Justifying solo diving to others

[MXGratefulDiver]

Bob with all the you, your & you've in your statement I believe it to be safe to assume (please correct me if im wrong) that you're directing that at me.

No ... sorry to give that impression ... intended to be the generic "you" that addresses my thoughts to whomever is reading ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ozzydamo]

Well Today! I got some 25y.o backyard instructor(skinny fellow, looked weak climbing over the slimey rocks getting out, took lots of time getting out too.) taking 5 students for a shore based dive. I hit the water well before them and I am a pretty switched on unit at the worst of times, so coming in they are stacked up trying to get out of the water in a nice easy spot onto a breakwall, which is relatively calm, say two foot high boat waves occasionally sweeping thru. The students are getting out and the instructor is at the back of them and said to me "where's your buddy" I replied, "what buddy??? I don't use one!" he said "thats risky!"
- I said"is there a law against it???", he said "No" I replied "do you think there should be??" he was thinking and said nothing so I added "You have more risk then I have with those 5 never been in the open sea divers, then I ever will being alone. It's all about promotion of charters and dive shops, which just make it a rich man's sport....then you want to tell me what to do?????". I then told him, "I got 100bar (1450psi) coming in, I started with 200bar(2900psi) just went to 14m max, averaged 10m and it's been a 76minute dive, how do you go for air consumption??"( I am 175lbs and 5'11" and pretty strong as I am a carpenter, I look buff as my girlfriend tells me!!!!) He didn't reply about his AC.
I pulled my fins off and used them as paddles to land myself with a wave and spike the landing into a walk, straight up to my car to change tanks and get a drink(he's parked next to me, it's in Australia, he's got a English ascent and no sun tan!).
Preparing for the 2nd dive 30minutes late, this man in his 60's solo diver rocks up, he's got vintage gear the 2 hoses each side, he's got a beer gut and uses no bcd lots of weight on the belt. I said to the instructor guy,"can't be too dangerous if that guy is still alive".
So basically- I jumped on his head quietly, without getting rude, I showed him his logic is built on assumption and don't try playing the authoritarian bastard game with me, Junior, you'll make an idiot out of you in front of your paying customers- to ask a question is ok, just show some respect for your elders when you ask it!

Your plastic card is a four, rounded corner suppository!

 

[ozzydamo]

They may be flipping out because you're not ready. When I first started soloing I had only a few dives under my belt and everyone I talked to about soloing (whether they be divers or non-divers) had something to say. Even total strangers would make comments about how what I was doing was dangerous. However, once I had more experience (logged 50-60 solo dives) the concern diminished and people stopped with their comments. It seemed like, in the beginning, people "picked up on" the fact that I really shouldn't be soloing and thus rightfully gave me sh#t. But then once I had amassed some experience people "picked up on" the fact that I was safe and pretty much knew what I was doing and thus didn't feel the need to lecture me about safety. So you may be hearing exactly what you need to hear because you may very well not be ready to solo dive.

When you are good at something, it looks easy to bystanders....generically-like anybody could do that!

 

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide,I feel like I'm 'solo diving' on every dive but actually I have other divers depending on my experience & training. Between employers & customers it's a toss-up which dis-approves of solo diving the most.I still do it for solitude & enjoyment plus there are times I have to fix mooring lines or go exploring to find something interesting to show future clients. The only bad thing that has happened to me is my boat was missing when I surfaced a couple of times; once was a prank......but the other was just bad luck.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

 

[scuba=dude]

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT "FREAKING OUT" I have gotten whear I just don't talk to other divers unless they talk to me, when it comes up I just say that I don't have any buddys that know how to dive. Most of the time they don't say anything about me diving alone after looking my rig over. Two of every thing + lift bag and reel,pony tank. As a matter of fact most of the people that give me greef about solo diving comes from these scuba fourms........and the only thing you can do about that is not post.

 

[Whitewatermike]

A couple weeks back, I was at the beach waiting for my buddy to show up. I decided to snorkel a bit and a Laguna Beach lifeguard stopped me and says, "Hey, it's a lot safer if you dive with a buddy." I responded by thanking him and said, "I'm just gonna snorkel right now, my buddy is on his way." Later, it turned out my buddy couldn't make it down so I ran up to the car and grabbed my pony for a solo dive. Passing the lifeguard, as a courtesy I let him know I was going solo and would be back in about 90 minutes. His response was, "oh, be careful." While gearing up, a lady sitting near me asked, "you're not going out there alone, are you?" I told her I was an experienced solo diver, and I've always felt that if I die underwater it'll likely be from cardiac arrest anyway. In that case, a buddy wouldn't do much good other than recovering my body. I also bluntly stated that most people requiring resuscitation usually don't make it. One of her companions, a diver, pondered those statements a bit and then said, "oh, I guess that makes sense." I mentioned solo dive training and told them about the SDI Solo course and the forthcoming PADI Self-Reliant Diver distinctive specialty. They responded positively and were surprised such training existed. I filed my flight plan with my wife and then I conducted my dive, concluding it by surfacing about 30' in front of the lifeguard tower with 89 minutes on my computer. Hiking out, I gave a wink and a nod to the lifeguard.

In my discussion with my nosy neighbors, I admitted that there are times when a buddy could potentially save my life and that I believed solo diving incurs some added risk, but to me the added risk was acceptable. They brought up a recent death near that beach where a free diver was apparently entangled in kelp. I relayed some of my rules for solo diving including not diving kelp or overhead environments solo, limiting my depth, and carrying redundant gear.

The above statements regarding the risks of solo diving are merely my opinions. I do not have facts or statistics to back them up. All forms of diving carry some risk and it's up to the individual to determine how much risk they can tolerate.