Is limited solo diving completely insane for a new diver?

[Bubblesong]

A lot of us feel the way @Marie13 expressed, not angry, but anxious that we not read about you in the accidents and incidents forum. Also we all feel the need for more diving and diving companions, if we have a few, we need more! A little social investment now will yield LOADS more great diving, as your buddies share their dive history and cool, untrammeled dive locations with you.

 

[kelemvor]

A lot of us feel the way @Marie13 expressed, not angry, but anxious that we not read about you in the accidents and incidents forum. Also we all feel the need for more diving and diving companions, if we have a few, we need more! A little social investment now will yield LOADS more great diving, as your buddies share their dive history and cool, untrammeled dive locations with you.

Finding buddies is one of the most significant dive problems in my opinion. On the up side, I've met lots of people through diving. Almost all of them are above average people as far as I can tell, and several have become my friends.

 

[2airishuman]

This discussion has reached a point where it lacks nuance and I'm going to try to fix that.

First of all, some posters seem to be opposed to solo diving in general. I would like to respectfully point out that this is the "Solo Divers" forum, and that if where you're coming from is that solo diving is just a bad idea, then your posts are unhelpful and off topic. I would suggest you share those sentiments in one of the many boards on Scubaboard where those discussions are appropriate.

I would next like to point out that a solo diving or "self reliant" class is not the sine qua non of a solo diver. There have been solo divers since long before these classes were offered. The actual reality of newly minted divers is that they usually dive under the supervision of a DM. The safety benefit of an inexperienced diver as a buddy is, at best, small, a subject that has been covered in great detail on this forum and elsewhere (and I refer those of you who want cites to those extensive discussions where they are provided). I will also point out that NAUI considers its open water divers to be qualified to engage in solo diving without the need for 100 dives or another class.

And I don't necessarily agree with what I understand is taught in solo classes. I am certain that some are better than others as a good instructor can overcome a curriculum that has weaknesses. But I do not, for example, believe that the mindset should be materially different than for a buddy dive. You really ought to be sure of your salvation (and your diving skills) before undertaking a dive whether or not you have a buddy. Nor do I believe that it is any more necessary to leave a dive plan with a 3rd party than it is when engaging in other routine activities, nor do I necessarily believe that redundant gas should be required for all solo dives, or things like a spare mask carried along. Having a buddy isn't -- or shouldn't -- be an excuse for crap skills, crap planning, and crap execution of the plan. The idea that sloppy buddy dives are OK but sloppy solo dives are not is the grand fallacy here.

I have no opinion on the wisdom of letting an aspiring diver audit a solo diving class. I have absolutely no idea what the contractual and insurance situation is for people who teach such classes. I don't think any of that is especially relevant. Ordinarily in the world at large, outside diving, the act of auditing a class is one of observing the class and reviewing its materials without necessarily doing the work or being evaluated by the instructor. If I were to audit a physics class I would not expect to perform the lab work. If I were, hypothetically, auditing a solo diving class, I would not expect to do the dives, and I would not expect to be able to use my auditing experience for "credit" towards completing the actual class in future.

If there are instructors out there that are using the word "audit" as an excuse to conduct the class without following the rules, well, that's between them and their insurer and PADI and the student. I suppose it's probably a bad thing but it's way down my personal list of Things I WIsh I Could Change About The Dive Business.

So, back to the OP. It is human nature for members of any exclusive group to try to raise the requirements for entry into the group. Basic sociology. The world is full of examples. One of my favorites is the moderators (admins) at Wikipedia, who are constantly raising the "standards" for becoming a moderator despite the fact that they now have a shortage of them. And I think that's what we see with solo diving. Exisitng solo divers all seem to think that new solo divers should be better prepared than they were for their first solo dive. I'm not going to fall into that trap, so I'm going to say:

• Be sure of your skills
• Be sure of your equipment
• Have a navigation plan
• Choose a benign site on a day with benign conditions at first, then expand your limits gradually
• Be mentally prepared to call the dive if you need to
• Actually do gas planning

That's for a buddy dive. It's what you've already been taught, isn't it?

Now, why do you suppose a solo dive is any different?

 

[Marie13]

Why would I think I was the only one?
Thanks for the weird and slightly angry sounding response.

This wasn't a thread about needing buddies.

I didn't take up diving by myself. My girlfriend just isn't quite as dive crazy as I am. (I'm happy to go practice in 5 feet of vis on a -5c day - her not so much)

This was about wanting to dive by myself to get more practice in at a single spot that I am comfortable at (and whether it was crazy to consider this)

If you’re considering diving solo when you’re got very few dives, then yes, you’re in need of dive buddies. You were giving us the “woe is me” about not wanting to go through whatever to find buddies.

I don’t care what your background is, I think it’s reckless to dive solo with so few dives. Foolish at best. And you said you’re a single father? But you’ll do whatever you wish so I don’t think what we say will change your mind much.

 

[HeliMech]

If you’re considering diving solo when you’re got very few dives, then yes, you’re in need of dive buddies. You were giving us the “woe is me” about not wanting to go through whatever to find buddies.

I don’t care what your background is, I think it’s reckless to dive solo with so few dives. Foolish at best. And you said you’re a single father? But you’ll do whatever you wish so I don’t think what we say will change your mind much.

It's reckless to wait for some time in the future with more dives under my belt to reassess and then maybe start slow in shallow water that you can stand up in?

Did you even read half of what I posted?

 

[HeliMech]

If you’re considering diving solo when you’re got very few dives, then yes, you’re in need of dive buddies. You were giving us the “woe is me” about not wanting to go through whatever to find buddies.

I don’t care what your background is, I think it’s reckless to dive solo with so few dives. Foolish at best. And you said you’re a single father? But you’ll do whatever you wish so I don’t think what we say will change your mind much.

Please note I also said it was suicidal and crazy in my first post. Which you apparently missed.

I was more interested in the thought process someone goes through when first considering the possibility. Just wondering if others and been in the same situation

I really have no idea what you are commenting on.

 

[Bierstadt]

@HeliMech I think that you have the feedback you came here for. I think @Marie13 is pointing out (in an admittedly short but no less true fashion) is that buddies are a part of scuba diving and we all have gone through greater or lesser struggles to find them. Often greater. I have missed dives for lack of buddies. I will be comfortable solo diving eventually, but not right now. When I can have everything go wrong and still be comfortable I will be ready to solo dive to my satisfaction. And that is the only one that really matters to me, because it is my life.

People die in 6 feet of water. To speculate on your individual suitability is unwise; note that posters have mentioned not seeing red flags in your background (other than lack of experience), have spoken about the thought process in deciding and observing safe limits in solo diving, but no one is going to say "oh yeah, you are awesome and I'll bet your life on it!" It is your life to bet. We do it every time we get out of bed, every time we get in a car, and every time we dive. Spend some time in the diving accidents forum. Any mistakes there that you could fall victim to? Don't tell me, just ask yourself. Because when you solo it is all on you.

Additionally, while I do not wish to speak for Marie there are many people who tone down or abandon recreation involving risk when they have children, and she and others here have no wish to see your children orphaned because you dove into a situation that proved to be beyond your skills and abilities. This is not because you are not suited for solo diving or anything like that, but because diving is inherently dangerous. Of course, so is driving. But diving is easier to screw up and kill yourself in. I wish I could make a list of everything a diver needs to master, but of course I can't. I am a novice diver too. But I agree entirely that one critical scuba skill to master is finding good dive buddies, and it is worth investing time into. Three divers I know just spent several dives doing nothing but drills and shooting bags, so there is interest out there. The buddy you find may be as delighted to find a drills partner as you.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

 

[2airishuman]

Obviously anyone thinking to do anything solo after 12 dives is a moron right? I'll troll myself there to get that out of the way. Also I'm not trying to be lazy and not bother trying to find a buddy - it's just that by the time I find someone with a similar SAC rate (mine needs work) who wants to do what I want to do and that I trust - I'll miss a lot of diving.

I will be going to a local dive club meeting this week to try and get the ball rolling for another buddy though.

However, here's why I'm thinking about this:

1) My dive buddy (my girlfriend) has to rent gear and we have different schedules. I probably want to dive three times as much as she does.
2) I'm an introvert and would prefer my own company if she can't go. (Plus I don't trust randoms in any safety capacity to help me out)
3) My LDS doesn't do guided dives every day I want/need to go.
4) I need to dive.
5) I hate diving in groups. Other divers swimming into me, kicking me in the face...or just being on someone else's schedule.
6) I want to go slow and just practice my own thing.
7) I don't want to end someone else's dive because my breathing isn't dialed in yet.
8) My LDS just cancelled my Wed. dive due to nobody else registering. So now I can't dive that day.

JR,

I went through this, and essentially came to the conclusion after a great deal of trying that I wasn't going to find any people nearby who have similar diving interests and skills. My wife doesn't dive so the choices for me, for local diving, were either to dive by myself or not dive at all. There are outings organized by the dive shops to various regional destinations, usually a couple hours drive away, that I don't consider local, as they are not the sort of thing I can do for 1-2 nights a week after work.

Skilled divers are safe divers. Skill comes through frequent repetition. So I worked on skills, in protected, shallow water. At first I did it with shore support, later completely by myself. I came to the conclusion that I had unacceptably weak basic swimming skills, so I paid for lessons and spent a lot of time in the pool working on stroke mechanics to get more comfortable with that. At this point, my kids dive, so a good deal (but less than half) of my dives are with them.

There are many reasons people offer for solo diving. I prefer it. My best dives have been solo dives. I can focus on what I'm doing and what I want. Now, with those skills in hand, it's great to be able to share diving with my kids, but even with my oldest (now 19) it's more of a situation where I'm trying to be the responsible dad and facilitate a good, safe dive for her.

Where?: There is a shore entry area that is popular for practice locally. Porteau Cove - West Vancouver.

Why?: In a perfect world (where this wasn't considered suicide) I would like to go there to practice by myself when there isn't anyone else to go with.

I am familiar with the site and my plan would be simply to surface swim to the nearest buoy, take a bearing to one of the wrecks close by, descend, head out to wreck (no entry at all and none really possible), head back to buoy, quick safety stop and ascend. All dives well within NDL.

I wouldn't really be doing this for sightseeing - just to practice.

I don't know anything about that location or what else is available to you. It doesn't sound to me like a benign environment. The lake where I go to practice skills has, as a practical matter, a maximum depth of about 25'. The bay I dive in is separated from the main lake by shallows you could stand up in. The bay is small and it is possible to exit anywhere along the shore in an emergency (though most of the land is private so that is something I avoid). There is no current, and motorized boats are prohibited. The main problem skill wise is that the viz is usually 10', sometimes less.

Navigation mistakes can be the root cause of dive emergencies, so if your underwater navigation abilities are not yet rock-solid, you would want to choose an area where you don't have to depend on them. This would be true whether you have a buddy or not.

Please note I also said it was suicidal and crazy in my first post. Which you apparently missed.

I was more interested in the thought process someone goes through when first considering the possibility. Just wondering if others and been in the same situation

To be clear, no one is going to give you "permission" for a solo dive, or encourage or endorse your undertaking.

I'm not going to tell you it's OK. Or wise. Or safe. I don't tell anyone those things about any dive.

@Marie13 is apparently of the opinion that there are no circumstances under which someone with a history of very few completed dives could conduct a solo dive safely. She is apparently also of the opinion that problems arranging buddy dives is not a legitimate reason to consider a solo dive. I disagree with both of these opinions. She also shares the opinion that you are not qualified for the specific dive you propose. I neither agree nor disagree with that statement, because it is a choice you will have to make yourself. I hope that I have provided some background that will help you choose wisely.

 

[2airishuman]

Additionally, while I do not wish to speak for Marie there are many people who tone down or abandon recreation involving risk when they have children, and she and others here have no wish to see your children orphaned because you dove into a situation that proved to be beyond your skills and abilities. This is not because you are not suited for solo diving or anything like that, but because diving is inherently dangerous. Of course, so is driving. But diving is easier to screw up and kill yourself in. I wish I could make a list of everything a diver needs to master, but of course I can't. I am a novice diver too.

I never stopped living because I had kids: aviation, motorcycles, farming, chainsaws, boats, diving, etc etc etc. All stuff widely perceived to be dangerous. My youngest is 14, I've got older parents, a wife, other people who like to have me around. There are a number of key principles and concepts that I want to put forth regarding this. It's philosophical, esoteric stuff, and I'm sorry, but here you go:

1) I believe that I am reasonably prudent in all my undertakings, and do not pursue risk or violate widely accepted, evidence-based safety principles. I wear a helmet and bring a first aid kit and use steel toed boots, and stuff like that.

2) Scuba diving, conducted within reasonable limits, is simply not a dangerous activity. Any physically active undertaking has risks. Most people just look at fatality statistics and miss half the picture -- the sorts of serious life-changing injuries where you have to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair and eat out of a straw are a big deal, too, and those are very rare in diving.

3) My kids etc are resilient people and are going to do just fine whatever happens to me, and that's a good thing because....

4) Lots of dads don't make it to 50 even if they spend their life in bubble wrap. I've been to funerals for people I know who are younger than me. Car crashes, cancer, addiction, suicide, heart disease. And one who was a bystander in a chainsaw accident and got hit by the tree. Tomorrow is never a guarantee.

The point here isn't to be fatalistic and go out and do stupid ****. The point is that prudent diving doesn't contribute materially to the inherent risk involved in everyday living.

But I agree entirely that one critical scuba skill to master is finding good dive buddies, and it is worth investing time into. Three divers I know just spent several dives doing nothing but drills and shooting bags, so there is interest out there. The buddy you find may be as delighted to find a drills partner as you.

Where you and I disagree, @Bierstadt, is that I don't think mere application of time and skill will solve the buddy problem in all cases.

Not everyone lives in, for example, Key Largo.

 

[RayfromTX]

@2airishuman, thank you. I agree 100% Life is really really short. I intend to live it while I have it and spend zero time worrying about not having it. I'm pretty sure I did all my really stupid stuff before the age of 25. A great deal of my patience came from tolerating people that think I do dangerous things and the rest came from the people in my life that do things that make me shake my head. "Hey y'all hold my beer and watch this" just isn't me.

To the OP, I don't think you are looking for permission or a cosignature. I suspect you are seeking to learn what you don't know. This is a good thing because even if you are cautious and prudent, it is always good to figure out what we don't know so we can learn those things. Best of luck on your journey. Here's hoping we hear from you and not about you.