Okay I am ready..... I think

[Jim Lapenta]

i think it interesting that the 2 solo divers above have come up with two schools of thought.
both seem appropriate.
one is to reduce risks and the other is to take a very large amount gear on the dive.

i think it is great to be able to read scuba board and and receive a tremendous amount of info.

I agree with you. This is a great place to learn. I need to point out though that for me it does not seem like I carry alot of gear. I've always had redundancy since day 1 in some area of my dive kit. As I've added to what I carry it has just become second nature to me. Working with students I'm used to having to have extras of this and that above and below. I also heartily agree with charlie. While I do carry a good amt of gear none of it is worth a darn if the gear between my ears is not working. For anyone who is contemplating solo diving realize that what you carry is only worth something if you know how to use it. And the only way to be sure you know that is to practice with it regularly, with and without a buddy in the water. I've made a number of ascents with my pony from various depths to determine exactly what my limits are with it with a buddy in the water but instructed to not interfere as I've stated previously. I practice with my lift bag. And again I plan my dives and stick with those plans. To me that is the most important thing I can do to minimize risk.

 

[Meng_Tze]

I agree with you. This is a great place to learn. I need to point out though that for me it does not seem like I carry alot of gear. I've always had redundancy since day 1 in some area of my dive kit. As I've added to what I carry it has just become second nature to me. Working with students I'm used to having to have extras of this and that above and below. I also heartily agree with charlie. While I do carry a good amt of gear none of it is worth a darn if the gear between my ears is not working. For anyone who is contemplating solo diving realize that what you carry is only worth something if you know how to use it. And the only way to be sure you know that is to practice with it regularly, with and without a buddy in the water. I've made a number of ascents with my pony from various depths to determine exactly what my limits are with it with a buddy in the water but instructed to not interfere as I've stated previously. I practice with my lift bag. And again I plan my dives and stick with those plans. To me that is the most important thing I can do to minimize risk.

Omnia Mea Mecum Porto

(all that I truly possess, I cary with me... i.e. the stuff in my brain)

 

[in_cavediver]

Cave dives primarely, stage/deco

building up guts relates to the fact that buddy is gone, not what I am used to....

I haven't yet made the jump to solo cave dives, considered it but I have been fortuneate to have good buddies available. That said, some of those I dive with do solo cave dive. They do it in either CCR's or sidemounts. In the CCR mode, they carry a bailout/buddy bottle. I'd do likewise in doubles just make sure you do your gas calculation to know how far an 80 will get you. The other option is sidemounts which have built in redundancy. Sidemounts are more task loading with the gas management but definitely doable without the buddy bottle. The last thing to consider is the deco obligation and what gas you plan to use for it. Remember to take into account lost deco gas scenario's as some divers in OW accessable places seem to like finding 'abandoned' bottles.

In practice, at least for me, the biggest obstacle to solo isn't skill or equipment, its mindset. I am accustomed to working with a team and deviating is a major departure from my normal protocols. I don't normally like major deviations from my normal diving. I figure my first solo dive will come when I really want to do a dive and I don't have a suitable buddy.