Tod
Contributor
I guess I'd have to say that I almost always dive solo, but I never go diving alone. (Is that the schizo you wanted to hear?) 
To explain this a little further: I typically go to a dive with someone else; we suit up together (I need someone to zip up the back of my dry suit); and we enter the water together. After that, we essentially go off on our own.
There may be times when we spend most of the whole dive in the same area, and I try to keep an eye out for where he/they is/are located. But we have an understanding that we are each free to roam where we want. We try to keep in touch - just out of a curtisy - but we are not teathered together. More often then not, this is the dive plan between us.
I am not opposed to diving in a true "buddy" situation, but I prefer to dive alone. I have often had "buddies" take off before I've reached the bottom and then I have to spend far too much time looking for them (often going back up to hunt for them or their bubbles). This just gets to be annoying! And usually when I do finally find them, I get the feeling that they were obviously not concerned about where I was or that they were alone all that time.
After the end of each of those experiences, I just tell them that the next dive they can go alone or find a new "buddy." I don't make a big deal out of it, I just state that "I don't want to be responsible for someone I can't keep track of or that is not mutually concerned about my whereabouts."
When most people look at my rig (with the pony tank) they simply don't bother to ask me to be a buddy figuring I dive alone. That actually works best for me.
To explain this a little further: I typically go to a dive with someone else; we suit up together (I need someone to zip up the back of my dry suit); and we enter the water together. After that, we essentially go off on our own.
There may be times when we spend most of the whole dive in the same area, and I try to keep an eye out for where he/they is/are located. But we have an understanding that we are each free to roam where we want. We try to keep in touch - just out of a curtisy - but we are not teathered together. More often then not, this is the dive plan between us.
I am not opposed to diving in a true "buddy" situation, but I prefer to dive alone. I have often had "buddies" take off before I've reached the bottom and then I have to spend far too much time looking for them (often going back up to hunt for them or their bubbles). This just gets to be annoying! And usually when I do finally find them, I get the feeling that they were obviously not concerned about where I was or that they were alone all that time.
After the end of each of those experiences, I just tell them that the next dive they can go alone or find a new "buddy." I don't make a big deal out of it, I just state that "I don't want to be responsible for someone I can't keep track of or that is not mutually concerned about my whereabouts."
When most people look at my rig (with the pony tank) they simply don't bother to ask me to be a buddy figuring I dive alone. That actually works best for me.
