Solo Diving Checklist? Musts?

[copter53]

So I had a very bad experience with a buddy the other day and I am convinced that I need to give solo diving a shot.

I have went solo before on isolated occasions but now I think it might become the norm for me.

If I were to compile a list of gear needed for a solo diver what would you guys add to:

2nd knife
redundant air supply(pony tank)
main, 2ndary, and back-up light
extra mask in my bc pocket

What would you say in essential for a solo diver and what stuff is optional?

Now what about skills?

What skills should I begin practicing so as to start solo diving?

 

[Jax]

How about taking SDI's Solo course? Or at least purchasing and studying the book?

Nice, methodical way of making sure you know what you need to know, and consider what you need to consider?

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the class.

 

[Dive-aholic]

If you consider the SDI Solo course, make sure you interview your instructor thoroughly. Anyone teaching the course to no more than the standards is doing a disservice to their students. At a minimum the course should be 2 days/4 dives, not the 1 day/2 dives SDI requires by standards.

 

[Bob DBF]

Having a bad day with a buddy is not a reason to to become a solo diver, it may however be a good reason to find a different buddy. There is a thread in solo giving a lot of good reasons we became solo divers and buddies were not a big reason.

Usually I don't carry anything different than I would with a buddy.

As for skills, not getting upset when things are going wrong is on the top of my list.


Bob
------------------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

"the future is uncertain and the end is always near"
Jim Morrison

 

[knowone]

and you must check your bolts and cross your T''s

 

[shoredivr]

I like to check my mental attitude and the conditions before I solo dive. Actually, I do that when I dive with others, too.

I dive with redundancy whether I'm solo or with another.

 

[sylpha]

i was taught to be self reliant from the day i first went into the water, it's a state of mind. every piece of kit i buy i think about first - ok i've made mistakes, but on the whole i've been happy with it. i was taught that it's easy to get separated from your buddy when you are diving and although you should give it a couple of minutes only before surfacing anything can go wrong so you should be able to deal with it.

my training encouraged me to take responsibility for myself & to look for what could go wrong & how to deal with it (and if that means a new piece of kit then buy it). I also chatted to people who had incidents & listened to what went wrong, i incorporated the things they should have done into my style of diving. Yes i've had things go wrong, but i've dealt with them & only been involved in 1 incident (friend's equipment failure) which ended the dive early, but safely.

The only difference between my diving solo & with a buddy is a buddy line.

 

[w ripley]

It sounds like you're getting some good advice. If you go with lists, then you will have to create one (or more) that fit you and the gear you dive.

I have a 250-item cheklist that I've put together over the last 15 years (love word processors), that assures I have what I need to make a week-long trip to FL for caving, or a day-long trip on a dive boat. I have a very abbreviated (and laminated) list for putting my rebreather together on shore, and on the other side for pre-dive checks at the site. Nothing fancy, just items that I know I need to cover.

I have also put together several sheets that I review driving to FL or before a big dive. They include most of the stuff I learned in my RB course, oddities about my handset electronics, bailout times and distances for each size bottle, milivolt reading for O2 sensors, etc. It's an especially good review after a winter of sitting pretty much idle.

Finally, there are the mental check lists of "what ifs?" What if I lose my mouthpiece? What if I lose my mask? What if...weill you get the idea. If you don't think about what you are going to do in an emergency situation before it actually happens, you may find yourself at a disadvantage when it actually happens.

But here's the thing: Lists will get you to the site with the gear you need and into the water with some degree of confidence. The trick to being a good diver, solo or otherwise, iis how often you are diving and using your head and your gear (and, of course, modifying your check lists as the result). If you're not in the water on a regular basis then the best lists in the world aren't going to be much help.

Safe diving.

 

[copter53]

So no1 has answered my actual question yet? Assuming I do not take the SDI course what training can I do my own and what gear should I have?

 

[Akimbo]

The answer is highly individual and dive profile dependent. I don’t carry any of the items you listed on most solo dives.

• 2nd knife: sometimes, if I am taking scallops
• redundant air supply: It’s called a free ascent, which I practice at least once a year from at least 130'.
• main, 2ndary: and back-up light: Why? I don’t solo on night dives and rarely use a light unless I am looking in holes. I try to avoid solo wreck penetrations.
• extra mask: I have never lost a mask in almost 50 years. My plan is open eyes, which is not much worse than some people who have lost their contacts, and surface. If losing a mask is a concern, wear the strap under your hood.

The check list should be the same for any dive, since any dive can become solo by accident or in an emergency. I do inspect and pre-dive gear thoroughly before leaving home

• Test regulator IP, filter, hoses, breathing, and general visual
• Inflation test BC, check OPV, smooth button operation, lube as needed
• Sharpen the knife I do carry… it easily cuts paper, but that is more as a tool than a rescue device.
• Visual and pull test fin and mask straps.
• etc…