Solo Diving, How about WHY we should not instead of just NO you should not.

[MikeFerrara]

What I find interesting is why the diving industry makes it such a taboo while other equally or more dangerous activities don't seem to make a big deal of it, climbing, flying, backcountry hiking, etc.

The dive industry does lots of strange things.

I think this is why most new divers will ask why solo diving is so risky. The original poster mentioned a specific set of very conservitive dive paramaters and compared it to the risks of snorkling solo. Most of the same risks mentioned for scuba would also apply to snorkling, yet no one mentioned, although Rick alluded to it, that you shouldn't be solo snorkling either.

I don't know about any one else but I didn't mention snorkeling because it wasn't the topic of conversation. When I taught free diving though I taught it using the buddy system.

The buddy system is generally a great system and could eliminate a lot of unnecessary death if used throughout your life. Let's face it, heart attack, stroke, hitting your head on a rock could happen as you walk to the bathroom, well maybe not the rock thing, having a buddy could potentially save your life. If someone did a detailed study they would probably find the woman have fewer bathroom related death because they are more likely to go as a group. The point is, you need to look at the risks and decide what risks you are willing to take. Some of these risks you are going to think to minor to worry about and take.

The big difference between a bathroom accident when your alone and an accident under water is that you can breath in the bathroom without needing to be consiouse to keep a reg in your mouth and needing breathing gas in a tank. There is inherantly more time pressure associated with underwater problems.

Other than that your right. We have young barely broke horses and I rpefer that my wife doesn't get to ambitiouse with them when she's home alone. You could lay out behind the barn for a long time before some one found you.

 

[matt_unique]

And people blast DIR divers for not wanting to buddy up with unknown or obviously marginal buddies.

You are very correct in your statements, Matt.

Of course DIR is totally against the concept and gear required for solo diving as I understand it.

--Matt

 

[Kestrell]

Here it is, short and sweet.

I personally don't recommend it and I won't do it since I am no where skilled enought to even think about it.

Would I look down on someone doing it? No.

There are plenty of people who are diving solo who have never had a problem. In fact they might be safer than diving with a reckless buddy who will get them in trouble.

Just undestand the risk and be prepared.

Also, make sure you let someone know where and when you are diving so if you are missing, they know where to start looking.

 

[Dutchman]

I guess I look at solo diving as being another alternative to not diving at all. I like the buddy system but I am not going to miss an opportunity to dive. I practice self reliance. I adjust my dive plan accordingly. I know the risk. I make an educated decision. If I go to a scuba park and there are 40-60 people diving, I don’t feel I really need a buddy. Everyone there is my buddy. I have been diving and snorkeling since 1964. Two years before PADI began certification. More dives by myself than with a buddy. I had some issues but remain calm, cool and collected. I think that comes with experience. You develop a comfort factor. Most new divers have very little swimming and ocean time. I think this is one reason the certificating agencies push buddy diving so much. They realize there are a lot of inexperience individuals out there. Lower your risk, dive with a buddy.

One more thing, I just got my certification card after years of refusing to join the club. I did learn some things, nothing about equipment or technique. More by the way of terminology.

 

[jhelmuth]

I see people diving solo every week... they just don't know it. MOST of the people diving today are just a group of mostly solo divers in the same body of water. Put to the test (a real test), I have serious doubts about todays "resort" diver being a real buddy. I'm an advocate of buddy diving WITH buddies who can be self-sufficent and understand why that is an advantage. Attitude is everything. Most rec dives going on today are "trust me" dives as that is the expectation. God forbid anything serious happens (and thank God that the percentages keep it to the level it's at today - it could be much worse).

 

[drbill]

I dive solo 80% of the time, and began doing so in the early 1970's.

Just as I will not tell anyone else they should dive solo, I will not tell anyone else they shouldn't. There are risk elements in solo diving AND risk elements in buddy diving. They differ. I only suggest one think long and hard about whether solo diving is appropriate for you. If you feel it is, a solo diving certification is a good idea as is reading a few books on the subject. And REDUNDANCY, redundancy, redundancy (oops, am I being too redundant?).

 

[MASS-Diver]

Although I think that in general it's safer to dive with a skilled buddy team, I don't think it is correct to characterize any solo dive done by anyone as reckless.

Getting in the water alone and doing an aggressive dive over one's skill level is certainly not a good idea, however simply adding a buddy to the equation will not always make a dive safer, if fact, if the team does not function well, it could actually make the dive more dangerous.

IMO, if you don't practice sharing gas with your buddy on a regular basis - you might as well dive alone. All this stuff about about hitting your head is addressing a risk which is pretty insignificant - the main role of buddy (espically at the rec level) is to give you gas - if they aren't trained to do that, they aren't much good.

 

[akscubainst]

I dive solo 80% of the time, and began doing so in the early 1970's.

Just as I will not tell anyone else they should dive solo, I will not tell anyone else they shouldn't. There are risk elements in solo diving AND risk elements in buddy diving. They differ. I only suggest one think long and hard about whether solo diving is appropriate for you. If you feel it is, a solo diving certification is a good idea as is reading a few books on the subject. And REDUNDANCY, redundancy, redundancy (oops, am I being too redundant?).

I do as well and I agree with you completly. Diving is like a day in the office for me. I don't think twice about solo diving, I've been doing it for years mostly working dives. There's a level of confidence you need to achieve, it's not over confidence you just have to cross that line. I don't usually sport dive solo but when I'm working at 20' and drop something I have no problem dropping down to 100' to look for it.

The other time I dive solo is when I'm teaching, did you ever stop to wonder who's the instructor's buddy?

I don't condone solo diving but I don't hide the fact that I've done at least 20 solo dives this week.

There's no Scuba Police if you wan't to dive solo, then who's going to stop you. You just darned well better be sure you know what you're doing or you'll just be another statistic.


Dave

 

[Cacia]

Anyone who gets really involved with a camera, especially shooting macro, is diving solo to some extent. Even if I have a buddy watching my back, he doesn't really have one, does he? I have to admit I love being off by myself without all those "tank rappers". Of course, they (hi Chris) don't even let me bring the camera if I am leading clients around.

 

[cnctina]

If your buddy team system breaks down, are you and your buddy diving solo?