New Diver

[jackiemize]

Just finished ow last Sunday. Although I have just started diving I find that I am very comfortable under water. We did OW at a new Park in Terrel Texas. (Great place) The deepest point is 58 feet but the average is 35 feet. My question is , If I stay around 35 or 40 feet could I dive solo? I dont have a dive buddy yet but I have the equitment and want to. My instructor will have another class there this weekend but I want to go have fun now. Any thoughts on me solo diving so soon? Also tried to get c card last year and blew a hole in my eardrum at Lake Travis but its fine now. No ear fear.....

 

[DiveTub]

What a great idea, that is such a cool way to die, then your family can sue the instructor and get millions of dollars for your funeral, did you even listen in your OW class to anything the instructor said ?

Did you get a tank dropped on your head during your class ?

Until you have a couple of hundred dives under your weight belt, have learnt all about redundant equipment and how to use it. For god’s sake don't dive solo.

I have watched two people dragged from the ocean both drowned on dives with a maximum depth of 40ft, both certified divers, one solo, and one lost their buddy through the dive.

I have seen a girl taken to the Chamber from a dive to 25Ft after running out of air.

It aint worth it, go join the local Dive Club and dive the a buddy !!!






Chris
PADI MSDT

 

[jackiemize]

No tanks on my head and yes I heard every word and understood completely. These examples you give sound like panic attack problems which we all must be able to control. Didnt mean to ruffle any feathers. Thanks for the reply.

 

[chrispete]

Check out the Texas Swamp Divers section of this board - you should be able to find multiple buddies there that are experienced and dive the same locations that you want to.

 

[DiveTub]

jackiemize once bubbled...
No tanks on my head and yes I heard every word and understood completely. These examples you give sound like panic attack problems which we all must be able to control. Didnt mean to ruffle any feathers. Thanks for the reply.

Panic attacks or not all of the incidents I refer too could have been avoided if the divers had a buddy and or they stayed wih them.

I do not advocate solo diving, I do it myself from time to time but I dive with a pony and twins as redundency and have a couple of thousand dives logged.

Chris

 

[jackiemize]

Sounds like a good idea. I'll do that and hope to meet some of you all soon somewere.....

 

[Walter]

I do not advocate solo diving for anyone. It takes place more than is usually discussed and it is usually a very bad idea. There are those who have reached a level where solo diving is relatively safe. That is not the case for anyone just out of an OW class. It's always better to have a buddy. It's safer and it's more fun. Buddies are also very easy to find.

 

[david.tolan]

Hmmm Solo Diving.

I have 50 dives. Not a lot, but more than just out of OW. I am also a skydiver with over 300 skydives. I'm very comfortable in water. You'd think I'd be a safe bet to stay calm.

Recently I got VERY spooked by **** visability. OK I was at 30 Meters (100 feet) so I may have been narked. I made a very poorly controlled acsent with one of the dive masters. Luckily neither of us were hurt. More down to his skill than mine.
If I'd been solo I'd quite possibly be dead now.

It took a long time for me to get back in the water. Mostly because I knew I'd messed up. More recently we had an "incident" at 22 meters, we got separated from an instructor, and caught in a current, and just to add to the fun, I lost a fin. Did I mention that vis was ****. Anyhow I stayed calm and in control. Even then I was VERY GLAD of my buddy who was much more used to diving in cold and murky water.

Until **** happens you DO NOT KNOW how you will react. Usually if you get a chance to deal with the same problem again, you deal a lot better. (AKA experience)

If you dive SOLO without experience, you may not get to learn from your mistakes. If you have the experience and you want to dive solo, well you've WAY more dives than me - so why are you reading my advise ?

Blue Skies,
Clear Waters,
Dave

 

[JimC]

jackiemize once bubbled...
No tanks on my head and yes I heard every word and understood completely. These examples you give sound like panic attack problems which we all must be able to control. Didnt mean to ruffle any feathers. Thanks for the reply.

Its not just the stuff you can controll that will kill you solo. Your also missing your most important peaice of redundant equipment.

 

[MikeS]

I have a hard time imagining an OW class that didn’t teach, “always dive with a buddy?” What certification Agency was it with? Or did you just choose to ignore that part? And if your not going to pay attention to that principle what others aspects of the training are you going to ignore?