Solo Diving: It's time to set the record straight

[nielsent]

If you put forward that logic you could say “who certified diver number one?” Though I don’t agree with most of this article, and I tend to agree with the rest of the people in this thread that it does not really understand the mindset of solo diving. I do, however, think that it makes one valid point.

As with all fun and enjoyable things, they eventually get popular, change, and become regulated. Solo diving in particular carries some mitigatable risk, but most people do not posses the knowledge and understanding to recognize what people must be informed about before they go out and dive in by themselves.

Though most solo divers are the kind of people that have a pioneer, self sufficient, attitude and don’t require the education because they already have learned a lot from hard knock experience and preparation, this does not mean they always will be. There will always be a group of people that want to follow into it because of its gaining popularity, and no matter how many times you tell them they don’t have enough experience, or the right equipment, or the right attitude, they will think your trying to keep it from them. This will result in these people hurting or killing themselves.

When you get people that want to be part of a hobby that are hurting and killing themselves and the individuals and families saying “nobody was willing to help them learn how to do it safely.” You are going to end up with families protesting and forcing some sort of regulatory action, which is never a good thing.

We as a group of pioneers in this field should be willing to help those that are interested learn what is involved in such endeavors, the amount of preparation and hard work we put into this sort of diving, and emphasize that in the end, we are only accountable to ourselves for doing it. As a result, I think that as a group, solo divers should also be attempting to regulate the evaluation of solo divers.

I personally feel that courses like the SDI solo diver course and the IANTD self-sufficient diver course are a step in the right direction. They are giving people the opportunity to take responsibility for their diving, regulate and evaluate themselves. Much like all other forms of diving that we do in our world today.

Anyway, that’s just my thoughts on the subject.

 

[FishDiver]

The OP is nothing but a thinly-veiled advertisement for the instructor's dive training class. I think it is inappropriate.

 

[Bob DBF]

I must admit the article p****d me off with the oft repeated factually wrong concept that Solo divers die.

Quote:
What you will find is that most of the accident commentaries begin with something like this, “The body was found or recovered at …..” You see, it is very, very rare for a diver to die in a diving accident when their buddy is with them. Conversely, the vast majority of people who die in diving accidents are alone – without a buddy.

In incidents I have read about and are discussed on this board, the facts seem to be that the victim was diving with a buddy, separated and the situation deteriorated. Implying that the problem is Solo diving rather than the failure of the buddy system maligns Solo divers and does nothing to solve the actual problem.

Although I dive Solo I was trained to dive with a buddy, and when I dive with a buddy I am serious about it and I expect the same from my buddy. On the very few times I "lost" a buddy, we met on the surface a few minutes later.

Now you all know how to set me off.

End of Rant.

Bob
--------------------------------
Keep your dives and surfaces equal.

 

[Tanked]

How do you teach someone to dive solo? Throw them in the water while the instructer stays on the boat? "you came back alive! Congrats you passed!"
I've been solo diving for 3 years without a C card. I've also been diving a dry suit for 5 years with out getting dry suit certified.
Guess I better dust off the wet suit, and find a buddy

 

[TSandM]

I think it probably isn't a bad idea for someone who is contemplating solo diving to have some informational input from somebody with experience, who has thought through a lot of the issues. One of the biggest issues with diving is what you don't know that you don't know; having someone in a class point out some potential problems you hadn't thought of probably isn't a bad thing.

I take significant issue with the idea that all photographers are poor buddies, or don't want to dive with buddies, though. I have a number of friends who are avid and skilled photographers, and are still good teammates. The dive is just somewhat altered by putting the goal of photography into the forefront.

 

[deepwater]

I'm a crotchity old man and I'm going to keep doing what I've been since '79 in my military mind ALL dives are solo dives. A buddy is a person who will let you down when you most need him, if you can't handle the situation yourself then don't get into it

 

[DaleC]

adventure dude, I think you were pretty naive to try and slip that advertisement past this forum group. You lost me when you said "remember you're using life support equipment down there...".
That's so 2008.

When's someone going to set the record straight about minimalist deep air solo diving with used vintage gear? I wish someone would because I don't know what I know and it's killing me.

 

[craracer]

This debate, in my humble opinion, has valid points on both sides. It's almost like asking "What is the best religion?" I would venture to say that there will not be a general consensus any time soon. Now having said that, in the larger picture I think we are missing the points in which both sides are united.

Regardless of anyone's opinion, it doesn't change how I felt last weekend when I had the entire lake to myself.

 

[jvevea]

I take significant issue with the idea that all photographers are poor buddies, or don't want to dive with buddies, though. I have a number of friends who are avid and skilled photographers, and are still good teammates. The dive is just somewhat altered by putting the goal of photography into the forefront.

Hear, hear! On those occasions when I do dive with a buddy, I will deliberately seek out a photographer. I find I'm actually able to SEE things at that pace, which is, after all, the point. Good for my SAC rate, too.

 

[DaleC]

There isn't really a debate. The OP asked for comments on his article. It's purported to be informative but is written in a format called the persuasive argument. The motive of which is to convince the reader to take the SDI Solo Course. To those who "know what they know" it comes across as weakly written, builds upon sloppy/erroneous assumptions and uses cliche phrases.
I have nothing against the SDI solo course; I just don't think the OP set the record straight on anything.