hear it from others that it was a bad idea, and that's what this forum is all about.
However, the above instances show that confidence in one's abilities could very well be false. I'm a firm believer that a solo diver should be trained (not self-taught), equipped and completely ready to take action and responsibility for his/her actions. Most of the time, that does NOT equate to simply having 40 dives under the weightbelt buckle or some arbitrary factor like that. It also takes more than having a tender on the surface. Should something go south, all that tender can do is alert the authorities that they have a body to recover. There has been more than one instance of dead divers who didn't come up while gathering golf balls in six feet of water. Again, solo diving implies and requires more.
Sure, I know of many very experienced divers who soloed with no formal training and in the days before a lot of today's safety gear. But a fair number of those "bold divers" went out and were never heard from again. When the means to keep oneself alive is as simple as getting trained and acquiring a bit of gear, why in the world NOT? I don't take issue with solo diving. I take issue with solo diving unprepared and unaware.

 

[ScubaSixString]

So if I have to ask if I'm ready to buy my own gear, I'm not ready?
If I have to ask if I should get a job, I'm not ready?
If I have to ask if I should clean the house, I'm not ready?

Sorry, I don't agree. If they are asking, then they are seeking advice on what to expect when they are alone, what safety measures they should take, what extra safety gear they should have.

I would worry more about the divers that don't ask than the one's that do.

Thats emphatically NOT what they were asking. They were asking if they should. If i remember correctly the question was "Hey guys should i do this?"

The diver in question then went on to believe they were safe because 1>they had a decent line 2>they had 2 non divers for "surface support" 3>it was just to 14 feet.

If you think buying your own gear, cleaning the house, or getting a job is anywhere close to solo diving, you should reassess just what it is you think solo diving is. This diver had 4 post cert (BOW)and was diving for fishing lures, which indicates am entanglement hazard.

There is a difference between asking "Hey guys, i'm soloing, what should i expect" and asking "Hey bunch of strangers who i don't know SHOULD i do something i know even less about?"

This was not a self evaluation issue. This was a "may i have permission" issue (of sorts). Its very good that he asked. And shows a good head on his shoulders. And the "if you have to ask THIS question, you aren't ready" was dead on.

Our friend wisely decided to call the would be dive long before it happened.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Cacia]

hey Walter... I just really need to pick a fight. It was a long three days, locked out...I was hoping to find some battles cookin' in here.

So, what is the average number of dives a person will a have to safely assume solo diving?

 

[Walter]

hey Walter... I just really need to pick a fight. It was a long three days, locked out...I was hoping to find some battles cookin' in here.

So, what is the average number of dives a person will a have to safely assume solo diving?

I hate to fight.

The average diver will never be ready to dive solo, IMO.

 

[Puffer Fish]

I hate to fight.

The average diver will never be ready to dive solo, IMO.

Walter,

Sadly, anyone that travels and dives, will most likely be a solo diver, even when they are diving with a buddy. They just do not know it.

You are only really buddy diving when the "buddy" is actually capable of providing assistance in the event of a "issue", and many times both the experience, diving practices and skill set of the buddy leave a great deal to be desired.

The comment of "If you have to ask, you're not ready to solo" is, actually reasonable valid, just as understanding your limits and calling a dive because you do not have the right skills.

Any reasonable person, with a lot of experience will one day look around and say - If I am in trouble - will that person over there know how to help? If the answer is no, then you just became a solo diver (with people around you).

Issues like diving where intanglement is possible, shore diving or cave diving are not really the issue of solo diving, but rather diving safe for the conditions.

If you are an instructor, you are solo diving almost all the time (your buddy is not going to be of much help). If you do not prepare yourself as if you were a solo diver, you are making a big mistake.

Finding comfort in people being near you has absolutely nothing to do with whether you are or are not solo diving, just that most people will find it rather uncomfortable to actual be alone.

I would be in the camp of, if you have to ask, don't do this.