no dive buddy, dive solo?

[pheldman]

I have a Passion for scuba diving and I keep running into a situation where I want to dive but can't because I have no dive buddy. Seems kind of ridiculous that something like this can keep me from diving. Diving solo has crossed my mind many times but I want to get the boards advice about solo diving and if ill just get yelled at or frowned upon for doing that. I'm not doing super deep dives or anything out of the ordinary, I just want to get in the damn water. I'm not reckless and am probably the most careful person. Being a former marine, I'm very calculated in everything I do. Tried looking for buddies but, when I do find one, they are usually on a different page than me, or are just not reliable. I would enjoy things more solo. Thoughts?

 

[rambaldi]

Might be worth looking into one of the solo diver courses that some of the agencies offer.

 

[mockturtle920]

SDI offers a solo diver certification

 

[drrich2]

The SDI Solo Diver course requires 100 dives to qualify to take it. While the number is arbitrary, it's reasonable. Starting out, you 'don't know what you don't know.' The Rescue Diver course can help ingrain the 'stop, think, don't panic' mentality that can help make a better diver, solo or otherwise.

I suggest training up through Rescue, then aiming to get your 100 dives in (a couple of trips to Bonaire might help with that...), and take the course. I hope to take the course this year. It does teach areas where redundancy is needed.

Richard.

 

[Bratface]

With less than 25 dives, I wouldn't recommend diving solo. Is there a dive shop nearby where you could hook up with other divers? There are plenty of other courses to take that will make you a more self-sufficient diver. I often travel alone and have insta-buddies so I took the Dive Master course to increase my knowledge.

 

[Bob DBF]

There is a Solo Forum, you just have to opt in for it. If you are Training for DM you might want to keep the Solo on the Downlow.



Bob
----------------------
I may be old but I'm not dead yet.

 

[scubajim 1]

Welcome to a great sport...
While I'm sure you are a safe and careful diver, you are so new to the sport that you just don't know the things you don't know. I'm not being mean or funny but you need some experience so I'd recommend you get a few more dives under your belt before you try solo dives. When one first starts diving it can be hard to find buddies and build a list of folks you'd care to dive with.
Your LDS (local dive shop) may have a dive club or be able to steer you toward a group of divers in your area. SB also has a buddy finder that is very useful.

I have nothing against solo diving, in fact, I teach a self-reliant diver speciality course but the divers who enroll must have logged a minimum of 100 dives before they can take the course. I look closely at each diver who wants to take the course before I accept her/him as a student.
Good luck with your diving and if you get down to South Florida get in touch and we will dive together.

 

[TMHeimer]

pheldman, As I'm sure you will be told, there are a million threads about solo on SB, and the same number of opinions. My situation has most of the time been exactly the same as yours, plus my home location makes buddy diving hard (though I think my good buddy of years ago is about to get back into it). I would probably agree that 25 dives is probably too few to consider it. However, this is my routine: Try not to exceed 30 feet. A CESA from there is very easy and should be practised. This depth is glorified snorkelling, which is probably more dangerous because you have no air supply. I snorkelled solo for years without giving it a second thought. I have, on occasion been deeper solo, once in a while by design, sometimes due to faulty and lost "insta buddies". It is also a good idea to dive known sites that are pretty benign--current, etc. Of course, there is always a first time anywhere, so be careful. Local advice can be of help. Perhaps the biggest worry is entanglement without a buddy. Keep ridiculously far from any of that & always carry a knife. Good luck, be safe.

 

[101recon]

I have a Passion for scuba diving and I keep running into a situation where I want to dive but can't because I have no dive buddy. Seems kind of ridiculous that something like this can keep me from diving. Diving solo has crossed my mind many times but I want to get the boards advice about solo diving and if ill just get yelled at or frowned upon for doing that. I'm not doing super deep dives or anything out of the ordinary, I just want to get in the damn water. I'm not reckless and am probably the most careful person. Being a former marine, I'm very calculated in everything I do. Tried looking for buddies but, when I do find one, they are usually on a different page than me, or are just not reliable. I would enjoy things more solo. Thoughts?

I had many of the same questions and thoughts a few years ago when I started diving. But give it some time. The buddies and dive opportunities will increase with time. So will your knowledge. I think military training does give some of us an advantage with diving but it could also bite your ass as well. As others have said, you need time to learn what you don't know. Any unknown LZ can kill you.

Join the Solo forum and do some recon. Get to know your gear and yourself as a diver before rushing in. I'm glad that I decided to wait until I KNOW that I am ready. Diving is very alluring and can draw you in too fast. The route is longer and takes more time to accomplish, but you have a much better chance of accomplishing the mission without incident.

 

[redacted]

The really great thing about solo diving is it is your decision. SDI has minimum requirements for their cert but I suspect they will sell you the book any time.