schizophrenic solo divers?

[do it easy]

i finally joined the solo forum and was shocked to see who was in here!

at any rate, lately, i've been going back and forth between buddy diving and solo diving. literally, i mean alternating dives. does any one else do this or are most people predominantly solo or buddy?

usually when i'm alternating like this, a group of us will meet to dive at the local hole, so i'll do a dive or two with the group. then, i might do a dive by myself, so that my dive plan isn't limited by the lowest common denominator of the group.

the solo diving part is easier mentally, but sometimes when buddy diving, i have to conscientiously make a point to be a decent buddy. after tasting the freedom, buddy diving can be tough, but i do make a point to try to be a good example for the non-solo divers.

an example, four of us were diving a local quarry- a newly certified OW, and AI, and and an instructor. when i dive in a group, i make distinct buddy pairs; i was paired with the AI. we descend to about 45' and start swimming towards a submerged boat. just after we get the marching order straightened out, my buddy is gone and the other two are already swimming towads the boat, with me following. this was the hard part, since i knew that he was probably fine due to his experience level (i knew him through the LDS), but i forced myself to stop, look around, and then surface to find him. it turns out he bailed to get a hood since we were going below the thermocline. we regrouped and joined the other two who were looking at the boat. there was a time, not too long ago, when i would have just figured he turned and i would have kept going with the group.

it's was a tough choice underwater, in the sense that i had to think about what i wanted to do, but i thought it was the right choice. how would other divers do things? keep in mind that we had made buddy pairs before the dive, and it wasn't an ad hoc buddy group what formed underwater.

 

[H2Andy]

if you're schizophrenic, are you really solo?

now, i know that multiple personalities would certainly take you out of the
"solo" realm... but i wonder if just hearing voices counts?

:fruit:

 

[Nemrod]

"if you're schizophrenic, are you really solo?""

OK, now that explains why some divers carry two or more of everything!

If I had agreed to take a buddy then I would have made every effort to stay with him and find him, I would have done as you did. BUT, since this is the solo forum I would not have had that buddy to begin with and then therefore would have had a great dive instead of spending my time looking for him.

Safety is way over rated, Live dangerous, die free. N

 

[do it easy]

If I had agreed to take a buddy then I would have made every effort to stay with him and find him, I would have done as you did. BUT, since this is the solo forum I would not have had that buddy to begin with and then therefore would have had a great dive instead of spending my time looking for him.

that's exactly the thought that crossed my mind as i was looking for him. i was pretty sure he was fine, but i've been getting more and more paranoid lately. (i guess i've got a lot of mental problems :crazy: :monkeydan i hope that's enough smiley's to convince everyone that i'm kidding) anyhow, the paranoia is probably what prompted me to look for him. i really don't want the reputation of the buddy that gets his buddies hurt- it's kinda like being the ship captain that survived 6 sinkings.

so do you have a rule against diving with buddies?

 

[Nemrod]

"so do you have a rule against diving with buddies?"

Of course not, however, I do think I am on PadI's "10 most hated diver list"!! I think they are watching me through my TV right now!

I like diving with other people or alone as the situation merits. If I got a buddy then I ain't gonna leave him/her and will follow our prearranged protocals. When I dive with a buddy, it is like a handshake on a deal, I don't go back on my word.

Safety is way over rated, live dangerous, die free! N

 

[do it easy]

i was more curious if people here dive exclusively solo, mostly solo, or occasionally solo. maybe i should have started a poll.

i dive mostly with buddies lately, but i try to sneak in a solo dive when i'm with a group, so that i can get my dive in. here's my list in order of preference:

1) a cohesive buddy team dripping with kool aid
2) solo
3) a noob with decent skills that wants to be shown the ropes and will stick with me (of course, their skill level will dictate where i will lead them)
4) bad buddies

i short, i prefer a good team, but would rather dive solo than dive with a buddy that will not or can not stick to the plan. i guess i would fall into the occaasionally solo category.

 

[redrover]

With a buddy I’m stuck with them at their choice of accompaniment. It has not happened but should a new and less or equally capable buddy appear, we’ll have to work out any conflicts on the surface. I may be far more conservative if I wish to dive with them or they to dive with me. I agree to what I’m getting into and expect them to accept what they have agreed to on the surface. My buddies are all far more experienced, braver than I, and dive solo.

It would take extraordinary circumstances for me to ditch any buddy that did not expressly agree to being ditched. If I inadvertently ditched a buddy, I will be mortified.

So far at least I have more fun alone. I seek buddy dives; I understand in the broader scope in light of my experience, buddies are a prudent choice. Unfortunately for me I do not have the perfect buddy but am very open to finding one – I like to share when I’m having fun. I’ve seen things I wouldn’t have found on my own, been where I wouldn’t go alone and seen a whole lot less than I would have poking around at my own pace. With a buddy I have to pay considerable amount of attention to them leaving much less for myself and my own interests. It’s almost a toss up.
Although I dive solo I consider myself a woose. Having fun is a key concept for me. I’m not out there to challenge myself and see just what I am able to live thru or boast about. Frankly my buddy dives have all been far more of a challenge than I do alone, it’s not bad challenging, just less fun in many ways. I want to dive more than my buddies want me to dive with them so I stick to places I’m very comfortable with. If I’ve made a poor judgment call or spazzed out with a detail and live to regret it, I’ll regret it.
I like to boat dive with a DM or group lead by a DM. Usually I can be in the same ocean which is derided by some divers but it suites me just fine. I’m happy with letting them know when I’ve reached my end psi and surface alone.

I don’t get the skitzo application to solo diving, please explain. Am I one in your opinion?

 

[do it easy]

I don’t get the skitzo application to solo diving, please explain. Am I one in your opinion?

the schizophrenia reference was because, lately, i've been doing alternating buddy and solo dives and i've had to switch gears and keep in mind which mindset i was in. and i was wondering if others have this same situation or are mostly solo.

i think that we all, so far, have the same attitude about buddy diving- i like the handshake analogy. the question is how often do we dive with buddies.

 

[Nemrod]

OK, you asked, I dive primarily solo, have for years but occasionally by choice or being forced to I take a buddy. I also enjoy diving in a loose gaggle led by a DM as long as he/she understands that I am really solo and just accompanying them and that I am not going to be told to wear my mask backwards, not going to have a snorkel, not going to inflate my BC (if I have one) and so on, will in fact pop my mask up on my forehead as soon as I surface etc. Buddies are all fine but this is a solo forum. Good luck.

Safety is way over rated, live dangerous, die free! N

 

[diverberr]

I do most of my dives solo, but do some of my dives with a buddy I've been diving with for years. On most dives we have differing agendas and so head in different directions, usually stating that we'll meet near the end of the dive near the anchor line.

One of the biggest problems I have as a schizo-solo-diver is buddy breathing with myself....sometimes it's a terrible struggle to get the regulator back from me. There are also those times when I want to swim in one direction to see something and I want to head in a totally different direction to work on an artifact..........but the drugs do really seem to be helping......

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm a schizophrenic,
And so am I.

Cheers,
Al.