Solo Divers and Risk Management | X-Ray Magazine
Always happy with the treatment these guys give to my articles...
Always happy with the treatment these guys give to my articles...
solo diving article...
- Thread starter Doppler
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Nicely done, thanks.
Mark Powell’s “Solo Diving Coming out of the Closet” presentation/video may also be of use to people who find Steve’s article interesting.
Mark Powell’s “Solo Diving Coming out of the Closet” presentation/video may also be of use to people who find Steve’s article interesting.
KevinG58
Contributor
I have a lot of closets I guess 
markmud
Self Reliant Diver--On All Dives.
Hey Doppler,
Nice article! I enjoyed reading it.
You wrote that because of Solo diver training, there are more well trained divers who can perform solo dives safer and they make better buddy divers (paraphrased).
I agree! I am a better diver and a better buddy diver because of the solo diver training. I was a decent solo diver and buddy before the training, but now I am better.
markm
All of these articals and discussions are postulated on the belief that;
1. SCUBA diving is dangerous or "risky"
2. Solo SCUBA diving is therefore even more dangerous and "risky"
And I dismiss both as jabber and baloney talk by people who want to puff themselves up. However, recreational/sport SCUBA is neither dangerous nor "risky" so therefore none of these discussions have merit. Nobody has sufficinet statistical evidence to prove that solo is more dangerous than buddy diving and I am not seeing a lot of actuarial studies for SCUBA compared to flying, sky diving, free climbing or motorcycling and it is just in and of itself not an extreme sport. Yes, you can make SCUBA an extreme sport but in and of itself, it simply is not a dangerous sport.
And I am noticing this attempt to redefine solo as diving with an inexperienced buddy or group diving without an assigned buddy. No, sorry, that is buddy diving, perhaps not good buddy diving but it is not solo. This is parsing words like our former president. No, solo is exactly that, alone. This is an attempt by the mainstream to roll back solo certifications. Not going to work. We are out of the closet and not going to be stuffed back in to some little restrictive box.
I have a SDI Solo card, nothing was said in the course about my having to find a newbie diver to tag along with so that I could exercise my solo diving credentials. Nope, solo is alone, nobody else around, period.
N
1. SCUBA diving is dangerous or "risky"
2. Solo SCUBA diving is therefore even more dangerous and "risky"
And I dismiss both as jabber and baloney talk by people who want to puff themselves up. However, recreational/sport SCUBA is neither dangerous nor "risky" so therefore none of these discussions have merit. Nobody has sufficinet statistical evidence to prove that solo is more dangerous than buddy diving and I am not seeing a lot of actuarial studies for SCUBA compared to flying, sky diving, free climbing or motorcycling and it is just in and of itself not an extreme sport. Yes, you can make SCUBA an extreme sport but in and of itself, it simply is not a dangerous sport.
And I am noticing this attempt to redefine solo as diving with an inexperienced buddy or group diving without an assigned buddy. No, sorry, that is buddy diving, perhaps not good buddy diving but it is not solo. This is parsing words like our former president. No, solo is exactly that, alone. This is an attempt by the mainstream to roll back solo certifications. Not going to work. We are out of the closet and not going to be stuffed back in to some little restrictive box.
I have a SDI Solo card, nothing was said in the course about my having to find a newbie diver to tag along with so that I could exercise my solo diving credentials. Nope, solo is alone, nobody else around, period.
N
Dangerous and risky are relative terms. Of course Scuba diving is dangerous and risky compared to an everyday task like sleeping in your own bed. Driving to the dive shop to fill your tank, walking your kids to school, and showering after a dive are also risky. Eating at McDonald's is extremely risky if you listen to the media.
IMHO, diving with a highly skilled buddy is probably a little less risky than solo diving. However, buddy diving with a lesser skilled individual is more risky... and considerably less fun.
IMHO, diving with a highly skilled buddy is probably a little less risky than solo diving. However, buddy diving with a lesser skilled individual is more risky... and considerably less fun.
Last edited:
Kharon
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It depends ... as much as I love diving solo, there are some people I really enjoy diving with.
Variety is the spice of life ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Variety is the spice of life ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
drrich2
Contributor
It depends on the person and also the kind of dive at hand to be done. There are dives I'd rather do with a good buddy than alone; there are dives I'd rather enjoy alone. I'm more likely to enjoy solo diving when the dive at hand & conditions are easy, in an area I've dove before.
Richard.
Richard.
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
I am the opposite - I prefer to do solo in new areas that I have not dove before or am not sure of the conditions. I don't want to be worrying about a buddy when all I want to do is scout the area and report back. When it is easy - I enjoy taking folks so they can enjoy what I know to be in their zone and will enjoy it as much as I do...
But I am willing to dive with Buddies or Solo about equally - just seems when the shore tides are later at night most folks prefer to be sleeping than diving and I seem to be Solo...
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