Minimalist Solo Diving?

[Dr. Lecter]

One difference for solo single tank diving may be that you delete your long hosed-second stage in favor of a single necklaced second stage on a very short hose. The argument being that you're not going to be air sharing and the extra second stage adds an unnecessary failure point without giving any redundancy, plus one less hose.

Until I got a scooter, I generally thought it was more work (remove long hose, add LP plug, reverse for next buddy dive) than it was worth. Now that I frequently have to worry about unsecured second stages freeflowing due to scootering through the water, and am more solo than ever because I range much further away from whatever group I'm diving with (if any)...it makes a lot more sense.

I'm tempted to just camband a HP100 to the scooter as a keel, put a stage reg on it, and wear the BP/harness without any wing or tank. Now that'd be some minimalist solo diving

 

[Nemrod]

My favorite solo rig for diving in relatively benign conditions, is my Mistral double hose, no BC, a steel 72 or an aluminum 64, my Tekna dagger, small line cutter, watch, computer (or depth gauge), small compass and if there is a significant swim or a lot of boat traffic a sausage and spool. Again it is a shore dive involving a long swim, I might tuck a snorkel in my belt, since I am without BC I will have to swim face down. If I plan on going over 30 feet, I will probably fit an spg on a banjo bolt. I have made dives involving surface swims up to two miles or more to the site and been in the water for several hours with this rig. I do have a surface float with flag (assuming shore dive) or I may be towing my kayak during the actual dive portion using it as a conveyance to and fro.

My intermediate #1 solo rig would likely be a single 72 or 80, wing and plate, Tekna dagger and line cutter, watch, computer (or depth gauge), compass, double hose Phoenix or Conshelf regulator. No octopus or air share regulator as I am solo lest we forget. Optional, I might rig my Air Buddy and tuck in under my harness. Sausage, spool, spg, small light (optional), snorkel if I am swimming on the surface any distance though I am likely to do that swim on my back, wing inflated.

My intermediate #2 rig would add an 18 to 30 cf pony, slung, to the above. It might have an Air Buddy instead of a conventional regulator with button spg.

For more challenging solo dives, greater than 100 feet or possible opportunities for considerable mayhem and unknown, first, I might not make the dive but if I feel good enough about it my favorite rig would be independent doubles, probably 72s, probably a Conshelf with single second stage on both, dual spgs, horsecollar BC, Tekna dagger, line cutter, watch, computer( or depth gauge), compass, small light, sausage and spool.

I am not carrying a spare mask, I am not doing penetration or deco on a solo dive. I do not have a spare light, if I even have a light at all, only one computer, or none, and use a watch and gauge. If anything fails, up I go.

By solo, I mean, I am alone. Though my wife might be napping in the boat .

For those really long surface swims/shore based dives, where I could get into current going away from shore, a signal mirror, dye pack, glow tube, signal strobe etc. all in a small net pouch clipped off or banded to my tank.

I have carried a GPS for locating sites from shore, stored in my surface float while I am submerged. The surface float is typically an inner tube with a ditty bag, flag etc. If I am on my kayak it might have a marine vhf and additional equipment as required by the CG including signal flares etc.

Air Buddy:

Air Buddy -- The Ultimate Alternate Air Source

Less is more.

N

 

[BDSC]

I don't change the gear I use whether I'm buddy diving or solo diving and I use a minimal amout of gear. The only thing I change is my depth. If I'm solo diving I usually stay 50ft or less. Usually. If I were going to routinely solo dive much deeper than that, I'd get a small pony or God forbid.......a Spare Air.

 

[Nemrod]

No BC, no octopus (why, I am solo?), knife, spg, computer (with compass), watch, Voit Navy HPR. Destin Florida, 80 feet. About 24 miles out of East Pass.

N

 

[Bigd2722]

Who took the picture?

No BC, no octopus (why, I am solo?), knife, spg, computer (with compass), watch, Voit Navy HPR. Destin Florida, 80 feet. About 24 miles out of East Pass.

N

 

[rx7diver]

Looks like a selfie to me.

 

[Nemrod]

Looks like a selfie to me.

You would be correct, the camera was held in my left hand. I have a fisheye wide angle lens, selfies are easy. Most of my photos are taken at about 3 feet from subject, about six inches here as example:

About four inches to octopus:

About a foot:

Gotchas will not work with me. Not a solo dive here but you can see the tether, my wife is a singularly poor photogrpaher, I never hand her the camera, it is pointless:

Schooling fish and schooling divers, another reason to go solo:

N

 

[Doc Harry]

Is less equipment safer? That's a decision that you need to make for yourself.

I do not believe in minimalist solo diving whatsoever, primarily because I do not consider CESA to be a viable back-up plan from any depth. I will always carry two tanks and two first stage regulators and two forms of buoyancy on every solo dive.

Why? Because.

 

[DaleC]

I dive a few different rigs and have studied the history of diving somewhat and this led me to develop some ideas about the subject. When I look at early diving, the equipment was very rudimentary, minimalist one could say, yet the dives could be relatively safe. Why?

It's all in the approach. If I dive in 50' of water using a St 72 I know I know I can last about 45 minutes if nothing effects my normal breathing rate. It's hard to get into DCS trouble at that depth, with that tank. If I pay attention to weighting I can do away with a BC. The failure that will completely stop air delivery without some warning is pretty rare, and if I avoid the NDL's, I can default to a CESA. If I put a loop around my knife I am less likely to drop it and require a second.

This means I can plan a dive to 50' for 1/2 hr with little to no gear. A watch and depth gauge will do, but for convenience I usually take my computer because it has both measures in one. I have a SMB sometimes in my pocket which can double as a floatation device, usually if there is a current that might sweep me from shore. One knife, one reg, one compass (unless I know I can navigate otherwise) and a snorkel if I anticipate a surface swim. An SPG is nice but not a limiting factor and because I know my times pretty well a J valve will suffice.

The most important piece of equipment is between my ears, in the form of situational awareness and avoiding the incident pit.

Here's a couple of dives to illustrate the point:

[video=youtube;QpsR3EBysg8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpsR3EBysg8&noredirect=1[/video]

[video=youtube;YGp5R-4m3Rw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGp5R-4m3Rw[/video]

[video=youtube;Gw6dEME6dWA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw6dEME6dWA[/video]

 

[mick allein III]

Dale thanks for the post. I agree with your assessment that your most important gear is between your ears. Why do you minimize gear? More enjoyable? Or do you consider a simpler rig safer?


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