SDI Solo diver manual - is it worth buying

[drcolyn]

Greetings to all those on the dark side. I'm just a regular die hard diver living West of Cape town South Africa where the water average 13'C , 2meter viz and have a healthy supply of Great white sharks.
Add to that my passion for trying to take the perfect UW photograph and you don't see many volunteers for dive buddies. so somewhere between 50 and the magical 100 dive milestone I had to start solo or become a grumpy prematurely aged man.
As mentioned my main objective is UW photography so diving conditions mostly entail shore entries and max depth 30ft. I take preparation very seriously as I appreciate the situation a scuba diver puts himself into and for that reason did my rescue divers certification when I still had a buddy. After now doing some reading about solo diving I feel it is time to get nolly on all the technical aspects of solo diving as well but don't want to pitch up at the dive shop in town advertising the fact that I do go solo as I don't want to be refused air fills in future (my compressor are not functional yet).
I have seen the solo diver certification sylabus on the net and are interested in any pointers that will make me better prepared in all eventualities but is the SDI solo diver manual the only source of this info and is it worth the money as I am not going to do the course anyway. I'd rather have my rig serviced for that price then.
Regards David

 

[Wookie]

If you don't take the class, there are way better ways of learning than the SDI solo manual. As a solo instructor, will I go to hell for saying that?

This book Solo Diving, 2nd Edition: The Art of Underwater Self-Sufficiency (Paperback)
~ Robert von Maier (Author) is a better resource than the Solo diver manual, I think.

 

[cruiser]

If you don't take the class, there are way better ways of learning than the SDI solo manual. As a solo instructor, will I go to hell for saying that?

This book Solo Diving, 2nd Edition: The Art of Underwater Self-Sufficiency (Paperback)
~ Robert von Maier (Author) is a better resource than the Solo diver manual, I think.

No, you won't go to hell

IMHO, Solo Diving, 2nd Edition by von Maier, should be required reading for anyone considering solo diving.

 

[divad]

No, you won't go to hell

IMHO, Solo Diving, 2nd Edition by von Maier, should be required reading for anyone considering solo diving.

Yes, you are going directly to hell, and I will mail you the above mentioned book (full of stuff you already know) for free. Don't waste your money.

 

[SelkieDVM]

I agree with evad, I didn't find the von Maier book to be particularly useful.

 

[DaleC]

I think the usefulness of the book (and course) depends on whether you have spent time already considering the subject matter or not. Reduncancy, entanglement, dive planning, understanding topography and currents, self rescue etc...

 

[divad]

And, if you need the book, you probably should not be solo diving.

 

[DaleC]

well... everybody has to start somewhere.
I bought the book but didn't find anything especially "new" in it either. I did enjoy the stories in the second half that tended to demystify soloing somewhat. To each their own I suppose.

 

[divad]

I liked the stories too, and the handy glossary.

 

[Bogie]

More training and knowledge is always a good thing.